Local Holiday Shopping: No. 299 [Q&A]

For this new installment of our holiday shopping series, we spoke on Wednesday afternoon to Jackie Fucigna, owner of No. 299 (here on Instagram), a home decor and gift shop at 114 Main St., as well as store manager Bettina Leddy.

Here’s our interview.

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New Canaanite: Tell us how it’s been going so far this shopping season. 

Jackie Fucigna: We actually have had a great season, better than last year. I’m not going to say it’s my best, but it’s been very good. 

And what kinds of things are people interested in, generally?

Jackie Fucigna: I think people come to us because they know they’re going to find options. They’re going to find the perfect thing, and they know that we have refreshing price points, and that always helps, especially right now. 

How do you describe No. 299 to someone who maybe is newer to town or hasn’t had a chance to stop in here yet?

Jackie Fucigna: I would say it’s a collection of curated items that you don’t see everywhere else, and what I think makes the environment and the shop so special is that I love to incorporate vintage furniture into my displays. I think it gives the store unique, special vibes. And I love that customers come in daily telling us how much they love our shop and how they knew they’d find the perfect thing. We get compliments constantly and it just feels so good. 

There have been some changes recently to parking in the downtown near you—not right on Main, but on Elm and South Avenue—how is that affecting you, if at all? 

Bettina Leddy: It is affecting us. I’d say most customers are really frustrated with the parking. Most come in and say, ‘I couldn’t get a spot.’ Or ‘I finally got one spot in front of you.’ It’s been a lot of frustration for most people.