Yesterday’s “06880” Opinion piece by Jennifer Johnson urged town officials — who have authorized $5.58 million to rebuild 2 tidal gates at Sherwood Mill Pond — to ensure pedestrian access to Compo Cove, just beyond the project.
A locked gate — with a large “Private Property/No Trespassing/Walkway for Residents & Guests Only” — sign was erected 10 years ago. Previously, the path was open to all.
The Compo Cove gate.
Not surprisingly, about 2 dozen commenters wondered exactly why taxpayers should fund work that would benefit only a very few residents.
Johnson noted that legally, the mean high water line belongs to the public. How, she wondered, could they be denied access to it?
What was surprising was an email from Betsy Kahn.
She no longer lives here. But during her many years as a Westport realtor, she learned a thing or two about Compo Cove.
Betsy says that one way to access the mean high water line is via a town-owned, 25 foot-wide easement.
It’s relatively secret. Not many people besides Betsy know it exists.
It’s overgrown. The town has not maintained it.
“From the pathway, you’d guess it’s just a side yard,” Betsy says.
But it is an easement. And it’s right there between 2 homes (#54 and #56), in plain sight.
If, of course, you get past the locked gate.
Betsy Kahn marked the easement on this aerial view of Compo Cove.
Every once in a while, Betsy said, builders had to get heavy equipment back to the beach side, without damaging the small parcels of land they were working on.
They used the easement to the beach side between #54 and #56. Then it would grow over again, and be forgotten.
Thanks to the easement, Betsy says, at low tide one could legally walk all the way to Sherwood Island State Park — bordering the eastern end of Compo Cove — or around the point of the iconic brown house near Old Mill Beach, currently lifted up for renovation.
The beach in front of this house is accessible to the public, at the mean high water line. But first you have to get there. (Photo/Matt Murray)
Betsy says that the “beautiful pathway should be available to town residents to walk and enjoy— as it used to be.
“The pond and estuary behind these few beach mansions and homes on the Cove is the most beautiful place in town, in my opinion.
“It’s about a quarter mile to the end of the path. It ends at a private residence. You have to turn around and go back.”
Close-up of the easement.
Betsy notes that there’s another easement there, at the end: for emergency vehicles to use, entering from Sherwood Island.
Westporters — including those who will foot the bill for the new tidal gates and footbridge — don’t need that state park easement.
But we sure would like to access the one leading to the mean high water line.
It’s priceless.
The pedestrian path on Compo Cove. The easement between #54 and #56 is beyond the bend.
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Carole Schweid — an actor, playwright, author, and a Westport icon as co-founder and artistic director of “Play With Your Food,” the local lunchtime play-reading program — died earlier today at her Westport home.
Carole was also a member of the original cast of “A Chorus Line.”
After graduating from the Juilliard School, she began her Broadway career as an original cast member of “Minnie’s Boys,” the Marx Brothers musical starring Shelley Winters.
On television she was a member of “Fitz & Bones,” the Smothers Brothers’ series.
Carole Schweid
In addition to working regularly as a dancer, singer and actor, Carole wrote 2 plays: the off-Broadway “On The Bench,” and “Agnes.” The latter — a one-woman show about choreographer Agnes de Mille — was performed at the Smithsonian Institution theater.
The success of Carole’s Play With Your Food led her to write “Staged Reading Magic: A Play Producer’s Quick Guide for Turning a Free Staged Reading into a Hot Theater Ticket.”
Carole is survived by sons Max Lance and Daniel Lance; grandchildren Bailey and Leo Lance; her brother Robert Schweid, and her former husband, Steven Lance.
A memorial service will be scheduled for Westport in January.
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This past July, “06880” honored the final “Play With Your Food” shows with this tribute:
Play With Your Food” — the staged reading, script-in-hand series (plus delicious lunch) that has entertained and delighted audiences at local venues for 20 years — has reached the final curtain.
“All good things must come to an end,” says Carole, Schweid, artistic director for the series’ organizer, JIB Productions. She has had health issues, and executive producer Diana Muller is retiring.
Carole Schweid
After 350 performances, with 200 professional actors and 135 playwrights, the final performances are October 15 (MoCA CT), October 16 (Pequot Library, Southport) and October 17 (Greenwich Arts Council). All performances are noon to 2 p.m.
“Theater, lunch and hijinks await,” Schweid promises. “Plus cake!”
