Around Town

Gingerbread Houses a Highlight of Annual Holiday Stroll, To Be Held Friday and Saturday [SLIDESHOW]

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The gingerbread houses on display in shop windows downtown (see gallery above for just some samples) have emerged as a favorite centerpiece of the annual New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Holiday Stroll, which launches Friday for its tenth year. Sponsored by Halstead Property, which this year purchased 75 kits for New Canaan families to take home decorate, the real estate office got behind the gingerbread houses early on because they represent houses and the firm loves kids, said Sharon Maasdorp, executive director of sales at Halstead. “Kids are invited into the office at any time, the agents’ kids and grandkids, and we thought it would be a fun way to give back to the community in a way that children could be involved, because so much is geared toward parents,” Maasdorp said. “We love it and next year we’ll have more because this year they were gone within a week or less, all 75. It’s great, because the store people put them in their windows and then at the Stroll, the kids get to show the parents which ones are theirs.

Business

Success Story: New Canaan Olive Oil Owner To Open Second Shop in Westchester

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Though it’s not yet been one year since Heidi Burrows opened her specialty olive oil and vinegar tasting shop on Elm Street, the business has gained enough traction here in town that she and husband Travis are expanding to a second location. “The First Press” will open in a few weeks (exact date not finalized) in The Westchester, an upscale shopping mall in White Plains, N.Y.

“This town has received us very well and I’m hoping that the same thing happens at the other one,” Heidi Burrows, a Stamford resident, said on a recent afternoon. “People there have already seen our ‘Coming Soon’ signs and they’ve contacted us, so they seem to be excited.”

New Canaan Olive Oil opened last September in the former Dunkin Donut’s space at 98 Elm St. A New Canaan Chamber of Commerce member, the shop required a heavy renovation to transform from its former look and feel—creating shelving, wall paneling, new flooring, painting and other work that the Burrowses did themselves. Heidi Burrows said that since word has started to spread about the second shop, she finds herself assuring her loyal local customers that she intends to be on site here in town.