NewCanaanite.com (https://newcanaanite.com/category/new-canaan-business-2/page/7)
New Canaan businesses are the lifeblood not just of the “Magic Circle” downtown and other hubs of arts and commerce, but also are critical drivers and supporters of community events, human services and preserving the character of “The Next Station to Heaven.” In this section, we spotlight New Canaan businesses and profile their owners, in long-form interviews and spot features, celebrating our anchor businesses and welcoming those new to town.
For today’s installment of our local holiday shopping series, we stopped into the home and gift shop No. 299 on Main Street.
Here’s a transcription of our conversation with owner Jackie Fucigna. ***
New Canaanite: Please give us some background on No. 299 and a general idea of what people can find here. Jackie Fucigna: The business started about 12 years ago in my garage and just grew organically from there.
For this new installment of our local holiday shopping series, we visited The Glass House Design Store at 199 Elm St. There, we spoke to Dominica Baharian, manager of the Design Store and the Visitor Center, and Christa Carr, communications director for The Glass House. Here’s a transcript of our conversation. ***
New Canaanite: Could you please give us an overview of the Design Store? What can people find here and how does it fit into The Glass House program?
Francos Wine Merchants, a family-owned wine and spirits store on Elm Street, marks its 90th anniversary.
For today’s installment of our local holiday shopping series, we visited Claudette Rothman, owner of the eponymous women’s clothing and accessories boutique Claudette on Main Street. (In addition to the clothing featured below, the shop offers many gifts, such a Kate Spade puzzle at $24, as well as picture frames, flasks, napkins, coffee table books, trays and toiletries.)
Here’s our conversation. ***
New Canaanite: Please give us some background on yourself and on the boutique. Claudette Rothman: I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and I’ve been in this industry a very long time. I’ve worked for a lot of the big guys, and then I got out of the industry right around when dot coms were beginning.
This installment of our local holiday shopping series takes us to The Toy Chest on Main Street. We stopped by on Sunday to talk to co-owner Carlos Sedeno. Here’s a transcription of our conversation.
New Canaanite: For people who maybe don’t know The Toy Chest, could you give us some background on the shop?
Carlos Sedeno: We’ve been here over 25 years. We’ve been in this town. Yes.