“Twenty years is a long time,” she notes. She looks back fondly on those 2 decades — and the beginning, when she and fellow PTA Cultural Arts Committee member Nancy Diamond were talking about their 2 passions: theater and food.
Realizing there was no theatrical entertainment around lunchtime, they had a “let’s put on a show!” moment.
Carole Schweid and Nancy Diamond, “Play With Your Food” founders.
Schweid has a BFA from Juilliard, and Broadway stage experience in “Pippin” and the original cast of “A Chorus Line.”
She and Diamond knew there were plenty of actors in the area — and plenty in New York who would be interested in a lunch-hour gig.
They also knew everyone’s time was tight. So they focused on one-acts. There would be a staged reading, followed by a compelling talkback with the director, actors and/or playwright — and lunch, catered by a local restaurant.
“Play With Your Food” would nourish the heart and soul — and stomach. And it would all take place relatively quickly, during lunch hour (okay, hour-and-a-half).
Let’s eat!
The first “Play With Your Food” was at Toquet Hall. Schweid and Diamond marketed it through postcards to friends.
It was an instant hit. The audience wanted more.
Over the next 20 years, they got it.
Schweid and Muller searched all over, for the best one-acts. They traveled to one-act festivals around the country. They prowled book fairs and libraries.
From Arthur Miller, Langston Hughes, Tom Stoppard and Ray Bradbury to Mark Twain; from up-and-coming playwrights to obscure, semi-forgotten ones — if Schweid and her colleagues liked a show, they figured, audiences would too.
There were 3 productions a year. Schweid likens them to a sandwich: a couple of “funny or wacky” shows at the top and bottom of the schedule; another with “heft” in the middle.
The plays range from comedies and romances to mysteries and musicals, from classics to unpublished works. Despite the wide variety, all share one element: The audience must leave in an uplifted mood.
A lively scene from a staged reading.
“Play With Your Food” expanded to Southport, Stamford and Greenwich. The Fairfield Theatre Company provided “the perfect black box” experience. In Westport, they outgrew Toquet Hall. MoCA, on Newtown Turnpike, offered more space, and an artsy vibe.
Big names graced the “Play With Your Food” stage. James Naughton, Mia Dillon, Stacy Morgain Lewis, Scott Bryce, Mark Shanahan and many others embraced the chance to do a different, unique and fun kind of theater.
“Who gets to hear people like this, in a setting like that?” Schweid asks.
Plus, she notes, “You didn’t have to travel. This was all home-grown.”
When COVID struck, Schweid and her crew pivoted. “If Joe Papp can do Shakespeare in the Park, why couldn’t we do Chekhov in the parking lot?” she wondered.
Former Staples High School Players actors like Matt Van Gessel and Max Samuels helped audiences weather that storm.
Lunch was an essential part of the experience. Popular places like The Porch, Blue Lemon, Da Pietro, Matsu Sushi and Spic & Span made meals almost as memorable as the plays.
“We celebrated good acting, good writing, good food, a good community coming together, and intellectual or emotional stimulation,” Schweid says.
“That’s how people will remember ‘Play With Your Food.’
Downtown parking has gotten “lots” of attention lately.
In meetings and online, Westporters have talked discussed the lack of spots, and/or the distance they walk from them.
This holiday season, the Westport Transit District has a solution.
Wheels2U — their on-demand train station service — will operate this weekend and next.
Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on December 14 -15 and 20 -21, Wheels2U will pick you up anywhere in Westport. They’ll take you downtown, then back home again when you’re through.
Stops are at Jesup Green opposite the Westport Book Shop, and Elm Street across from Serena & Lily.
Download the Wheels2U app, and book your ride 20 minutes before you want to leave. Rides are just $2 per passenger, open to all Westport residents and visitors. Children 12 and under must ride with an adult.
Club203 — Westport’s social organization for adults with disaiblities — celebrated the holidays last night at the VFW.
It was another great evening. And — as with all of the club’s events — many people and businesses made it rock.
The VFW donated its popular space. Delicious food was made by Carmine Cenatiempo, of Calise’s Market. Desserts and gingerbread cookies for decorating came courtesy of Chef Avery (@chefaveryw).
Marcello scontributed a holiday-themed photo booth (@Marcello.DEF).
Club203 gives a huge shoutout to the Westport Woman’s Club. Its Ruegg Grant will enable them to offer more social and educational events for Westport’s neurodiverse community.
Audiences at the Westport Country Playhouse’s production of “A Sherlock Carol” (December 17 through 22) can get in the holiday spirit even before the curtain rises.
