Business

Local Holiday Shopping: Franco’s Wine Merchants [Q&A]

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For today’s installment of our local holiday shopping series, we talked on Tuesday afternoon to Carl Franco of Franco’s Wine Merchants at 130 Elm St. Here’s a transcription of our interview. ***

New Canaanite: The shopping season officially kicked off on Black Friday. How’s it going in the early days here? 

Carl Franco: Usually people are a little slow right after Thanksgiving, and they always take a few days, or sometimes a week. But with Thanksgiving so late this year, I think people just realized it’s 30 days for Christmas.

Business

Holiday Shopping in New Canaan: Francos Wine Merchants

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For today’s installment in our local holiday shopping series, we spoke to Carl Franco of Francos Wine Merchants on Elm Street. Here’s a transcription of our conversation. 

***

New Canaanite: How’s the holiday shopping season been for you guys? Carl Franco: It’s been a little delayed. But I think people are starting to wake up and realize that Christmas is in two weeks. 

What are some of your best sellers? 

There’s always the traditional Cabs and Pinot Noirs and areas that people feel comfortable shopping in because they know them. But Italy’s always very big at Christmas because of a lot of menus—especially on Christmas Eve—and then it’s had an excellent 2019 vintage, which has just been released.

Around Town

Mark Gust To Retire from Family Britches after 50 Years; Store Closing June 30

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Mark Gust started working for Family Britches in January of 1972. He was 21 years old, having graduated from Chappaqua High School and with two years at Villanova University under his belt.

Gust worked at the original Family Britches in Chappaqua, N.Y. for about two years and then came to New Canaan when the company opened a store on Elm Street. On June 30, Gust will retire from his career as a buyer and store manager for the clothing shop, which will close with his retirement. “It’s exciting,” Gust told NewCanaanite.com on Tuesday from the sales floor at 99 Main St. “It’s sad.

Around Town

‘His Legacy and Impact Will Live On’: New Canaanites Remember Don Hersam

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For Steve Karl, there’s a very short list of New Canaanites whose contributions to the community in business, civic matters, faith and philanthropy exceed what anyone conceivably could imagine in terms of commitment and longevity. They are “the rare residents who have created a legacy and body of work that the rest of us just sit back and wonder how they could possibly have that much time, that much energy and that much love for one place,” according to Karl, himself a lifelong New Canaanite. “Don Hersam was one of those extremely rare individuals,” Karl said this week, days after V. Don Hersam, Jr. passed at age 92. 

“He was the soul of the community,” Karl told NewCanaanite.com. “The centerpiece of the 06840 Mt Rushmore,” he continued. “He loved New Canaan, respected its rich history, and consistently endeavored to make it a better place to live, work, and raise a family.