Business

Holiday Shopping 2023: Groove 

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For this installment of our local holiday shopping series, we catch up with Judi Anders, manager of Groove’s New Canaan store on Elm Street. 

Here’s a transcript of our conversation. ***

New Canaanite: Could you please give us some background on the store, and also an overview of what you have on offer here. Judi Anders: The owner is Corri Neckritz and she started the business Groove because she saw there was a need for cute, trendy clothes and gifts and she just couldn’t find them out there. And so she started selling out of her basement. And she then opened her first store in Westport in 2012.

Business

Holiday Shopping 2023: Pet Pantry Warehouse

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For today’s installment of our local holiday shopping series, we caught up with Michele Sileo, assistant manager of  Pet Pantry Warehouse on Grove Street. 

Here’s our conversation. ***

New Canaanite: Please give us some background on Pet Pantry and an overview of what you offer here. Michele Sileo: Pet Pantry has been family owned for over 75 years now. We have seven stores—four in Connecticut, three in New York. We have a lot of products for dogs.

Business

Holiday Shopping 2023: That Personal Touch

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For this installment of our local holiday shopping series, we visited Lynn van der Els, owner of That Personal Touch on Main Street. Here’s a transcript of our conversation. 

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New Canaanite: Please give us some background on That Personal Touch and tell us what you offer here. Lynn van der Els: My mom and I started the business 40 years ago, we just celebrated our 40th anniversary on November 4th. She passed away 11 years later, and then I met my husband Mitch, and he came into the business with me, and he became the engraver. I used to be the engraver, and my mom would do all the book work, so we reversed roles.

Alanna Fleisch

Holiday Shopping 2023: Athletic Shoe Factory

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For today’s installment of our local holiday shopping series, we met up with Athletic Shoe Factory owner Alanna Fleisch at the Forest Street store. 

Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: Please give us some background on the Athletic Shoe Factory and an overview of what you carry here. 

Alanna Fleisch: We’re a family-owned and -operated business since the late-‘70s. We’re a sporting goods store, so we specialize in just about anything and everything we can fit in these walls. Obviously running shoes are our bread and butter. But we have a large array of socks, apparel and equipment for all the sports—soccer, lacrosse, football, baseball.