Collection boxes for 4 local charities — Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Norwalk Toys for Tots, and Westport Homes with Hope Food Pantry — will be set up in the lobby during performances.
They’re also available during box office hours (Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.). You don’t have to see the show to help!
Click here for details on each charity, and wish lists for all 4.
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Speaking of Christmas wishes: There are 13 days till Christmas.
Which means there is still time for kids to drop off letters to Santa, at the Greens Farms post office.
Where — unlike the always-crammed Playhouse Square location — there is never a line.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
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It was a full — but unintended — Westport moment yesterday, on “Today.”
He did not realize until later that Lifelines is the company started by Melissa & Doug to “help individuals rediscover wonder and relieve stress through their senses.”
Of course, he knows that “Melissa & Doug” are the Bernsteins.
And that the husband and wife team are — like Craig himself — Westport residents. (Hat tip: Dave Briggs)
Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between December 4 and 11.
A 21-year-old Bronx man was charged with 2 counts of larceny, and 2 counts of conspiracy to commit larceny, following an investigation into 2 shoplifting incidents at Ulta Beauty in 2021. His bond was $100,000.
A 51-year-old Bronx man was arrested for identity theft, after a report from TD Bank of a suspect using fraudulent identifaction to obtain a debit card. He was released on $10,000 bond.
Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 13 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 3
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 2
Failure to obey stop sign: 2
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 2
School zone violation: 1
Opoerating a motor vehicle without a license: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Ulta Beauty is a frequent target of shoplifters. Many are arrested.
Westport continues to raising funds, to ensure that 200 children in our sister city of Lyman, Ukraine enjoy time away from the wartime terrors of the past 3 years.
Our goal of $56,000 will pay for them — scattered now, evacuated from their homes — to get together, with friends, teachers and counselors, at a therapeutic camp in the Carpathian Mountains.
To help, please click here. Under “Designation,” choose “Westport-Lyman sister city” from the dropdown menu. You can also choose a monthly or one-time donation. If you use the mail or Venmo option, please make a note: “For Westport-Lyman.”
A bit of normalcy in war-torn Ukraine.
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Westporter Warren Hammer is a chiropractor in Norwalk
For years he has specialized in fascial manipulation. It is taught in 50 countries, and used by many professional teams for chronic pain.
Last weekend, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, he introduced the method to the trainers who treat the New York Mets.
And finally … in honor of Warren Hammer’s recent gig (story above):
(As this Roundup shows, “06880” is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates: You never know what you’ll get. If you like most of what we offer, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Jennifer Johnson, her husband and 2 daughters moved to Westport in 2006.
She has worked in financial services, and for open space and land preservation organizations.
Jennifer has served on Westport’s Westport Parks & Recreation Commission, Compo Beach Site Improvement Committee, and is an executive committee member for the South Western Regional Planning Agency. She was a director of the Westport Transit District, and is a member of the Representative Town Meeting.
Following a recent vote by the legislative body, she writes:
Last month the RTM and Board of Finance voted to approve an expenditure of $5.58 million to rebuild 2 tidal gates at Sherwood Mill Pond.
The funding also includes rebuilding the pedestrian walkway that connects Sherwood Mill Beach to Compo Cove. There is a locked gate on the eastern end of the walkway. It was installed by Cove residents, and prevents public access to the Compo Mill Cove pathway along the southeastern shore of the Mill Pond.
Locked gate at the entrance to Compo Cove.
During the RTM meeting, questions arose regarding the gate: Why is it locked? Why can’t pedestrians walk along the Compo Mill Cove pathway like they used to? What about access to the mean high water line that belongs to all residents? Can the plan for the new taxpayer-funded walkway include some form of reclaimed access to the Compo Mill Cove pathway and/or tideland that is now blocked by the gate?
Given that the funding approval was time-sensitive, the RTM correctly approved the funding and tabled the pedestrian access issue. With the funding secured and the construction period deferred until spring, now is the time for Westport to find a solution to reclaim pedestrian access to the Compo Mill Cove pathway and tidelands once enjoyed by all, not just the dozen or so homeowners who live there (some part time).
While rebuilding the tide gate and walkway is both expensive and complicated, regaining public access to the Compo Mill Cove pathway and/or tidelands should be fairly straightforward.
Compo Cove residents should simply agree to open the gate between sunrise and sunset (an easy solution that could be programmed into the gate’s lock). Since the public is paying the hefty price tag to fund the walkway’s reconstruction — a walkway that Cove residents rely on to access their property — this seems like a fair and reasonable tradeoff.
