Town’s Oldest Liquor License Now At Newest Location

State regulations limit the number of liquor store permits allowed in each municipality. There’s a strict formula, based on population.

Westport has only 10. If owners move within a town, they can take their permit to a new location.

That’s what Saugatuck Grain + Grape has done. After decades on Railroad Place, the store moved to new digs on Post Road West.

Saugatuck Grain + Grape is now at 375 Post Road West.

Baird van Beever and Mimi McLaughlin have owned the store for 7 years. But the permit — which van Beever is “pretty sure” is the oldest active one in Westport — began with 2 brothers.

They sold it to Ed Strauss. Known as Depot Liquors — and blessed by its location steps away from the train station, plus excellent customer service — it thrived.

But these days, van Beever says, more Westporters telecommute, or drive to work in places that are not New York.

Parking is an issue. And the pending development of Railroad Place made continuing at that site questionable.

Van Beever knows about tradition. A 5th generation Saugatuck resident — the Haehl Insurance Agency is part of his family — he’s had a long career in the food and beverage industry.

He worked at Mansion Clam House throughout high school and college, then helped opened restaurants throughout Fairfield and Westchester Counties.

His passion is wine. With 2 kids, he was glad to get out of restaurants, and into the liquor store business.

Baird van Beever, in his new store.

He welcomes the move to 375 Post Road West. (That’s the small shopping center with Born of Earth and Propper Chiropractic.)

Whole Foods is nearby. Van Beever anticipates shoppers stopping in to pair a wine with the food they’ve just bought. He notes that Dan’s Liquors — next to Fresh Market — enjoys similar proximity.

Though the location is new, most things remain the same. Saugatuck Grain + Grape still offers wine tastings. All products are still hand selected. There’s still a wide variety of bitters.

But one thing, van Beever admits, is different.

“We did a lot of single beer sales at the station,” he says. “People would stop in and pick up a bottle on the way to Yankee Stadium. We don’t see that anymore.”

Pic Of The Day #101

Livin’ the good life with a ’58 Jag. (Photo/JP Vellotti)

Another Normal Weather Day In Westport. Another Car Crash.

This one occurred on Compo Road South, near Kaiser Road. An SUV rear-ended this car. The guy who got hit went to the hospital.


Be careful out there.

Bad News: Yellow Pages Will Be Tossed In Your Driveway Soon. Good News: You Can Opt Out!

The new edition of the Yellow Pages will be distributed hurled intrusively onto your driveway soon. The project — which wastes enormous amounts of fuel as drivers deliver a product that wastes enormous numbers of trees, and which no one uses these days anyway — begins around September 22.

If you’re one of the 100% of Westporters who believe the Yellow Pages — and if not them, their current distribution system — should go the way of the Flivver and the fax, you’re in luck.

According to the 1st selectman’s office, you can opt out of “future phone book deliveries” by visiting www.YellowPagesOptOut.com. If you opt out 60 days in advance of the delivery, you will not receive the current publication. (Today is July 27. I know, I know…)

Westport’s official town nuisance.

Supposedly, data submitted will never be used for marketing purposes, and will not be given to third parties.

You can also use those links to request directories.  As if.

If you have “concerns” about the Yellow Pages, email sbconcerns@teampdc.com. Provide your name, address, contact information and specific details about why you’re concerned.

Meanwhile, if you’ve got any strategies for stopping the even more intrusive — as in, every week — Minuteman, click “Comments” to share.

Business For Sale Or Lease. Cleanup Required.

Dozens of vacant stores line the Post Road.

But it’s doubtful any are as messy and cluttered as the one formerly occupied by SoNo Baking Company and A&J’s Farm market, near Goodwill.

Furnishings, freezers and other debris have sat in the parking lot for months.

Half-sawed logs, too.

It’s a great location, with plenty of traffic.

And the photos above are what every driver sees, every day.

Finding The UN At Earthplace Camp

Every jUNe Day, Westport hosts hundreds of guests from around the world.

As you walk along Compo Beach, you hear dozens of languages.

