News

Letter: Chamber Thanks Sidewalk Sale Supporters

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On Friday July 13th and Saturday July 14th the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce hosted the 53rd Annual Village Fair and Sidewalk Sales. Thousands of bargain hunters and their families came downtown for the fun. With over 100 participating merchants and vendors there was plenty of entertainment, food and of course, bargains galore for everyone! We’ve added a day for the “Early Bird Shopping” on Friday and from what we hear that it was a huge success. The fair, like any other big event, takes months and months of planning. The Chamber would like to thank our lead sponsor, William Raveis Real Estate.

Around Town

Selectmen Approve Pop Up Park for Abbreviated Summer Run

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Saying the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce’s support is a key condition, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved an abbreviated summer season for the Pop Up Park at South and Elm. Originally scheduled for a July 21 to Sept. 3 run, the makeshift park will operate Aug. 3 to 23 following a 3-0 vote by First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams to issue a Special Events permit. “I am skeptical,” Moynihan said, noting that in the past the Chamber appeared to drive the event with the assistance of a small volunteer committee, not vice versa. 

Moynihan also noted that the New Canaan’s local traffic authority, the Police Commission, must circle back to the Pop Up Park’s volunteers to give final approval for a road closure.

Business

‘We Really Want to be Part of the Community’: Friends Open Nail Salon on Vitti Street

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Longtime friends Silvia Narvaez and Maggie San had already worked for six years in nail salons before they decided a few months ago to open their own business. The pair found a place to realize their shared vision in New Canaan. “About two months ago we found this space” Narvaez said from the floor of ‘Studio 3 Spa & Nails.’

Located on the street-level floor of a single-story building at 36 Vitti St., the newly renovated space features five spa pedicure chairs, numerous manicure stations, a wall rack with color options and a facial room in the back. Much of the labor to make the space ready was done by the women themselves and Narvaez’s brother, they said. “The painting, the decorations, we all did ourselves,” Narvaez said, pointing out the different jobs.

Business

‘Gingerbitz’ on Elm Street To Close Friday

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Gingerbitz, an eat-in bakery launched on Elm Street more than four years ago by a New Canaan couple, is to close Friday. Karen Zuckert said she and her husband, Andrew, have forged many new friendships through the business and “are very sorry to leave.”

“We really wanted to create something very special for the town,” she saId. “We live in town, we care about it. It’s disappointing. There is just not enough business in town to keep going and to the standard that we would like to keep it.”

Named after a sobriquet that had been bestowed on Karen by her late father-in-law, Donald Zuckert, the cozy shop offered her signature baked goods—including custom cakes, cupcakes and cookies—as well as an eclectic menu of sandwiches, salads, coffees and more.

Government

‘Pop Up Park’ Under Threat As Organizers Scramble for Insurance, Town Approval

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The Police Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night to require the organizers of the Pup Up Park to return next month with proof of insurance and coordination with the town in order to retain a planned six-week road closure needed to operate the makeshift gathering space. In the past, officials noted during the Commission’s regular meeting, the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce had provided insurance and also coordinated with the town, though a separate, small group of volunteers oversaw the actual day-to-day operation of the summer park at South and Elm. Yet “the sponsoring organization obviously has withdrawn from the entire concept,” Commission Chairman Sperry DeCew said at the group’s regular meeting, held at the New Canaan Police Department. “So at this point, we have a group of five well-meaning citizens who want to have a Pop Up Park, but at this point there is no appointed liaison to the town of New Canaan. So far as we know, there is no approval by the town of New Canaan on the special permit level, and there is certainly no insurance.