One month after a court ruling put the future Old Mill Grocery in jeopardy — and still several weeks before their busy season begins — the historic Hillspoint Road deli/market/neighborhood institution is turning to the community for support.
Soundview Empowerment Alliance — the non-profit with a dual mission of preserving history and “serving good,” which owns the 107-year-old property — is asking 150 residents, customers and friends to make a pledge to support OMG.
The goal is to help the small business operated by the Romanacci Restaurant Group make it through the quieter months of the year, stabilizing operations and protecting its long-term future.
Old Mill Grocery & Deli. (Photo/Dave Dellinger)
“Our community stepped forward once before to save the Old Mill deli from demolition,” says SEA co-founder Ian Warburg.
“Now we’re asking people to step forward again to help ensure this place continues to thrive, as part of the life and rhythm of Compo Beach. It’s an important cultural resource for the neighborhood, and all of Westport.”
Old Mill Grocery & Deli was preserved in 2022, when hundreds of residents contributed to an effort to purchase the property and prevent its potential redevelopment.
Romanacci now provides a full menu, ranging from breakfast sandwiches and coffee to salads, sandwiches, pizza, entrees an prepared foods. There is seating at a communal table inside, and outdoors too.
Saturday morning, at OMG. (Photo/Jim Hood)
Many customers purchase items to go.
With its beachside location, OMG thrives during the summer. But it faces a significant challenge from mid-September through mid-June, when fewer people are in the neighborhood.
As a result — and during a protracted legal battle, with a few people opposing the deli’s alcohol sales, gelato cart and outdoor seating — SEA is asking 150 residents to shift $125 per month in spending to Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
The money can be spent on coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, takeout, catering, or special gatherings.
That would generate about $18,000 in additional monthly off-season revenue.
Community members can “Make the Pledge” by opening a house account, committing to spend $125 each month.
“This is about protecting something much bigger than a store,” says SEA co-founder Jim Hood.
“Old Mill is one of the few true ‘third places’ left in our town. It’s where neighbors see each other, conversations happen, and community life unfolds. If we want that spirit to continue for another 100 years, we need people to make Old Mill part of their weekly routine.”
“Never do we want to hear someone say, ‘I can’t believe we lost the Old Mill. That is not who we are as a community. When Westport cares about something, we show up.”
To partcipate, visit Old Mill Grocery & Deli, create a house account and “Make the Pledge.”
And the new concessionaire at Compo Beach and Longshore will be …
… either NG Entertainment/Nikki Glekas Collective of Westport, or Braxtons Hospitality Group of Bridgeport.
They were the 2 businesses who followed through with a bid, to the Parks & Recreation Department. One will be chosen to succeed Hook’d on the Sound, the beleaguered operator since 2020.
Parks & Rec director Erik Barbieri is forming an evaluation panel, to do interviews next week.
The hope is to have a concessionaire operating this summer. If that’s not possible, food trucks will be used.
Beachgoers look forward to the return of a concessionaire with the community spirit of Joey’s by the Shore. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
Congratulations to 19 Staples High School “high honors” students.
They’ll graduate in June with a special seal, with grade point averages in the top 4 percent of the Class of 2026.
Principal Stafford Thomas notes, “the most astonishing aspect of this accomplishment is that these students were involved in a number of extracurriculars and various aspects of school life. These activities took a great deal of time, focus and concentration outside of the classroom as well.
“We were lucky to have had them for four years, and we will no doubt be hearing about their next great achievements in the years to come.”
The high honors students are listed in the photo below:
Front row (from left): Isabel Jo, Taylor Serotta, Olivia Cohn, Emma Asiel, Jake Shufro, Ava Carter, Carly Mulhern, Olivia Morgeson, Uma Choudhury. Rear: Matthew Tybur, Gunnar Eklund, Nolan Francis, Rajan Sekhar, Kevin Cano, Jay Hari, Miles Kahn, Rei Seltzer, Anderson Seo, Andersen Yee.
More Staples kudos: Orphenians — for 70 years the school’s premier elite vocal ensemble – have racked up another honor.
Tomorrow they’ll be a showcase choir at the Connecticut Music Educators Association All-State Festival, at the Convention Center in Hartford. They’ll perform 6 numbers, for music teachers from all over the state.
Director Lauren Pine hailed her nearly 50 singers’ talent, passion and dedication. After missing a number of rehearsals due to weather this winter, they came in before school and on weekends to prepare for the All-State Festival.
But that’s not the only Orphenians news. Next year they’ll head to Austria, to sing and work with famed composer/conductor Jake Runestad.
Over the years they’ve performed at venues like La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and Radio City Music Hall.
Jeanne Reed read about this weekend’s upcoming tag sale at Bloodroot with interest.
Then, she was intrigued to learn that the iconic vegan/feminist Black Rock restaurant — co-founded 49 years ago by Westporter Selma Miriam — may have a second life, after its closure in December.
