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.
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Jane Win jewelry, ranging from $240 to $350 for necklaces and bracelets with interchangeable pieces, at No. 299, 101 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
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. New Canaan opened up a little over two years ago as my second shop, and I would say when people come into the shop that I want them to be inspired. I want them to feel like it’s a creative zone where they can get ideas and hopefully leave with some decor for their home, or great gifts.
Versatile wood cutting board with a decorative hand- or half-bath towel ($62 together) at No. 299, 101 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
How did you get the name No. 299?
The house that I was living in at the time, that was my house address. It was 299 Toilsome Hill Road [in Fairfield]. I just randomly started rehabbing old furniture and before I knew it I had people calling me up saying, ‘Hey I heard you’ve done this cool thing for my friend Beth. Do you have any more and can I see it?’ I had just finished my public relations career, I had just moved into the town of Fairfield—I’d been in New Canaan and moved to Fairfield—and really wasn’t officially ‘working,’ but I’m just a worker. I am always looking for a creative outlet, and that’s the one that found me—or I found it—and next thing I knew I was holding quarterly sales out of my two-car garage, selling all of the pieces that I rehabbed.
Brooklyn Candle Co. seasonal scents. Black Cardamom and Cypress Tree, come in diffusers ($58) or candles ($54), at No. 299, 101 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
Tell me about some of your best-sellers.
We’re known for unique pieces that you don’t see at every other shop. I work really hard to curate the offerings so that it feels special. It’s not something you’ve seen at the shop down the road. And I work really hard to show people how items may go together. So instead of just putting four vases out in a row, I would put the vase out next to the stack of books with the flowers on it and give people a sense of, ‘Oh, OK, if I brought this vase home, this is how I would make it look in my house,’ or ‘This is how I might want to make it look in my house.’ I try to inspire people to do it on their own, so to speak. In terms of big sellers I would probably say our art work. I work really hard to find pieces that look special but aren’t break-the-bank pieces.
Jill Mason, Massachusetts-based photographer. Prices depend on size of pieces, ranging from $40 to $400, at No. 299, 101 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
New Canaan likes to put a focus on its merchants, especially this time of year, with the Holiday Stroll and holiday lights, the wreaths and tags on lampposts. Talk to me about being a business owner and a retailer in the magic circle downtown. What is it like to be a business owner in New Canaan this time of year?
It’s exciting. It’s really exciting. There’s so much going on, between the gingerbread house contest where they ogo in our windows and the lights out front on all the lamp posts, the Stroll. Everybody’s in a really happy, jolly mood. It sounds cliche and silly, but it’s true. And we’ve just had the best experience with our customers. People come in and just rave about what they’re seeing and what they’re buying. And I feel like we’ve landed in just a really great spot.
What would you say to someone who has maybe spotted your shop from the outside, but hasn’t been able to stop in yet?
I would say do yourself a favor and take two minutes to stop—you will not regret it. Just a funny side note, but the night of the Stroll, I was in our bathroom-storeroom getting some inventory out and the door was closed except for a little crack, and I could hear customers outside. And one of them was saying, ‘I just feel so happy when I’m in here. It’s just truly my happy place. I just come in here sometimes to walk around because it makes me feel so good.’ And I just sat there with this huge grin on my face and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what you want, right? This is it.’
No. 299 at 101 Main St. (on Instagram and Facebook) is open seven days per week through Christmas—10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.