Hardware stores are often the heart of their community.
They’re places to go for supplies of all kinds, sure — for the inside and outside of homes, lawncare and more.
But they’re also places to get advice, chat with knowledgeable owners and staff, and feel — well, at home.
Westport is lucky to have had several that were much more than just “stores.”
Welch’s and Hartmann’s on Main Street were legendary. The Izzos’ Crossroads Ace Hardware next to Coffee An’ (now The Grapevine liquor store) took their place, and served Westport for decades.
The second, nail-shaped “T” in its logo was the subject of last week’s Photo Challenge (click here to see).
I thought many readers would confuse it with the Tesla “T.” But you’re too sharp for that.
Nineteen got the right answer. Not one fell for the Musk trap (which sounds like something Westport Hardware should stock).
A couple of comments included shout-outs to Bear (who is actually a dog, and — when he’s not roaming the store — sits quietly behind the counter).
One reader noted that Westport Hardware shares a strip mall with the unrelated Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop for Guys.
Congratulations to Bill Downey, Brian Taylor, Sal Liccione, Arthur Hayes, Andrew Colabella, Gabby Velez, Jonathan Alloy, Wendy Schaefer, Seth Schachter, Lisa Hayes, Jerry Kuyper, John McKinney, Seth Braunstein, Jeff Loechner, Clark Thiemann, Peter Dennigan Sinnott, Beth Berkowitz, Colleen Williams and Dede McDowell.
You all “nailed” last week’s Photo Challenge.
Will this week’s be as easy? If you know where in Westport you would see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Seth Braunstein)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
“If you’re a homeowner, the first termite you see is not the first termite that showed up.”
With that analogy, Jelani Cobb wove together 2 strands of his talk — America’s history of slavery and civil rights, and today’s threats to our democracy — yesterday.
The 20th annual Westport Weston Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Westport Library drew a full crowd. Cobb — a noted New Yorker writer, scholar, and dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism — was joined in conversation by novelist, playwright, filmmaker (and Westport resident) Trey Ellis.
Jelani Cobb (left) and Trey Ellis.
Asked by Ellis what King would think of the United States today, Cobb said, “It would be very familiar to him.”
Anti-democratic forces, he added, are “congenital problems that don’t go away by ignoring them.”
“My father had a 3rd grade education. I have a Ph.D.,” Cobb said. He vowed never to forget the democratic rights that enabled his achievement — and to “not tolerate intrusions on them.”
Recalling King’s famous quote — “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” — Cobb noted the “fine print”: “We have to get out and bend it.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke briefly. Referring to recent events, he said, “the totalitarian tactics used to silence non-violent protests are not America. It’s the America Martin Luther King protested against.”
The conversation was bookended by Varrick Nelson Jr. The young Stratford singer wowed the audience with stirring gospel-inflected renditions of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “A Change is Gonna Come.”
The audience included over 40 students from the Walter Luckett Foundation. The Bridgeport non-profit provides educational and recreational opportunities for young people. The Westport Library is a longtime partner.
The annual MLK celebration is a collaboration between the Library, TEAM Westport, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport Museum for History & Culture, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association.
Gabriel Sherman has built a career writing about some of the most powerful people in the world.
His first book, “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” told the story of how Roger Ailes built Fox News.
Sherman wrote the screenplay for “The Apprentice,” the biopic about Donald Trump’s relationship with Roy Cohn.
His latest project: “Bonfire of the Murdochs: How the Epic Fight to Control the Last Great Media Dynasty Broke a Family — and the World.”
Sherman was educated through grade 10 in Westport schools. He’s written for New York and Vanity Fair, and been a regular contributor to NBC News and MSNBC.
Sherman will be interviewed by Tina Brown at the 92nd Street Y in New York on February 5 (8 p.m.). Click here for tickets.
This month, Big Y supermarket is donating $1 to ABC — the non-profit that provides educational opportunities to academically gifted and highly motivated young men of color — for every reusable bag purchased for $2.50.
It’s a no-brainer. Buy more than one. You can never have enough bags!
On Wednesday David Guggenheim — screenwriter, producer and showrunner of Netflix’s “Designated Survivor” (and creator and writer of “Safe House,” “The Union” and “The Christmas Chronicles”) — visited Theater Camp 4 Kids Broadway Academy‘s students and interns.
He provided the young actors and writers with a “behind the camera” look at the reality of the film and TV industry, and inspired them to pursue their dreams.
Guggenheim shared insights about the creative process, including how to turn an idea into a script, and the reality of getting it produced. He also described the complex moving parts of a successful film or TV show, from how to make rainy scenes look real, to shooting on back lots and locations, and which actors he would love to work with in the future.
