Business

Local Holiday Shopping Boost: Town Designates Free Parking in Municipal Lots Through Dec. 27

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The town has designated free parking in all municipal lots through Dec. 27, officials say. Members of New Canaan’s Parking Department are placing signs on meters in town to let shoppers know they don’t need to pay. Carl Franco of Francos Wine Merchants on Elm Street said he was “very happy that the Chamber of Commerce worked out with the town free parking for all municipal lots.”

“I think that will be very inviting for the shoppers to give one last boost to all the merchants in town,” Franco said. The designation, which took effect Monday, follows an unexpected loss of some parking and traffic difficulties late last week due to utilities work on Elm. 

Laura Budd, executive director of the Chamber, said the “last few days before Christmas are very important to our retailers.”

“The Chamber and the municipality wanted to remove all barriers to our residents and visitors who are shopping local for all their last-minute holiday gifts,” Budd said.

News

Letter: New Canaan’s Holiday Stroll—What Is It All About?

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The weekend after Thanksgiving is dedicated to putting the spotlight on New Canaan’s downtown. The Holiday Stroll was started by a group of local merchants 18 years ago and has evolved to be one of New Canaan’s most beloved traditions.  The Chamber invites you to head downtown 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 to walk under the lights, browse in the stores, watch a show performed by young local talent, eat delicious food, and take a selfie with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Stroll functions as New Canaan’s answer to “Small Business Saturday”, reminding all of us to “think local first” when shopping for friends and family this Holiday season! For young families we encourage you to come back to town 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday to catch up with Santa who will be at Houlihan Lawrence at 161 Elm St.

Business

‘Barvida’ Organic Vegan Juice Bar and Café Opens on Elm Street

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A new organic vegan juice bar and café has opened in the heart of downtown New Canaan. Darien’s Brennan Branca opened his second location of Barvida on Nov. 12 at 137 Elm St., next to the alley by Chef Luis. The business’s first store opened in Darien in 2020. Serving cold-pressed juices, smoothies and organic foods including bowls, wraps, salads and toasts, Barvida is focused on “providing the absolute highest-quality ingredients that we can possibly source,” Branca told NewCanaanite.com on a recent afternoon.

Business

Retail Butcher Shop Planned for Downtown New Canaan

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A new butcher shop is planned for a vacant commercial space on Burtis Avenue. A $40,000 interior fit-out is planned for 12 Burtis Ave., future home of a single-room retail butcher shop, according to a permit application filed Tuesday with the New Canaan Building Department. The space, located at the rear of a Burtis Avenue-facing building and easily accessible from East Avenue, used to house The Red Grape wine shop (now at Forest Street and Locust Avenue). Asked about the prospective new butcher shop, New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laura Budd said, “The Chamber was happy to see that the space was taken quickly, it speaks to the resurgence in demand for commercial space in downtown New Canaan. We look forward to working with this new business.”

It’s unclear what the new shop will be called or when it’s expected to open—the applicant could not immediately be reached for comment.

Against The Grain

‘A Partner to the Community’: Bankwell Works with Local Businesses in Designing, Outfitting New Elm Street Headquarters

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Laura Waitz, executive vice president and COO at Bankwell, had a vision when the company decided to move its headquarters to New Canaan two years ago. 

The largest private employer in New Canaan at 100-plus workers is “a relationship bank,” Waitz, a New Canaan resident, said on a recent morning from the second-floor conference room of Bankwell, located at the corner of Elm and Grove Streets. “It’s all about building relationships in business and for our employees and for the community we work in,” she said. “So when we expanded and brought so many more people to New Canaan it was about being a partner to the community, as well. And that was critically important and I wanted a workplace that was peaceful and serene and didn’t look ‘corporate banking’ but that would provide a welcoming, collaborative environment.”

In designing it, Bankwell—which already donates to more than 200 organizations per year, with focus on children, education, food insecurity, homelessness and financial literacy—hired, contracted and otherwise worked with dozens of New Canaan businesses. The bank’s placid and functional workspace includes conference room pieces handcrafted by New Canaan’s gifted furniture designer maker, Tom Throop of Black Creek Designs, a custom-made 300-gallon aquarium from Randy Jahier of Life Aquatic on Park Street, walls lined with the work of local artist Elena McCoy and photography from CAS Gallery on Elm Street, gardens planted by Gregg’s Garden Center and Landscaping on Grove Street, with year-round outdoor furniture from Against the Grain on Main Street.