There’s a “Space Available” sign at Calypso St. Barth.
But word on the (Main) Street is that there’s a lot more to this story than just one more store leaving downtown.
Calypso — prominently located in the old Westport Library building, kitty-corner from Tiffany — is a “luxury lifestyle brand,” with stores in places like Malibu, Palm Beach, Charleston and (of course) St. Barth.
But the entire chain seems to have fallen on hard times.
The Main Street/Post Road entrance to Calypso. Years ago, the plaza was a public park, outside the original Westport Library.
Folks in the know say the Westport store phone was turned off 2 weeks ago. They were served an eviction notice — without hearing from corporate headquarters.
The local manager apparently got a call from somewhere — the head office seems to have been evicted too — saying that all manager positions have been eliminated.
The store — which closes Monday — has been run without a manager since then. Loyal workers have tried to hang on as best they could.
One bright spot: The landlord has been kind to the staff.
Collateral damage includes a local woman who sold handmade sweaters to the store. She is said to be owed thousands of dollars.
New York stores have already been shut, with merchandise sitting inside. A Greenwich shop is in similar distress.