Youngsters came prepared with plenty of questions, which Guggenheim answered with warmth and charm.
Theater Camp 4 Kids is registering now for the winter/spring semester, and June Summer Day Camp. For information, email curleylaura@hotmail.com.
David Guggenheim (rear, center) with Theater Camp 4 Kids students. (Photo/Emily Jennings)
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Westporters using the Delta Sky Lounge at La Guardia Airport can see a bit of home.
Artist Nina Bentley’s work “He Looked Good on Paper” is on display, in Terminal C.
And finally … English author A.A. Milne was born on this date, in 1882. He died in 1956.
(“06880” is your 24/7/365 hyper-local blog. How do we do it? With support from readers like you. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here. Thank you!)
In 2025, Westport Police recorded 57 stolen vehicles.
That’s more than one a week.
And that’s only part of the story. It does not include attempted thefts.
“06880” learned of 3 in the past week. One woman was surprised in her garage, as she was unloading groceries; the masked person ran away.
The same woman was followed again, a few days later. Again, he did not follow through.
In the third case, a man entered an unlocked vehicle in a parking lot. He did not realize a teenager sat in the back. The boy yelled; the attempted thief skedaddled.
Not a photo of the attempted parking lot theft. But it’s close.
The number of thefts — and attempts, like pulling on car and garage doors — has skyrocketed since COVID, says Westport Police Lieutenant Anthony Prezioso.
Despite those numbers, he says, “don’t try to take things into your own hands.” Losing a car is less dangerous than risking a confrontation.
Instead, Prezioso advises, “lock your car in your driveway. Better yet, pull it into your garage, and close the garage door behind you. Take your key fob with you.”
(He notes that on many vehicles, side mirrors folded out indicates a key is inside.)
Also: Stay with your vehicle when you pump gas. And don’t leave the car running, when you run in for snacks. Lock it, and take the key!
Car thieves can quickly jump into an unattended vehicle.
If you think you’re being followed, don’t go home. Call 911 — and/or drive to the police station.
While thieves targe no specific make or model — they are more “crimes of random opportunity” — most stolen cars are “high-end.” Plenty, of many types, are available in Westport.
Prezioso also advises, “Be the best witness you can.” Try to get good descriptions of the thieves, and of any cars lurking nearby — with their license plates, if possible.
Effective Tuesday, the fine for parking illegally at the Saugatuck and Greens Farms train stations will double.
At the request of the Westport Police Department, the Select Board approved
an increase in the fine for non-permit holders parking in permit-only areas, from $25 to $50.
As always, daily parking areas are available at both stations for non-permit holders.
Westporters know the joys of skating at the PAL Rink at Longshore.
Now, many other people know too.
NewEngland.com included it — right near the top — in their list of “30 Best Winter Activities Across All 6 States.”
(Okay, it’s near the top because the states are listed alphabetically, and Connecticut is first. But still …)
The writeup says:
For more than 25 years, the Westport Police Athletic League (WPAL) has sponsored this winter gem located just steps from Long Island Sound.
Meeting NHL rink specifications, the outdoor facility is open to all, with daily, weekend, and season passes available. Visitors can find skate rentals and sharpening here, as well as figure skating lessons offered through the Westport Parks and Recreation Department that range from beginner to advanced levels.
We’re right up there with Powder Ridge, Franconia Notch, and Okemo, Stowe and Stratton.
Local athletes have many opportunities to receive specialized, sport-specific training.
The mental and nutrition aspects: Not so much.
Three professionals — Rhodie Lorenz, Carrie Potoff and Adriana Liberatore — now fill that gap.
The multi-disciplinary group — Saugatuck Mind and Sports Lab — offers athletes, coaches and parents team and 1-on-1 coaching and counseling.
Lorenz — well-known to Westporters as a co-founder of JoyRide — already had a thriving mental performance practice, specializing in high school and college athletes.
Potoff is a therapist. She aids many athletes in areas like anxiety and perfectionism.
Liberatore is a registered dietician, who also has experience with athletes’ fuel for performance and recovery.
The trio saw a gap between physical regimens, and off-the-field aspects of training. They’ve designed a holistic approach, but are also available individually.
“Coaches have only so much bandwidth,” Lorenz notes. “They understand the value of mental training and good nutrition. They’re able to reinforce what we provide.
“Athletes often seek help when they struggle, or suffer a setback,” she adds. “But they don’t have to be reactive. We can be proactive, providing the tolls and skills they need to overcome the inevitable stresses of sports.”
