As “06880” reported Sunday, Romanacci will not renew its lease at Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
After 3 years they’re concentrating on their other restaurants, including a new one in Darien.
Several “06880” commenters questioned whether any operator can succeed at the 107-year-old beach neighborhood location.
Jim Hood and Ian Warburg say they can.
As 2 of the principals of Soundview Empowerment Alliance — the owners of the property — they write:
There has been a lot of thoughtful discussion since Dan’s post about the transition at Old Mill Grocery & Deli. We thought it might be helpful to add a little history and context, particularly around the question of whether a business can succeed at 222 Hillspoint Road.
We believe it can, and the history gives us good reason to feel that way.
Elvira’s was profitable for more than 2 decades. It supported Stacy and Nick, their family and employees, and helped them build meaningful equity in the property.
When they sold in 2019, it wasn’t because the business had failed. They were ready to retire after many years of extraordinarily hard work.
Nicky and Stacey Yiovanakos at their familiar spot. Under their ownership, Elvira’s was profitable.
Romanacci has also been profitable at Old Mill.
Their decision to move on doesn’t mean a business can’t succeed here. It simply means that, for a growing company with several locations and other opportunities, the return at Old Mill hasn’t been enough to justify the considerable time and attention the location requires.
That’s an important distinction.
The last several years have also brought challenges that earlier operators didn’t face to the same degree. Unfortunate legal disputes consumed a great deal of time, money and energy that otherwise could have gone into improving and growing the business.
Legal disputes involving a gelato cart, outdoor tables and alcohol sales consumed time, money and energy. (Photo/Dan Woog)
But there is another side to that story.
Thousands of residents, neighbors and visitors have supported preserving Old Mill. Many hundreds contributed financially to save it back in 2022.
And many more continue to show, through their ongoing donations, patronage and affection for the place, how much they want this neighborhood institution to remain part of the community.
It’s also worth remembering what this place has been for more than a century.
The property has operated commercially since 1919. For generations, it wasn’t simply a place to buy a sandwich.
Old Mill Grocery has stood — and served — for over 100 years.
It was opened as The Old Mill Store, and soon after became The Old Mill Grocery & Deli, always a place for groceries, prepared food, beverages, ice cream and the everyday things people needed. Stopping there was simply part of living in the neighborhood.
Some of that habit has been lost over the years. COVID changed routines. The neighborhood changed. Delivery services changed the way all of us buy food and household necessities.
Those are real challenges. But we don’t think they mean a business there is no longer viable.
We think the opportunity is to create an updated version of the neighborhood market that worked here for generations: great prepared food, groceries, beverages, convenience items and other permitted offerings, with reasons for people to stop in throughout the day and throughout the year.
Saturday morning, at Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
There is also one very important difference between Old Mill and most commercial properties.
Its owner, Soundview Empowerment Alliance, is a nonprofit.
SEA was created by this community for 2 purposes: to preserve this historic neighborhood institution, and to create opportunities for young people with disabilities.
“Preserving History. Serving Good.”
SEA didn’t acquire 222 Hillspoint Road as a real estate investment. And our goal isn’t to maximize the financial return on the property.
We measure success differently.
If Old Mill remains a thriving neighborhood gathering place, and if it also creates opportunities for young people with disabilities to learn, work and grow, then we are accomplishing what the community created SEA to do.
That matters economically as well.
We can offer the next operator a modest, commercially reasonable rent designed to help the business succeed, rather than trying to extract the maximum possible return from the real estate.
So for us, the question isn’t really whether Old Mill can work.
It’s whether we can find the next right operator to create the 2026 version of the neighborhood market Westport has embraced for more than a century, one that respects what this place has been while adapting to the way people live today.
Based on the history of the property, what we’ve learned over the last several years, and the conversations we’re having with prospective operators, we believe we can.
We’re not out to recreate Elvira’s, or Kenny’s before it.
Our aim is to support the next generation of operators of the Old Mill Grocery & Deli, enabling it to remain the special place – the heart and hub – this community will continue to embrace for decades to come.