Pedestrian path, and Compo Cove. The locked gate is near the bottom of the photo.
This simple solution reflects an increasing trend across the country. Private property owners are granting pedestrian easements to their land, for the express purpose of allowing the public to respectfully walk across a defined pathway during daylight hours.
The public historically had access, until the locked gate appeared about 20 years ago. As the years passed, and one by one the island’s historic bungalows were replaced with sizable rebuilds (like this $12.250 million recent listing), public access vanished.
I anticipate some Cove residents may raise security concerns. But those could readily be addressed by a police camera at the gate and/or residents installing readily-available security systems, if they haven’t already. The timed gate — combined with the general lack of car access — should prevent any opportunities for mischief, beyond the kinds of things beach residents typically contend with currently.
Alternatively, the town could initiate a small project to construct access points from the rebuilt walkway to the tidal land along either side of the walkway. This solution would only provide access at low tide. But some access is better than none.
If you are interested in joining this effort, please send contact information to millpondwalkway@gmail.com.
Aerial view of Compo Cove, with Sherwood Mill Pond (top). The arrow shows the gate location.
(“06880” welcomes Opinion pieces. We also welcome — and rely on — reader donations, to support our work. Please click here to contribute. Thank you!)
Lynn Untermeyer Miller hasn’t seen every Candlelight Concert.
There have been 84 years of them. The Staples High School Class of 1971 graduate is only 71 years old.
But she’s been to plenty, beginning with her years as a student.
She’ll be there again this week, for the Staples Music Department’s annual gift to the town.
She’ll be joined by hundreds of other grateful Westporters. Parents will proudly watch their teenage singers, and orchestra and band members, as they perform complex pieces with talent, passion and pride.
A small part of the large Candlelight Concert.
Westporters whose own kid have long graduated — or never went to Staples, or are not yet there — will thrill to the concert too, appreciating the mix of tradition and change that has sustained the Candlelight Concert for over 8 decades.
Middle and elementary school boys and girls will dream of the day they can take part in the remarkable event.
And alumni will stride, with excitement and smiles, onto the stage for the finale: a rousing rendition of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.” The massed group — a couple of hundred current musicians, and dozens who preceded them — is part of what makes the Candlelight Concert so special.
The “Hallelujah Chorus” ends the Candlelight Concert. The “Sing We Noel” processional begins it. (Photos/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
But none of it would happen without this week’s Unsung Heroes: the Music Department.
The staff — Jeri Brima, Carrie Mascaro, Kevin Mazzarella, Lauren Pine, Caitlin Serpliss and Gregg Winters, plus townwide music coordinator Steve Zimmerman and administrative assistant Liz Shaffer — have been working toward this moment since the summer.
They have great talent to work with. Our superb middle and elementary school music teachers deserve a great hand, for preparing the high schoolers so well.
John Ohanian created the first Candlelight Concert, in 1940.
No list of Unsung Heroes would be complete without the men and women who created, nurtured and grew the Candlelight Concert, from before World War II to today.
John Ohanian, George Weigle, John Hanulik, Bob Genualdi, Jack Adams, Nick Mariconda, Alice Lipson, Luke Rosenberg, and many other music educators, are the reason Candlelight has evolved, flourished — and made the holidays special — for over 80 years.
They, and everyone else associated with the Candlelight Concert, are true Unsung Heroes.
Take a bow!
ENCORE: One of the great Candlelight traditions is the “Sing We Noel” processional. Click here to learn about its unique back story.
(Unsung Hero is a weekly “06880” feature. To nominate a hero, email 06880blog@gmail.com. To support our work, please click here. Thank you!)
In just 2 years, Club203 has earned a cherished spot among Westport’s non-profits.
Part of Westport’s Department of Human Services, and the town’s Commission on People with Disabilities, the organization provides monthly social gatherings for adults with disabilities.
Now, Club203 has earned a $10,000 check.
The Westport Woman’s Club presented the Ruegg Grant on Monday. It’s one of the ways the WWC gives back to the community, by funding projects focused on social services, health, safety, arts and education. The grants were established by former club member Lea Ruegg.
Westport Woman’s Club, Club203 and Human Services Department officials (from left): Vera Rhimes, Erin Gensel-Cancro, Nancy Austin, Virginia Ferrari, Sharuna Mahesh, Stacie Curran, Audrey Rabinowitz, Elaine Daignault.
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Elvis is in the building!