From left: Rhodie Lorenz, Carrie Potof, Adrianna Liberatore.
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Speaking of sports: Friends of the Senior Center are sponsoring a Super Bowl tailgate party. (Indoors, of course: February 8, 1 p.m.).
All ages are welcome to enjoy hot dogs, chips and dessert, plus a chance to meet Staples High School’s championship boys soccer and rugby teams.
PAL and Staples cheerleaders will perform.
And there’s a “guess the final score” contest, with prizes.
All ages are invited.
The state champion “futbol” team will be at the Senior Center football Super Bowl party on February 8. (Photo/John Walker)
On Tuesday, the Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously denied an appeal of a previous Planning & Zoning Commission decision, to allow construction of an accessory dwelling unit at 21 Norwalk Avenue.
Adjacent Compo Beach neighborhood property owners David Johnson and Holly Jaffe had objected to the ADU, based on its 26-foot height and location 10 feet from the existing house. (Click here for a previous “06880” story on this issue.)
James Ezzes, ZBA chair, wrote that zoning regulations in effect at the time of the application allow construct of accessory dwelling units as of right; the proposed plans conform to the definite of an ADU and all applicable standards; regulations allow a 350-square foot coverage exemption for lots of 1.5 acres or less; and the zoning enforcement officer does not have discretion in the review of permits.
Neighbors in the area are considering a lawsuit.
The Norwalk Avenue home (top, 2nd from left), showing where the ADU would be situated. (Drone photo/John Videler)
On January 25 (2 p.m.), Westport Library goers get a first look at the Shoah Memorial. The sculpture — coming soon to Fairfield University — seeks to “honor history, while actively stemming the tide of hate.”
The afternoon features a conversation between Dr. Mindy Hersh and her mother, Judy Hersh, a Holocaust survivor, followed by a panel discussion with Shoah Memorial artist Victoria Milstein; Shelly Krieger, the founding educator of the Holocaust Research Center; Holocaust survivor Michell Schell, and Marla Felton of Common Circles.
The Shoah Memorial Fairfield University project began when Paul Burger attended the unveiling of the original She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots sculpture Greensboro, North Carolina. Moved by its powerful message, he decided to bring the memorial to his community, to ensure its broader impact.
Fairfield University is already home to the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, and offers a Judaic Studies program.
Longtime Westport resident Wayne Paull died January 3. He was 79.
Wayne graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he earned a football scholarship. After college, Wayne joined the Army.
With his wife Lee’s support, Wayne chose a career as a movie cameraman. His work took him around the world, covering the PGA, Indy racing, the circus, and interviewing figures such as George H.W. Bush, the Dalai Lama, and countless other world leaders and fascinating figures.
He was predeceased by his wife. He is survived by his son Matthew (Leslie), and grandsons Brittain and Cooper.
A service will be held Monday (January 19, 11 a.m.) at Harding Funeral Home.
The winter weather has kept many artists indoors, creating seasonal art.
And it’s sent photographers outdoors, to do their thing there.
That’s the magic of our weekly online art gallery. Whether you’re looking at this with your morning coffee, or on a phone during a walk: Enjoy!
And — of course — please show us your own work.
No matter your age; the style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, mixed media, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Please email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
Here’s looking at you!
Untitled — mixed media collage (June Rose Whittaker — Available for purchase; click here)
Untitled (Duane Cohen — Available for purchase; click here)
“Full Moon ~ Deep Snow” (Patricia McMahon — Available for purchase; click here)
Posted onJanuary 17, 2026|Comments Off on Westport’s Arts Scene: The Back Story, Part 2
How did the Westport Arts Center splinter into what is now MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport?
In part 2 of this 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores some of the important reasons. Click here to read her first story.
Around 2018, the Westport Arts Center (WAC) board and executive director decided to expand, in space and scope.
They searched for larger properties, beyond their cramped Riverside Avenue space, to accommodate their new vision: to become the Museum of Contemporary Art Westport.
WAC member sources for this article say they were not made aware of the search, the new name, or the new mission. Instead, they learned of it from the press release announcing its opening in early fall of that year.
Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
Many members opposed this new Arts Center, and bristled at the announcement’s tone of inclusivity and enthusiasm. Artists accused the WAC board of chasing personal collateral achievement in founding a prestigious “cultural destination,” when they should be supporting WAC’s “founding mission of being a home for local artists.”
According to one WAC member — all of whom requested anonymity, to discuss sensitive details — “In 2019 they abandoned that mission, and essentially kicked its member artists to the curb. The president of its new board told me to my face that he didn’t see the benefit of showing the work of local artists anymore.”
