Around Town

‘A Really Fun Community Day’: Sidewalk Sale Coming Saturday

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The 53rd Annual Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale this weekend will feature vendor booths, food trucks, child-friendly activities, live music and, as of the latest forecasts, clear sunny skies. The Sidewalk Sale, to be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday after local merchants with street-level shops put out their discount racks at 10 a.m. Friday until 4 p.m. that afternoon, promises to be “a really fun community day,” said the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce’s Laura Budd. The Friday headstart for local businesses is designed to give shoppers a “preview” of the day-long event, Budd said. Parking in all legal spaces will be free starting at 12 p.m. Friday. The real excitement of the Village Fair portion will begin Saturday, Budd said, when portions of Elm Street, Main Street, Forest Street and South Avenue are closed to motor vehicle traffic to create the quintessential “safe and family friendly pedestrian mall.”

In all, 110 vendors are scheduled to set up shop outdoors, with exclusive deals and bargains.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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An entity identifying itself as ‘New Canaan Merritt Apartments LLC’ has filed a lawsuit saying a town man has failed to pay rent on a Park Street unit while subletting it out. The defendant lives on Valley Road and he didn’t pay rent in March or April, then failed to clear out of the unit as instructed, according to a complaint filed April 29 in state Superior Court in Norwalk. According to the New England Real Estate Journal, a limited liability company more than three years ago purchased the 4-building, 34-unit Merritt Apartments in New Canaan. New Canaan Merritt Apartments LLC has dissolved, according to records on file with the Connecticut secretary of the state. ***

The Oak Street homeowner who had applied to the Planning & Zoning Commission for approval to rebuild the multi-family structure there has since pulled that application, Planning & Zoning Commission members said at their most recent meeting.

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.

Around Town

New Canaan’s Top-10 Sandwiches

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There is an amazing ratio of sandwiches to people here in New Canaan. So amazing, that a couple of places (most notably the Best Würst and the Forest St. Deli) closed while we compiled this list. It’s important to note that this specific list was relegated to counter service restaurants or delis only. We are well aware of many of the amazing sandwiches that are served at traditional sit-down restaurants here in town.

Around Town

Eye Openers: New Canaan’s Best Breakfast Sandwiches

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It’s often a morning-after “cure-all” and other times simply a meal. Whatever the purpose, the breakfast sandwich has a firmly established niche in the culinary world. In New Canaan, the Deli-Bake is long-gone and we recently lost the Forest Street Deli’s legendary “Big O”. That said, we still have more than a half-dozen eateries featuring some form of breakfast sandwich on their menu. Here is a look at our five favorites:

Apple Cart Food Co. – The Mead Park Breakfast Wrap

With a menu featuring fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps, Emad Aziz’s Mead Park mainstay is a dining destination that transcends the average public park snack bar.