With gratitude,
Jim Hood and Ian Warburg
On behalf of Soundview Empowerment Alliance
(“06880” Opinion pages are open to all. Send submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com. To support this hyper-local blog with a tax-deductible contribution, please click here.)
Thanks and a thought for my friend, Jim Hood: OMG needs to find its place as a true destination and not just a convenience. Find an operator with the focused vision of “Sweet Lyfe” or “Hey Taco” and it will succeed.
I appreciate the thoughtful perspective but before a new tenant signs on the dotted line, wouldn’t they want to know the way forward through these legal disputes, all of which would have a meaningful impact on revenue?
Absolutely, Barry. We are completely candid and transparent with all prospective operators. They understand full well that all of this unnecessary chaos And the resulting damage was started by a very small handful of very unpleasant neighbors who decided they wanted to impose their will on more than 4000 people who love OMG. What a travesty!
For those that wish to read the complete history of the Old Mill Grocery store, you should get my book: Westport CT the Old and New Historical Accounts from 1639 to 2025. One chapter is devoted to that history. It can be found at the Westport Book Store on Jesup.
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful piece and for remembering what Elvira’s meant to so many of us.
We were blessed with many wonderful years there. We watched children grow up, welcomed new generations, and met families who became lifelong friends. Elvira’s truly was our neighborhood’s version of “Cheers” a place where everybody knew your name, where stories were shared, and where everyone felt welcome.
A special place is never just about a building or an address. It’s about the people, the laughter, the conversations, and the memories created there. We truly loved our community and everyone who became part of the Elvira’s family.
Thank you for giving us so many beautiful memories. We will always hold them, and all of you, close to our hearts. -Niki and Family
Hey Niki — I’m told you know quite a bit about the deli/market/restaurant business. We’ve got this cute little place on Compo Beach that has your name written all over it. If you’re interested, give me a jingle! On a more serious note… my love to you and your entire family! We miss you. Let’s have a meal at OMG when we are back up and running… which we will be, very soon!
I’ll take Soundview’s comments that one can operate “profitably” at the OMG location but without seeing the actual financials of Elvira’s or any of the other businesses that operated there, it is hard to tell whether there is a truly economically viable operation or if the “profitable operations” were “Uber driver profits”. As in, after taking into account the cost of fuel, insurance and wear and tear on their vehicles, most Uber drivers were earning less than the minimum wage. The description of Romanacci’s departure would seem to suggest the latter – there was not enough “profit” to compensate the owners of Romanacci’s for the time it took for them to manage the operation, even with subsidized rent.
Owners of most small businesses generally do not pay themselves hourly wages but live off whatever is left over after paying out of pocket costs. They put in long hours – typically well more than 40 hours per week – without charging the business for their time much less “overtime”. If, like Elvira’s, they own their own property, they similarly don’t charge themselves rent. Like Uber drivers, the headline profitability might look okay but had they had to pay others to do the work (including overtime) as well as fair market value rent, the “profitability” turns out to be illusory. They might do it because it provides adequate cash flow for their needs and “helps them build equity”, but that does not necessarily make it economically viable to an objective third party.
That the previous owners of 222 Hillspoint Road apparently could not sell Joey’s by the Shore as a going concern for anything close to what they could get for just the real estate is telling. Perhaps they were bad operators or maybe COVID was the problem, but with both the Granola Bar and, now, Romanacci’s concluding it was not an economic use of their time would suggest the good old day’s are long gone for Elvira’s.
For the neighborhood’s and Soundview Alliance’s sake, I hope I am wrong and I wish them nothing but good luck finding someone that can make it work.
Jim and Ian are to be thanked, ongoing as well, for all that they have and, I believe, will continue to do to preserve the Old Mill Deli/Elvira’s. We live nearby and have participated in many of the activities there, including providing funds. I am pleased to learn that the Deli has been profitable. Most likely the biggest issue is the winter when Nick and Stacy shut down the operation. The litigation has been unfortunate, both because it was brought and the present outcome. I have said that I think no further efforts are worth pursuing to secure a liquor license.