Then-WAC board members I spoke with, who supported MoCA at that time, had a different perspective. They remained committed to the arts, but believed the organization needed to grow in scope to remain financially viable. The existing model, they felt, no longer attracted sufficient audiences or donor support.
Staff members at that time recall the tension. WAC employees were told the organization needed more money. They were asked to work unpaid overtime, and were promised rewards for raising revenue. Those rewards rarely, if ever, materialized, they say.
“Everybody who was there was there because they love art,” said someone familiar with the situation. Yet they felt that love and appreciation no longer mattered.
Despite the tensions, MoCA opened in Martha Stewart’s former television production facility at 19 Newtown Turnpike — on the Norwalk border — in September of 2019.
MoCA\CT, on Newtown Turnpike.
A few rumors rippled through town about the controversy. But only those truly involved knew the details.
Many people were excited to see the new MoCA. I was one of those. We now had a cosmopolitan museum right in our backyard. Whether it was Norwalk or Westport hardly mattered to museum-goers.
The first exhibit at MoCA Westport was by acclaimed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. One of her Infinity Mirror Houses was praised as her 1965 artistic “breakthrough” in 1965, and had become Instagram-famous. The exhibit also included Narcissus Gardens, an installation of pristine mirrored orbs.
It was a stunning, high-profile show. Scores of visitors lined up to witness her work. I recall standing in her mirrored room, door closed, light reflecting and winking off every surface, thinking, “This is in my town?!”
Yet even the savviest among us would have difficulty convincing anyone she was “local” or even “regional.”
Still …
Today — 7 years later — MoCA\CT (as it is now known) is a significant regional museum and tremendous cultural resource. It hosts exhibits from world-class as well as regional artists, and is home to the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition.
2025 Heida Hermanns Piano Competition winner Zhu Wang, at MoCA\CT.
Hermanns — perhaps ironically — was one of the WAC’s greatest benefactors in the ‘80s and ‘90s. A pianist, teacher and philanthropist, and founder of the Connecticut Alliance for Music, she endowed the competition (which began in Westport) in 1972.
Today, the entire staff and most MoCA board members are different from those in 2019.
Much else has changed too. More on that will come in part 3 of this series.
(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts scene — and the town’s history. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Comments Off on Westport’s Arts Scene: The Back Story, Part 2
As Balducci’s prepares to close — leaving behind many devoted customers, and other Westporters who think the store just randomly put laughably high prices on every item — it’s time to look back at its predecessor.
Balducci’s began as Hay Day. Westport’s first “gourmet grocery store” was located where the Maserati dealer is now.
The “country farm market” was stocked with fresh produce, baked goods, prepared food and the like. Paul Newman was a regular customer.
Longtime Westporters still have — and use — the very well-done “Hay Day Country Market Cookbook.”
(“250 recipes from the celebrated New England farm stand that helped bring authentic flavorful food back to America’s table,” the cover gushed.)
Hay Day expanded a couple of times, then moved to bigger digs in its present location a few hundred yards east. The site was occupied in the 1980s by Georgie Peorgie’s, Arnie Kaye’s ice cream parlor adjacent to his Arnie’s Place video game arcade.
Balducci’s — a small specialty chain, now owned by the much larger Albertson’s group — eventually bought Hay Day.
There is no word yet on a new tenant.
Let’s hope it’s an interesting one. A bank or nail salon would not do this place justice.
(Friday Flashback is one of “06880”‘s many regular features. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our website — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
Online registration for Westport Parks & Recreation Department spring and summer programs begins March 10 (9 a.m.; Camp Compo and RECing Crew only) and March 11 (9 a.m.; all others). Click here to see all activities.
To update your profile, select “Manage Family Member.” Be sure each child’s grade is correct (as of September 2025).
Questions? Email recreation@westportct.gov, or call 203-341-5152.
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On January 26 (6 p.m., Zoom), the Planning & Zoning Commission hears a request for a special permit/site plan approval for 785 Post Road East. That’s where a commercial building will replace several small apartments, between Splash car wash and New Country Toyota.
The goal is to allow offsite “superior” affordable housing, on George Street.
Redniss & Mead — land use consultants who do extensive work in Westport — are asking the P&Z to allow conversion of the 2nd and 3rd floors of the approved commercial building to house 2 residential units.
Including housing already approved behind the office/retail building fronting the Post Road, that would bring the total count of housing units to 15.
Meanwhile, the owner — 785 Post Road E LLC — would deed restrict one 2-bedroom townhouse onsite to Homes with Hope, for use as affordable housing.