For Jaime Bairaktaris, his “Westport United Nations” moment comes at Earthplace.

The 2016 Staples High School graduate has worked for several seasons as an Earthplace summer counselor. Previously, he was a camper there himself.

Every year, Jaime is impressed at the number of international visiting campers. They come from China, Spain, Germany, Singapore, England and everywhere else. They’re all ages too.

He and the kids climb trees, run through the brook, build stick shelters, have mud fights, swim and canoe down the Saugatuck River.

“No matter where they’re from, we all realize the nature sanctuary doesn’t have a language,” Jaime says.

Last week was extra special. In his group of 5 youngsters, only 1 — Andres — was from Westport.

Andres’ cousin is from Chile. Sofie lives in New York. Liv and Adam come from Paris.

The world comes to Earthplace. On the right is camp co-director Becky Newman.

Jaime relied on “Spanish for Dummies,” “French for Dummies” and Google Translate. He’d switch in mid-sentence from one language to another, without missing a beat.

But, he says, “these kids, without fail, form a connection. They communicate with each other. They start to play. They figure out how to work together.”

As always, children adapt — often better than their parents. One family signed up for just one day at camp. By the afternoon their child was talking excitedly about tomorrow. The parents quickly enrolled for the whole week.

“Our goal is to get them to a level where they’re comfortable and feel safe, by simply showing them they have nothing to worry about — that we don’t have words in English to describe the things we’ll be doing, so it doesn’t matter anyway,” Jaime explains.

The children quickly surpass that basic level of comfort. They mimic his voice, words and hand motions, especially as he counts down from 3 or tells them to quiet down.

“We use handshakes, fist bumps, pinky swears, hugs and a lot of facial expression when we need to explain something,” Jaime says. There are also plenty of high fives, smiles and Charades.

If things get confusing they laugh, grab his iPhone for Google Translate — then laugh some more at the “universal” emojis.

Once, Jaime pointed to words on his phone to show a young boy that they were going to a pond. His sister yelled at Jaime — in French — that he could not yet read. “Whoops!” Jaime laughs.

The Earthplace camp gang. (Photos/Jaime Bairaktaris)

For the counselor, the interactions between campers are his favorite parts.

“There’s nothing better than watching 6-year-olds sit down, build a perfect Lego house — sharing pieces, adjusting them — and then realize after 10 minutes that they didn’t even know they spoke different languages,” he says.

“Most kids truly have no clue there’s a language barrier. And when they do, they just keep playing.”

Some things need no talking. One child extends a hand to another, as they climb a tree. Together, they run over to show Jaime a frog they’ve caught.

“I think something of major importance happens here,” Jaime notes.

“In a world where screen time and organization is so prevalent, nature still teaches us how to be just human beings before we become students, athletes or artists.”

Earthplace’s “unscheduled” schedule is “whatever we want it to be. And whatever it turns out to be, we’re okay with. It’s a level playing field that binds them together, by making them equals.

“If an adult goes into the woods and sees a dead log, we see a dead log. They see a seesaw, and build one. Instead of watching a video about how tadpoles transform into frogs, they catch them — and see what’s happening.

“They can’t bury their head in their phone or rely on a computer to socialize. It’s all done outside, by themselves, and it works out just fine.”

Jaime loves that the Earthplace camp celebrates getting outside, and going with the flow.

And, he emphasizes, “we don’t even need to speak the same language when we do it. At the end of the day, we’re the same people.”

There are no words to describe how great that is.

Pic Of The Day #100

E.R. Strait Marina at Longshore, last night. (Photo/Patricia McMahon)

Have You Seen Carole McClintock’s Koi?

The Fine Arts Festival that filled Main Street earlier this month was a great success.

Art lovers flocked to see — and buy — wonderful paintings, sculptures and photos. Artists happily sold as much as they could.

But one piece went mysteriously missing.

As Westporter Carole McClintock was packing up her work — no long drive home for her! — she absent-mindedly left a large, wet koi fish painting up against the brick wall of Bedford Square.

Carole McClintock, with her unfinished painting.