Let us all be supportive and do our best to support Jim and Ian.
OMG needs to be a destination, one that you’d willingly drive several miles out of your way to go to. Beachgoers a few months a year and the handful of people who live nearby (mostly empty nesters and many part-timers) do not a thriving business make. I’m a customer of Granola Bar and Romanacci, but they don’t fall into that category, particularly since both had larger and more convenient locations a stone’s throw away.
Westport’s known for destination food that attracts people from far and wide, not just locals, that could work in a location like this — Fatto a Mano, Badass Bagels, Kneads, etc. Something of that caliber that’s an actual draw, not just “nice to have nearby,” is what’s needed here.
Destination spots are great. Where are you going to park?
Some neighbors don’t want a destination anything. They’ve already killed Allen’s and Positano.
None of these places are sustainably profitable without alcohol. In Fairfield, the Reef Shack had an amazing run until they got greedy with college kids and lost their liquor license. Now it’s circling the drain. The Seagrape prints money tho. Mostly because of the college kids, but when they’re gone, it’s the local hangout.
So what about a walkable bar? You could pivot in beach season to more of a family friendly everything. But a neighborhood watering hole with the right vibe might crush it.
There’s ample parking most of the year at the Old Mill Beach parking lot and on-street parking spaces steps away from OMG. Fatto a Mano and Kneads both have about 4 dedicated parking spots and do just fine, because the traffic is mostly in-and-out.
None of the places I listed sell alcohol, and they all appear highly profitable (they’re all expanding).
There are basically no bars in Westport. That’s presumably because people here don’t go to bars. The people who live in the extremely expensive houses at the beach in Westport don’t tend to be barflies. You’d live somewhere else if you were.
See, you’ve just made Jack and Eric’s never ending arguments about current Westport for them. I hope they chime in.
People in extremely expensive houses need to get out more and meet their neighbors. Westport isn’t an economic zone, it’s a community. People clearly drink because there are more alcohol stores per capita than any town I’ve ever lived in. So why not hang out with your neighbors, people walking by, friends from out of town?
We got enough bagel shops.
100% agree with David, that this is a perfect location for a small neighborhood bar.
Richard’s “no bars in town” comment misses some things. Setting aside that the Black Duck is a bar. There are a bunch of restaurants with good bar scenes (Clubhouse, Riko’s, Little Barn). Southport’s Horseshoe Cafe is a successful bar.
The problem is that Westport is largely a driving town and people (if they have any sense) aren’t driving to find a place to drink).
The location of OMG would be a great small bar location (kind of like Horseshoe Cafe) precisely because it would be a walkable neighborhood bar. That’s a recipe for success.
My understanding on the Reef Shack wasn’t that they got greedy with college kids but more that they pivoted to college kids because they otherwise didn’t have enough traffic to support the business. It was always empty the few times I went in to grab a sandwich. They tried to become the Seagrape only a few blocks north. Unfortunately, they didn’t do a great job checking ID’s.
Hmmm, a local watering hole discretely serving underage kids might be a great idea for the location. I understand Westport kids like to head to the beach and drink. Perhaps that is one of the things the folks objecting to a liquor license are worried about.
Compo Beach is a destination most of the year. During the off seasons it is a terrific place for walking, exercising, playing, birdwatching, painting, meditating, and otherwise recharging. For those of us who live further away, OMG (and its predecessors) is an important part of the beach destination and a community-creator. Thanks to all trying to save it for today and bring it into the future.
For Tim Manners — Absolutely correct, Tim! This is one of several things we know to be true about realizing the full potential of OMG. The tricky bit is to find an operator who is willing and able to internalize and actualize these truths, most of which we think are, frankly, fairly self-evident. Thank you for your support, as always!
Many thanks to Jim and Ian for their herculean efforts th keep, what has always been a wonderful asset to our Compo beach neighborhood. Our beach is already in itself is an all seasons destination. And small business which provide opportunities to many are always “value added” to communities. OMG and SEA have complete support from our family, long time residents of our ever changing neighborhood.