In addition, the developer would donate a 3,500-square foot 2-family home at 3 George Street to Abilis, a non-profit that provides services and support to people with special needs. It would operate as a family home, similar to 136 Riverside Avenue.
785 Post Road East. New Country Toyota is at left; Splash Car wash is directly to the right, next to the new commercial and residential buildings at the foot of Long Lots Road that house, among others, Lyfe Cafe.
Seeing Janine Scotti’s photo of damage to the free bicycle-driven public library, Larry Roberts wondered if he could help.
When no one claimed “ownership” in the Comments section — the unique contraption was commissioned several years ago by author Jane Green, who no longer lives here — he took matters into his own (literal) hands.
Larry hauled it away, to repair himself.
And — this is where the story gets very Twilight Zone-ish — along the way on Taylor Place, he was spotted by none other than Janine (the source of the photo) herself.
The Remarkable Bookcycle, in the back of Larry Roberts’ truck.
“Are you Larry Roberts?” she asked.
“Yes!” he replied, surprised.
Soon, the Remarkable Bookcycle will be back at Compo Beach.
If you take — or donate — a book, you’ll have Janine and Larry to thank.
Larry Roberts (Photos/Janine Scotti)
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Feeling unconfident about how to give your child — or a child you care for — confidence?
Parents and caregivers are invited to a relaxed morning conversation and light breakfast, focused on helping children build lasting confidence.
Jennie Monness — a parenting educator, and co-founder of Union Square Play — will explore the difference between praise and encouragement; how routines and responsibilities support competence, and how to respond when children struggle, feel unsure or doubt themselves.
On Sunday (January 18, 11:15 a.m.), Triple Threat Academy‘s short film “Straight Laced” screens at Dances With Films — the independent film festival — at Regal Cinema in New York’s Union Square.
Like 2 other of Triple Threat’s 6 previous films, this was directed by its founder: Staples High School graduate and “Fame” star Cynthia Gibb.
Triple Threat offers classes in the performing arts for all ages. Cast members — children through adults — come to Westport from as far as Los Angeles and the UK to shoot with a professional crew each summer. Triple Threat co-director Jill Mann writes the scripts.
Speaking of Jill Johnson Mann: Her son — 2021 Staples grad Jamie Mann — goes on as Hopper Jr., a lead role in Broadway’s “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” tomorrow through Tuesday (January 17 to 20).
Mann — who graduated from the University of Michigan last spring — continues playing airheaded singing-and-dancing jock Ted Wheeler in 8 shows a week, until late March.
Beginning next month, ChaChanna Simpson — past president of Northeast Storytelling — will hosts “Storytelling Sundays” at The Westport Library.
One Sunday afternoon every other month, seasoned and first-time storytellers are invited to share 5-minute tales — preferably without notes — on a selected theme.
The February 15 theme — the day after Valentine’s Day — is (of course) “love.”
It’s a welcoming space for connection and inspiration. Everyone is invited to share or listen — or do both.
“Absolutely no experience is necessary,” ChaChanna says. “We all have stories, and all our stories matter!”
Speaking of the Library: Richard Hurowitz discusses his book “In the Garden of the Righteous” — profiles of the “Righteous Among the Nations,” little-known heroes who saved countless lives during the Holocaust — there on January 22 (7 p.m.).
He’ll chat with Reverend Vanessa Rose. She’s the first female senior pastor at First Church Congregational of Fairfield since its founding in 1639. The open and affirming church is focused on racial, social and environmental justice, and immigration and refugees.
The 2006 Staples High School graduate, now a US Department of Justice fraud unit attorney, was hailed in a DOJ press release for his work on one of the largest whistleblower-related settlements in department history.
Thrope helped negotiate a $556 million payment by Kaiser Permanente affiliates, to resolve allegations of widespread fraud in Medicare billings.
The New York Times explained, “Kaiser overstated how sick its patients were to receive higher government payments.”
CNBC called it “a record-breaking settlement in a Medicare Advantage case.”
Rach’s Hope has an important mission: supporting families with critically ill children
The non-profit honors Rachel Doran. The Staples High School graduate and rising Cornell University senior died after developing a rare reaction to common medications.
Their 7th annual PJ Gala is March 28 (7 to 11 p.m., FTC, Fairfield).
Why “PJ”s? Rachel was a talented Staples Players costume designer, and founded a pajama company.
And finally … in honor of the upcoming “Storytelling Sundays” at the Westport Library (story above):
(Here’s one story you can tell: “I clicked on a link, and donated to ‘06880’! It’s such a great feeling to support the blog we all rely on. You should do it too!” In fact, that’s our favorite story …)
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