Well, he will be on December 20 (7:15 p.m.). The building is VFW Post 399 (465 Riverside Avenue).
As for Elvis, who has been dead for nearly 50 years: The evening is called “Blue Christmas with ‘The King.'”
It’s a tribute to the rock ‘n’ roll icon, including his Top 40 hits, along with his Christmas songs.
Tickets are $35 ($30 for VFW members), and include a buffet. Click here, or call 302-312-3774.
An even more dead legend — William Shakespeare — is in the news too.
Diane Lowman has joined Shakespeare Birthplace America’s board of directors.
An essayist, memoirist, poet and Shakespeare scholar, she served as Westport’s first poet laureate (2019-22).
Lowman’s first memoir, “Nothing But Blue,” chronicled her experiences aboard a German container ship during college. Her latest, “The Undiscovered Country: Seeing Myself Through Shakespeare’s Eyes,” narrates her journey of self-discovery through the lens of Shakespeare’s works.
Lowman earned an MA in Shakespeare studies from the University of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Institute (2017), an MBA from Pepperdine University, and a BA in economics from Middlebury College. She teaches writing, Shakespeare, and yoga/mediation, and divides her time between Westport and Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.
Diane Lowman with her favorite author, at Stratford-Upon-Avon.
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Having a high school All-American athlete is a feather in any program’s cap.
Staples High School has not one, but two, this year.
Senior Annabel Edwards and junior Natalie Chudowsky were named to the 63-person United Soccer Coaches All-America squad. Both play midfield.
Chudowsky is one of only 4 girls — and the only 11th grader — to be named to the team for the third time. She has been an All-American since freshman year. She is also a regular call-up for US national youth team camps.
Edwards will play soccer at the University of Chicago next fall. Chudowsky has already committed to Duke University, beginning in 2026.
Edwards and Chudowsky will be honored next month, at the United Soccer Coaches convention in Chicago.
Speaking of sports: Rugby and football are very popular. But many parents have safety concerns.
This winter, Westport PAL will offer tackle and fitness winter clinics. The goal is to prepare 5th through 8th graders in Fairfield County to feel safe, confident and effective in tackle situations.
The focus is on development of core fitness, stamina, strength and skill.
Coaches include an international jiu-jitsu professor, a former US national team rugby player, and college football athletes.
PAL officials say, “Although no contact sport is entirely without risk, substantial evidence demonstrates that removing the head from direct contact significantly reduces the potential for harm.
“In recent years, both collegiate and NFL teams have increasingly adopted ‘rugby tackle’ techniques to protect athletes. We believe youth athletes deserve the same skill level of protection.
Click here for information on dates, location, fees, registration and more.
Proper technique minimizes injuries.
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Just in time for the 12 Days of Christmas: 11 Artist of Connecticut, at Picture This/Nylen Gallery (772 Post Road East).
And instead of 5 golden rings: 5 are from Westport: Nina Bentley (assemblage and prints), Linn Cassetta (mixed media on wood), Gali Katz (etchings), Judy Katz (porcelain vessels) and Tom Kretsch (photography).
Another — Marjorie Sopkin — grew up here.
An opening reception is set for this Friday (December 13, 5 to 7 p.m.). The show runs through January 11. The show is curated by John Bygott.
The Westport Astronomical Society free lecture series continues December 17 (8 p.m.), with a special free classroom lecture.
Dr. Debra Wallace — deputy branch chief for astrophysics at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center — will join remotely. Her topic is pretty big: “Exploring the Vast Cosmic Structures of the Universe.” Click here for more information.
It’s also the WAS Pre-Winter Solstice Holiday Party.
Santa has his eye on the universe.
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A pair of speakers from the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants addressed yesterday’s Westport Rotary Club lunch meeting.
They described the work of the 105-year-old non-profit. Through offices in Bridgeport, Stamford, Hartford and Waterbury, they provide legal aid, educational programs and social services for refugees, immigrants and survivors of human trafficking and torture. They also teach job placement skills and financial literacy.
Susan Schnitzer, president and CEO of the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, and Deo Byakisaka, assistant director of refugee services, at yesterday’s Rotary Club meeting. (Hat tip and photo/Dave Matlow)
Amy Swanson sent this image yesterday, with a seasonally appropriate note: ”
(Photo/Siobhan Crise)
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Staples High School Class of 1988 graduate William Westcott died suddenly on December 2.
