Government

PHOTOS: Parking Bureau’s ‘Pablo Snow-Casso’ Wins Inaugural Snowman Contest at Town Hall

By |

Building on the success of last December’s “ugly sweater” contest, Town Hall workers this holiday season launched a new competition that saw municipal departments vie for the title of “Best Snowman.”

With limitations on height and prohibitions on working on the snowmen on town time or putting more than $20 into them, agencies from the Police Department and Parking Bureau to the Town Clerk’s Office and combined Health-Building-P&Z-Inland Wetlands juggernaut put their entries on display Monday. They’ll remain prominently displayed for the rest of the week in the Town Hall lobby, according to Cheryl Pickering-Jones, New Canaan’s human resources director. “I think it went great,” she said of the contest. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan called the snowmen “fantastic,” saying he was “so impressed by the creativity and imagination of our town employees.”

“It’s going to be a very close call for Tucker Murphy to pick a winner,” Moynihan said. He referred to the executive director of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce.

Business

Chamber: Support Needed for Holiday Lights Downtown

By |

Officials are calling for locals to support a cherished New Canaan tradition that relies on private funds to take place downtown each year. The white lights that adorn trees on Elm, Main and Forest Streets—and starting this year, Pine Street, as well—cost about $22,000 in hardware and manpower, according to the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce. While the town supplies the electricity for the now-100-percent-LED lights, funds must be raised each year to carry those costs. “I think it is one of the things that sets our town apart in the holdaiy season,” Laura Budd of the Chamber told NewCanaanite.com. “It brings a lot of happiness to people—it’s the darkest time of the year, we have the least amount of light and it’s really great to come downtown and see all the trees lit up and the lampposts, too.

Business

One Year Later, ‘Nantucket Monogram’ Owner Continues to Evolve Customer Experience

By |

When third-generation seamstress and interior decorator Brooke Boothe decided to move her monogramming business from Nantucket to downtown New Canaan one year ago, her primary goal was to be right where her typical customers frequently shop. Nantucket Monogram debuted as a pop-up shop last November and by the end of January, Boothe and her daughter made the move to New Canaan permanent. Now settled at 1 Morse Court, Nantucket Monogram has expanded from a retail store offering embroidery services to a destination that also appeals to residents looking for custom design and home furnishing services or to hone their own sewing and embroidery skills. Boothe said the decision to expand the scope of Nantucket Monogram’s services over the past year stems from the stiff competition that small business owners face from online retailers. “The business has been well received, but it’s just like any brick-and-mortar right now where it’s hard to get people in the door,” she told New Canaanite.

Business

‘I Like the People Who Live in New Canaan’: Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaners ‘Pressing Matters’ Opens on Cross Street

By |

Mike Weisel had built up his dry cleaning business to four locations over 27 years—in Westport (two stores), Stamford and Trumbull—when he sold them off (“I decided that I didn’t want to do the retail dry cleaning anymore”). Then in January 2015, the North Stamford resident launched a pickup and delivery cleaners service that covered Fairfield County, and something unusual stuck out as the new company—Pressing Matters—grew increasingly popular. “My growth happened all in New Canaan,” Weisel said Monday afternoon from the floor of his new space at 16 Cross St., his son Josh and 9-year-old golden retriever Molson keeping standing by in the first-ever permanent location of Pressing Matters. “I had stops in Greenwich, stops in Stamford. But majority of my stops were here.

Business

Japanese Restaurant ‘Hashi Sushi’ Opens on Forest Street [PHOTOS]

By |

After nearly one year of planning and renovation, New Canaan’s newest restaurant opened Wednesday on Forest Street. Centrally located on the town’s “Restaurant Row,” Hashi Sushi is to be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week, according to its staff. Owned by a group that has similar eateries in New York and New Jersey, the approximately 50-seat restaurant features a full bar and sushi bar with nine stools, and its menu is extensive and diverse. Lunch option include a full menu of Hibachi choices ($11 to $14), a two- ($11) or three-roll ($13) Maki Roll combination with a wide selection including California, tuna, salmon and yellowtail scallion, as well as shrimp, chicken, sweet potato and pumpkin tempura. The lunch combos include miso soup and salad.