Business

‘Jaafar Tazi’: New Salon To Open on Main Street

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The owner of a well-established, full-service hair salon in Greenwich is eyeing a midsummer opening for a new location in downtown New Canaan. Jaafar Tazi’s eponymous salon will open July 15 on the second floor at 80 Main St., in the space formerly occupied by Li-Ann’s. “Where there is demand, there is supply,” Tazi told NewCanaanite.com when asked why he chose New Canaan for the new salon. “We have a lot of organizations, a lot of clients coming inside [the Greenwich location] from the New Canaan area and they always say there is nothing like our salon in Greenwich in their beautiful little town, so we are trying to brig that up here and we have a lot of people calling us to try and make appointments already.”

Known to scores of locals for preparing “models” for the Young Women’s League’s popular “Couture for a Cause” fundraiser, Jaafar Tazi Salon distinguishes itself for the “high-quality service we provide to clients,” Tazi said. “We are always current with what we do and we have a very, very talented team that really meets the needs of those clients.”

Melissa Lindsay, a co-owner of Pimlico on Elm Street (which officially opens for retail on Tuesday) said she “won’t let anyone else touch” her hair.

Business

Organizers Suspend Pop Up Park after Some Merchants Raise Concerns

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The committee that developed, managed and advocated on behalf of the Pop Up Park downtown—recently securing approval to keep it in place through the summer—is suspending those plans indefinitely after a group of merchants in town voiced opposition. According to a letter obtained by NewCanaanite.com that’s signed by 16 business owners downtown—most of them retailers, including Elm Street Books owner Susan Rein and Pimilico owner Jill Saunders (see full letter below, as well as those who added their names to it)—the Pop Up Park in occupying the final block of South Avenue at Elm Street obstructs traffic, blocks parking and displaces an important loading zone. While complimenting Pop Up Park Committee members for their passion and diligence, these merchants say, the park itself “hampers business” because its visitors do not patronize local shops and restaurants. “If it continues much longer, the small-town charm of New Canaan’s downtown is going to be overrun by big box chains just like many other towns in our area,” according to the letter, dated June 1. “The look of the Park does nothing to enhance the visual appeal of town,” the letter said.

Biz on Biz

Biz on Biz: Pimlico Owner on Walin & Wolff’s Jimmy Choo Shoes

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For this installment of “Biz on Biz,” we visited Jill Saunders at Pimlico, her home furnishings, fixtures and accessories shop on the corner of Elm Street and South Avenue. Asked for her choice of a favorite item, service or anything else at another New Canaan business, Saunders responded: “I would probably point you in the direction of Walin & Wolff.”

And what’s her favorite item there? “Everything, really. It’s quite the problem,” Saunders said. “Their Jimmy Choo shoes are kind of nice.”

At Walin & Wolff, Assistant Manager Lisa Mancini used this word when NewCanaanite.com asked about the popularity of the Jimmy Choo shoes: “Unbelievable.”

“People come in looking for them,” she said.

Local People

Street Style: ‘A Nice Pair of Boots Is Key’

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For this installment of Street Style—our second, after catching up with Lucy and Poppy from Jolly Old one week ago—we talk to Tori Caserta. She’s a Stamford resident who has been working since around Thanksgiving at Pimlico, a “Unique Chic” home furnishings, fixtures and accessories shop on the corner of South and Elm. New Canaanite: What are you wearing? Tori: I’m wearing women’s brown Timberland shin-high boots, Madewell jeans, a Fossil black belt, a Madewell shirt and a blue blazer. How would you describe in one phrase or sentence your own style sense?