A provider of on-the-go high-protein blends, organic juices, salads, granola, entrees and more is preparing to open this spring in the new retail-and-residential development on Forest Street.
Embody is moving into the new mixed retail-and-residential building on Forest Street. Credit: Michael Dinan
Embody was established eight years ago in Darien and owner Gillen Bryan said company officials have been “keeping our eye out for space in New Canaan for a while.”
“We are over-the-moon excited” about opening in Heritage Square on Forest Street, Bryan said.
“We will have immediate brand recognition because we already have several people in New Canaan that know us from Equinox in Darien. We’ll bring the Embody experience with our menu that is really designed around fitness and health and performance. We’d like to be able to become a go-to destination for people who live a healthy and fit lifestyle or somebody who wants to make a healthy choice that day.”
Embody will split 33 parking spots at Heritage Square with a second retail provider on the street level, Bryan said, and the first four spots next to the store will be reserved for the healthy food provider’s customers.
Asked for her thoughts on the new business, New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tucker Murphy said she’s looking forward to Forest Street being restored from a heavy construction area to “a great place for dining and pedestrian traffic.”
“We think these guys will be a great addition to the landscape down there,” Murphy said. “And we’re looking forward to the new development going up—it looks like it’s going to be beautiful.”
Embody will start construction on its space within the next four weeks and plans a 12-week build-out, Bryan said. The company has two locations in Darien, at Equinox at the Darien Y, and a third location in Westport.
The menu itself is designed to help people eat healthy and well even when they’re busy, Bryan said.
“We do the prep for you, and we have a quick-service model for people to come in, because everybody is very scheduled and there are a lot of demands on their time,” he said.
Bryan added that Embody seeks to be as convenient as possible for its customers, who can order online.