Around Town

Merchants at Odds Over Now-Uncertain Pop Up Park

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The recent news that the Chamber of Commerce is no longer sponsoring the Pop Up Park has left its future uncertain. While volunteer organizers are scrambling to obtain permits, insurance and town approval, a 2015 debate of how the park affects local business has been reignited. We spoke to several businesses in the area to hear their thoughts. Helen Richards of Odesmith & Richards Boutique on South Avenue describes the park as a “pleasant idea” but in the “completely wrong place.” Her concerns revolve around how the park affects nearby businesses, saying “it blocks traffic and impedes commerce where it is.”

She referred to a letter written by area merchants a few years ago. “The merchants have been complaining about it for a long time,” she said.

Business

‘Funky Monkey’ Children’s Store on South Avenue To Close

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Funky Monkey, a children’s games, toys and clothing shop located on South Avenue is closing its doors after a little more than two years in town. The store at 4 South Ave. opened in late May 2016. It isn’t clear just when it’s closing, whether it’s reopening elsewhere, whether patrons can purchase items online after it’s closed or just why it’s closing. The business’s owner, Amanda Cui, said only that it’s closing due to future renovations planned for the building, declining to comment further. The shop offers items curated by Cui, a local mother herself, designed to appeal to children of all ages.

Business

‘The Time To Do This Is Now’: New Canaan Mom To Launch New Podiatry Practice Downtown

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New Canaan resident Dr. Jennifer Tauber has been a working mom ever since she became a mother. A Wilton native, she’d already earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Manhattan College and doctorate of podiatric medicine from New York College of Podiatric Medicine when she married and then moved here 15 years ago. Tauber completed her residency at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, and after just a few years settled into her second job in podiatry, joining the staff of a small practice in Bethel for a 12-year stint that would help provide a foundation in her chosen field. Pregnant when she started at Bethel Podiatry, Tauber worked through the births of her two daughters—now fifth- and seventh-graders at Saxe Middle School—reducing her work schedule somewhat for a time, to one day per week, before returning full-time.

Business

Downtown Parking Limit Upped to Two Hours As New Signs Are Installed

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All legal on-street parking in and around downtown New Canaan is now two hours, as officials this week installed new signs designating the longer time limit. The change from 90 minutes throughout the central business district of Main and Elm Streets as well as some other areas is expected to address what has been a consistent and major complaint from shoppers and diners who said that wasn’t enough time. “I think that people are going to be happy because they’ve been asking for it,” Parking Superintendent Stacy Miltenberg said. “I think it will give them more time to have their lunches and get services. Hopefully, we listened to what people wanted and they’re happy that we made the change.”

The Parking Commission suggested the change from 90 minutes to two hours last fall, and the Police Commission, New Canaan’s traffic and on-street parking authority, voted in favor of it in September.

Business

New Canaan Olive Oil Moving To Shared Space on Main Street Jan. 1, with ‘Against The Grain’ Furniture Shop

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New Canaan Olive Oil, a popular shop on Elm Street’s “50-yard line” for more than four years, will move into a shared commercial space on Main Street next month. Heidi Burrows, the business’s owner, said her lease is up Dec. 31 and that she’s moving the retail shop into Against The Grain at 91 Main St. There will be no disruption for customers, Burrows said. “We expect almost everything to stay the same, just in a different location,” she said.