The Connecticut Post reports that the Aspetuck Land Trust may acquire the 1.7-acre site. It would become a nature preserve, and possible community garden.
“We’d love to preserve the land and name the property after the restaurant and just honor all the work and effort and integrity of what they put in there all those years,” said David Brant, Aspetuck’s executive director. “They were ahead of their time.”
VersoFest ’26 kicked off last night, with a reception and artist talk on … sneakers.
Sean “Opus 1” Williams is presenting “The SneakerVangelisT,” an exhibit named after his sneaker world name.
Sneakers are wearable art that serve both self expression and function. Some models offer a canvas for artistic expression. Others make a muse. The exhibit provides examples of both.
Williams discussed all that and more, in a conversation with Westport artist Miggs Burroughs, and fellow VersoFest artist Holly Danger.
Sean “Opus 1” Williams (center), with Holly Danger and Miggs Burroughs. (Photo copyright DinkinESH Fotografix)
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Three early-season shows have been added to the Levitt Pavilion calendar.
The Disco Biscuits — the Philadelphia-based “trans-fusion” band that bridges the gap between EDM and jam rock — play 2 dates: Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13. They drew a great crowd last year, during their 30th anniversary tour.
Dark Star Orchestra also returns. They’ll bring the Grateful Dead’s music to life the next week (June 21).
Speaking of entertainment: “Primary Trust” opens at the Westport Country Playhouse on April 14.
As part of the run-up, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eboni Booth recorded a short video about her touching, humorous and inventive show exploring the power of connections.
Playhouse artistic director Mark Shanahan says: “As one of the most celebrated new works in modern American theatre, ‘Primary Trust’ has resonated with audiences across the country.
“There’s a good reason this work has been so widely embraced. It’s a play about kindness and healing — exactly the kind of story we need to hear right now.”
The Westport Rotary Club got an update Tuesday on the Westport Museum for History & Culture.
Michele Rubin — director of education, programs and development at the former Westport Historical Society (and a 1981 Staples High School graduate) — described the Museum’s mission: to bring Westport’s full history to the widest audience possible.
As the nation celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an exhibit opening April 25 will look back at events surrounding the Revolutionary War.
Michele Rubin, at the Westport Rotary Club. (Hat tip and photo/Dave Matlow)
And finally … Westport Rotary Club members are a smart bunch.
But they probably learned a thing or two Tuesday, about the Westport Museum for History & Culture. And about history itself.
(You don’t need to know much about history to know that “06880” is “where Westport meets the world” — and that we rely on support from readers. Please click here to donate. Thank you!)
Information on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund — including every deposit made into it. The fund — built from Planning & Zoning Department, Building Department and inclusionary zoning fees (0.5% of construction costs of all projects for which zoning permit applications are filed), along with gifts and grants — stands at $1,663,440.
Funds are to be used for the purchase of land, and construction of affordable housing.
This is not affordable housing. But new construction — like this 8-bedroom, 8 1/2-bathroom, 12,946-square foot home on Beachside Common, listed for $22.825 million — generates hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Links to Westport’s Affordable Housing Plan, with a list of possible sites on town-owned property like Baron’s South, fire houses and Adams Academy.
A list of the town’s current 424 units of affordable housing, with administrators’ names and contact info.
Frequently Asked Questions, including those concerning the state’s 8-30g regulations.
Among Westport’s affordable housing options: Sasco Creek Village. Other large properties include Hidden Brook, Hales Court and 1177 Post Road East.
There is also information on the Affordable Housing Committee.
Established as part of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund ordinance by the Representative Town Meeting in 2023, it is charged with studying the need for affordable housing; inventorying suitable sites; tracking their availability, and examining funding sources.
Committee members include Planning & Zoning Commission director Michelle Perillie, former assistant town attorney Gail Kelly, investment banker Kate Weber, and retired finance executive Ralph Yearwood.
The Affordable Housing Committee Information Hub provides meeting dates, agendas and minutes.
1st Selectman Kevin Christie says, “Affordability is a challenge across Connecticut. It is one we are seeing more clearly here in Westport for our workforce, seniors, and young families.
“Housing is at the center of that challenge. If we want to shape our future, we need to engage early, work from shared facts, and plan thoughtfully. This is a step in that direction, giving residents a clear place to understand the issue and how we can approach it in a way that reflects Westport’s values.”
(“06880” covers all aspects of Westport housing and real estate — thanks to help from readers like you. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
A grateful “06880” reader — who asks to remain anonymous — writes:
My family would like to nominate Frank Calise from Westport Plumbing for the 06880 “Unsung Hero” award.
Our hot water heater started leaking recently. Frank — the owner — immediately sprang into action, answering our questions and guiding us by phone throughout the ordeal.
