One of the things I love about reader emails is that I never know what’s on your minds.
I get dozens a day. They range from the usual (entitled parking, sunset photos), to the obscure (“What was the name of that restaurant where …?”), to the unexpected.
The other day, a woman wrote with an issue I’d never thought of. But it’s one at least 50% of “0688o” readers probably have. She says:
I am a local resident and employee in downtown Westport.
I work for a small nonprofit. Our building is full of other small businesses. Our landlord is fantastic. However, this building was not intended for modern working lives. The entire building shares one tiny bathroom. We have no place to expand.
I am a few months pregnant with our first child. I am looking for the right accommodations post-pregnancy: a private, clean place to pump breast milk.
This should not be the way women have to pump at work.
I am sure many other employers on Main Street do not have the right accommodations for pumping either. I can’t be the only future mom working downtown with this issue.
I wonder: Are there shops with pumping facilities that are interested in opening up to other downtown merchants?
This could be for women shopping downtown too — not just working women.
Or maybe Westport could come together to find a merchant (or several) to sponsor sites that would be available to rent, or just use for the general benefit of the community.
This could be an interesting branding and social responsibility opportunity for local businesses — and another way to demonstrate Westport thinks outside the box. It could also be a way to utilize one of our many vacant storefronts.
My husband has worked in Westport for 10 years. We purchased a home and moved here in May.
We have found Westport to be a giving, supportive community. As the town focuses on innovative support for local businesses, this is another issue that needs addressing.
I reached out to the Westport Downtown Merchants Association, but they’ve been understandably quite busy with the holiday season.
There you go, “06880” readers. I’m sure you’ll be great at crowd-sourcing ideas. Just click “Comments” below!
(For Connecticut laws regarding breastfeeding, click here.)