The youngest of 6 children, he studied fine art at Washington University in St. Louis, followed by an apprenticeship under his mentor, the artist Mike Skop.
Bill then became a marketing and business strategist, for over 30 years.
After moving to New York City he met his wife, Jill. They raised their family in Tribeca.
His family says, “He was generous to a fault and for anyone who needed help, never a question asked. He was a fixer in every sense of the word. He had a creative superpower, a natural knack for building and a work ethic bar none.”
Bill loved road trips, vacation adventures, cookouts with family and friends, sailing, history and movies.
His desire to share with his children the values of small-town life led to their first summer place in Old Saybrook. Bill transformed a little bungalow into a comfortable weekend cottage, with room for kids and guests.
Bill is survived by his wife, Jill Cunniffe; children Greta, Finn and Luke Westcott of New York, and Old Saybrook, and siblings Mitch of Fort Myers, Florida, Wendy of Litchfield, Annie MacPhail of Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and Mary Thomajan of Belmont, Massachusetts; many nieces and nephews, and his terrier Norman. He was predeceased by his brother Mike.
And finally … in honor of Elvis’ December 20 concert at the VFW (story above):
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For decades, Henry Lehr was a legendary Main Street women’s store.
Nearby, on the Post Road, Schaefer’s Sporting Goods was equally beloved.
Years later, they’re back — 2024 style.
Alex Lehr — Henry’s son — has opened a new shop, with the old name (and menswear too). It fills the space formerly occupied by Fig, just down from Barnes & Noble.
Before that — when the bookstore was a movie theater — the store was Schaefer’s. Generations of Westporters bought baseball gloves, soccer cleats and skis there.
Alex Lehr’s road back to Westport winds through Southampton and Indiana.
He grew up here, and attended Kings Highway Elementary, Bedford Middle School and Greens Farms Academy.
It was off to Indiana University, New York, then back to the Hoosier State. From college on he worked for American Colors, the brand started by his father. Alex made his way up from the factory to head of sales.
Alex Lehr, with the belt collection in his new store.
In 2004, Henry retired. Alex took over. His wife Shannon also joined the business.
American Colors was a wholesaler, selling at trade shows to 200 specialty stores around the world. Westport customers include Great Stuff and Katherine H.
When COVID closed trade shows, Alex pivoted to retail. It was a world he knew well.
Henry Lehr and his wife had moved to Westport in 1977. They owned a New York store, and soon added one on Main Street. (Today, it’s the site of Shoe-Inn.)
Through its closing in 2014, after the death of their daughter Camilla who ran it, it was one of the town’s most popular women’s shops.
Henry Lehr on Main Street, soon after it closed. (Photo/Dave Matlow for WestportNow)
In 2021, Alex Lehr opened a pop-up American Colors by Henry Lehr store in Southampton. It was an instant hit.
A surprising number of customers were Westporters. Many urged him to come back to their (and his) hometown.
The Hamptons location was great, but it was seasonal, with transient customers, Alex says. As he considered a permanent shop, he realized this was the place to do it.
Attorney and real estate investor Jim Randel found him the Fig/Schaefer’s space.
Schaefer’s Sporting Goods is the 3rd store from the left, next to the Fine Arts Theaters and an art supply store. Fred Cantor took this photo in 1976 — around the time Henry Lehr opened on Main Street.
It was perfect. It reminds Alex of the Henry Lehr shop on Main Street. It looks out on the Post Road, with plenty of visibility. The tin ceiling gives off the perfect vibe.
A pop-up shop there in July, with just a few racks of clothes, was very successful. Renovations began when it closed.
Two weeks ago, American Colors by Henry Lehr opened officially.
During the pop-up, customers told Alex that Westport lacked the kind of casual, comfortable, contemporary clothing men wanted. The new store now includes menswear, and a collection of vintage belts.
Alex Lehr, inside American Colors by Henry Lehr.
There’s more to come. After the holidays Alex will add a home store, with antiques, vintage clothing, gifts, and a made-to-measure area for men and women.
“I’ve come full circle. It’s fun to be back,” Alex says. Women bring Henry Lehr clothing they bought 30 or 40 yeas ago. He repairs some of those well-worn pieces for them.
The Westport store may be a prototype for satellite locations. Still, he envisions this as always the flagship.
Casual, contemporary clothing.
As Alex finished giving a tour of the new store, a customer walked in.
Unprompted, she said, “This is the talk of the town!”
(“06880” often reports on the Westport business scene — old, new, and old ones that are new again. If you enjoy our coverage, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
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