Then he came over, to pump water from the heater to the outside to prevent flooding in our basement. We loved the personal touch.
This is quality customer service that is rare these days.
The replacement work the next day was quick and seamless.
We were very impressed, and very satisfied.
Congratulations, Frank! You are our Unsung Hero — today, and every day.
(“06880” is proud to honor Unsung Heroes — and tell many other tales of town too. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog.)
Here’s some stop-the-presses info: Inklings News — Staples High School’s newspaper — has won a Gold Crown Award. That’s the highest given by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
The honor was for hybrid (print and web) news coverage.
This is the third time Inklings News has received this distinction, and the first in consecutive years.
Inklings News is also the only high school organization in New England to receive this recognition for both print and web coverage this year.
The award honors the work of last year’s (2024–’25) Inklings News web and paper staffs, including:
Editors-in-chief: Nina Bowens, Lily Hultgren
Creative cirectors: Alex Gaines, Olivia Signorile
Paper managing editors: Katherine Phelps, Mia Bomback, Angelina Matra
Associate paper managing editors: Cici Petrosinelli, Lily Rimm, Anna Kercher, Demi Sasson
Web managing editors: Rachel Olefson, Samantha Sandrew
Social Media Managers: Audrey Curtis, Poppy Harrington
Congratulations to all — including Inklings News advisors Joseph DelGobbo and Mary Elizabeth Fulco.
Over 30 years ago, a concerned group of parents with learning disadvantaged children created a group called Our Vision. Their goal was to provide a rich, meaningful life for them, in a society that offered few programs to help.
Today, Our Vision members participate in summer, fall and winter Special Olympics games. Weekly training in track and field, swimming, bowling and bocce has resulted in many medals.
There are outings to community theater, pizza parties and dinner shows. Every Saturday, members take a bus to the Westport Weston Family YMCA, for sports and gym activities, swim training, social games, and arts and crafts projects.
Our Vision also participates in the Special Olympics fundraiser. This year’s event is April 11 (11 a.m., Jennings Beach, Fairfield). Anyone can participate (or, more warmly, cheer).
Donations can be made online here, or by check to “SOCT/Penguin Plunge,” 4 Cross Highway, Westport, CT 06880. Write “Our Vision/Peter Bradeen” on the memo line.
The next Veterans Benefits Luncheon is tomorrow (Thursday, March 26, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), VFW Post 399).
It’s open to all veterans as part of an ongoing effort to check in on all veterans’ welfare, and connect them with the benefits and support they earned.
Representatives will answer questions, and provide information on services and assistance available to veterans.
RSVPs are encouraged (but not required). Email vfw399ct@gmail.com, and include the number of attendees, or call (203) 227-6796.
PS: If you’re not a veteran, but know one: Please pass the word!
VFW benefits luncheon.
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On Saturday, the Staples Service League of Boys (SLOBs) will help stock Homes with Hope’s Gillespie Center food pantry.
They’ll be at Big Y from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Most needed items include pasta and pasta sauce, peanut butter, jelly, mac ‘n’ cheese, canned foods (tuna, chicken, salmon), and laundry detergent.
Aretha Franklin was born on this date in 1942. She died in 2018.
Elton John was born in 1947. He’s still going strong.
(Speaking of spring cleaning: As you’re plowing through your to-do list, please don’t forget to click here, to help support “06880.” Our hyper-local blog depends on our readers. Thank you!)
A few days after Staples High School’s triple-overtime loss to West Haven in the state boys basketball Division I championship, emotions — excitement, heartbreak, pride — still linger.
The season was memorable in so many ways. The Wreckers went 26-1; they won their 2nd straight FCIAC (league) crown; they inspired our entire town.
Young fans, up late at Mohegan Sun. (Photo/Amanda Thaw)
A number of photographers were at Mohegan Sun Arena Saturday, capturing all the joy and agony of the title game.
Dave Dellinger shares the highs and lows of the back-and-forth contest:
The Staples junior has an outstanding eye, for both the physical drama and the emotional intensity of sports. Here are a few of his images:
Staples senior Demeil Betfarhad offered a stirring rendition of the national anthem.
Sam Clachko earned a spot as one of the best basketball players in Staples history. He played in Mohegan Sun as a freshman, when the Wreckers reached the final of the Division II state tournament.
Dhilan Lowman fires.
Wrecker fans are all in.
“Oh yeah!” says Matty Corrigan.
Mason Tobias
Coach Dave Goldshore
The Wreckers gave it their all. (Photos/Ryan Allen)
In the spring of 2004, Staples Players brought “City of Angels” to the stage.
Former media teacher Jim Honeycutt taped the Tony Award-winning musical, with dual story lines — and all of directors David Roth and Kerry Long’s shows.
This week, in our chronological look back at highlights of past productions — called “nutshells” –Spri we bring you back to that show about a Hollywood screenwriter, and his detective creation.
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