She spent the next 10 days traveling. So she realized only now that it was not in her studio, with the rest of that weekend’s work.

McClintock would love to have it back. Not only is it unsold, but it’s unfinished. It had not even been signed.

“My guess is that someone found the painting and kept it, not knowing what else to do with it,” she says.

If you can connect the artist with her missing work, email carolemcclintock12@gmail.com.

Unsung Hero #8

On Friday, Gail Kelly finishes her 15-year stint as Westport’s assistant town attorney. (She doesn’t say “retiring” — just moving on to new things in life.)

Everyone working at Town Hall is sorry to see her go.

But none more than Ira Bloom.

“It’s a tremendous loss for the town government — and me,” says the longtime town attorney. “Gail has done an excellent job.”

Gail Kelly

Working out of a Town Hall office — though, like Bloom, she is employed by the private Berchem, Moses & Devlin law firm — Kelly handles Westport’s day-to-day legal affairs.

That means reviewing contracts and RFPs; handling Freedom of Information inquiries; coordinating with the Representative Town Meeting on ordinances, and attending board of selectmen meetings.

Kelly is available to all Town Hall personnel, in offices ranging from the town clerk to public works to conservation.

“A lot of lawyers know the charter and ordinances,” Bloom says. “But what distinguishes Gail is her uncommon common sense, her excellent judgment and her terrific sense of humor.”

She is adept at “defusing difficult situations. She’ll tell you the law, and then she’ll have a sensible answer people accept,” Bloom adds.

For 15 years, Kelly has served the town with efficiency, poise and professionalism — and not many kudos.

Congratulations, Gail Kelly — and good luck as you retire move on!

(Know of an unsung hero we should celebrate? Email details to dwoog@optonline.net)

Morgan Stanley Furniture Dump: The Sequel

Last week, Ken Bernhard was Paul Revere.

The Cohen & Wolf lawyer — a former state representative, assistant minority leader and Westport town attorney — was appalled that Morgan Stanley was tossing at least $100,000 worth of office furniture into a wood chipper, in preparation of a move from 320 Post Road West to new digs on Post Road East.

Last Friday, a contractor tossed Morgan Stanley furniture into a wood chipper.

Bernhard contacted Jeff Wieser, CEO of Homes With Hope. The Westport housing non-profit managed to save “1/20” of the cherry desks, tables, chairs, sofas, bookcases, credenzas and other perfectly good goods.

This week, Bernhard was Kojak.

He spent the past few days trying to get answers from Morgan Stanley: about why they had thrown away so much furniture, and whether there was any truth to the rumor that a similar dump — though 4 times as large — is planned for this Friday, at the financial firm’s Nyala Farm site.

Bernhard said he hoped that Morgan Stanley would follow its own policy of “relocating” unneeded furniture “within other MS facilities,” then reselling or donating the rest to a third parties. He urged the company to work with Westport, other local communities and non-profits, allowing access to Nyala Farms for inspection and perhaps recycling of what the firm is about to discard. He even offered himself as a facilitator to help make it happen.

A small portion of the furniture Morgan Stanley threw away …

Bernhard was not pleased with the hemming, hawing and eventual silence from corporate headquarters.

Yesterday, he sent another email. He noted that a hospice facility in Stamford said it needs office furniture. They were happy to send a truck to pick it up.

Bernhard added:

In all honesty, I don’t understand MS’s perceived intransigence in not giving away some of what the company plans to destroy. In some communities the waste of valuable, useful assets might go unnoticed or overlooked, but Westport citizens aspire to do better than that. We have a strong, vibrant recycling program, a Green Task force, and municipal goals to reduce the community’s carbon footprint. Morgan Stanley is a part of our community.

Again, I offer my services to act as facilitator in identifying not-for-profits or others that might benefit from the reuse of furniture that will otherwise be wasted.

So far, he has not heard back.

Meanwhile, the clock ticks toward Friday.

And whatever happens at Nyala Farm — the sprawling office complex tucked away in the rolling hills off the Sherwood Island Connector — will be a lot less visible than it was on Post Road West.

… and another.