Tag Archives: 2nd Street

Roundup: Downtown Book Shop, Sidewalks, Retail …

Is there any local organization Miggs Burroughs does not help?

The noted Westport artist — whose roots here go back to elementary school, and whose artistic career took off in his 20s with a Time magazine cover and US postage stamp — has created 4 limited edition lenticular artworks, to be auctioned at the Westport Book Shop’s March benefit.

Miggs’ “Icons of Justice, Courage, Innovation, and Style” are on exhibit at the Jesup Road store through the end of February.

Everyone is invited to a reception for Miggs and the exhibit on February 19 (6 p.m.).

As for the benefit: It’s March 13 (6:30 p.m., Westport Library).

Since early 2021, the Westport Book Shop has provided over 8,750 hours of paid employment and job training for more than a dozen people with disabilities.

They learn workplace skills transferable to other retail environments, and enjoy frequent, everyday interactions with the community.

Over that time, thanks to sales, the Book Shop has provided more than $200,000 of support to The Westport Library.

The fundraisers will build on that financial foundation, and help grow the employment program.

The evening includes live music, light bites and beverages, a paddle raise, and live and silents auction of unique books, vinyl, artworks and experiences.

Auction items include 2 copies of “The New Yorker in Westport” by Eve Potts and Andrew Bentley; signed copies of Rod Serling’s book “Patterns,” and Amor Towles’ “Rules of Civility”; tickets and tours of local attractions, and more.

Click here for tickets, and more information.

Miggs Burroughs, at the Westport Book Shop.

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Shame on Shell!

A Westport ordinance says that businesses must clear snow and ice from sidewalks within 24 hours.

Our last snowfall was a week ago.

This was the scene yesterday, on the sidewalk in front of the Shell gas station opposite the Westport Country Playhouse entrance:

Sure, it’s a lot harder to remove now.

But it should have been done the first time.

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Speaking of ice: The Westport Fire Department has been notified of a hydrant issue downtown, near GG & Joe’s.

It is leaking, forming ice on the sidewalk and street. Aquarion is working to fix it.

Leaking hydrant. (Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)

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Speaking of downtown: 2nd Street opens February 7..

The second-hand clothes and accessories store moves into space vacated by The Loft, next to Shoe-Inn.

Their first Connecticut location — one of about 50 nationwide — opened last year, in New Haven.

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Meanwhile, across the street Timothy Oulton is closing March 31.

The UK-based furniture and home accessories firm is 2 doors from Oka. That British furniture store closed last summer.

Next door is Mexicue. That 2nd-floor restaurant shut down in December.

 

Timothy Oulton (Photo/Sal Liccione)

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Hunter Peterson — the Staples High School graduate and shellfisherman who was profiled  yesterday on “06880” — has a new Instagram account.

You can follow him @saugatuck_oyster_company.

One of Hunter Peterson’s crabs.

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“Westport … Naturally” has received lots of Sherwood Island photos recently.

Looks like Connecticut’s first state park has been discovered — after nearly a century — but more than a few local residents.

There’s a lot there to explore. And — as Rob Grodman’s image shows — winter is as good a time as any to do it.

(Photo/Rob Grodman)

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And finally … today is the birthday of Lewis Carroll. He was born in 1832, and died in 1898.

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Roundup: Gun Locks, 2nd Street, Joey Zelkowitz …

Staples High School students — the teenagers who have endured lockdown drills for as long as they can remember — want action on gun safety.

They can try to affect policy. They can also take action here in Westport.

On Saturday, Aidan Lapatine and Logan Noorily — presidents of the Students Demand Action club — stood on the post Road/Main Street corner.

They gave out gun locks, and talked about safe firearms practices.

Many people stopped to talk, and learn more. The teens talked with parents about proper storage, and with children about safety measures.

Many attendees took locks for family members and friends.

To learn more about gun locks,, mail aidanlapatine@gmail.com.

Aidan Lapatine and Logan Noorily hand out gun locks, stress safety — and demand action.

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Meanwhile, coming soon to downtown: 2nd Street.

The second-hand clothes and accessories store will take over the space vacated by The Loft, next to Shoe-Inn.

Their first Connecticut location — one of about 50 nationwide — opened last month, in New Haven.

The idea to repurpose clothing and reduce waste is not new.

And I don’t mean Goodwill.

In the 1960s and ’70s, Functional Clothing was a popular shop down some stairs, next to the building that is now The Gap.

It was great. I think I may still have some jeans from there.

(Photo/Jem Sollinger)

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Congratulations to Joey Zelkowitz!

The Class of 2013 Staples High School and ’17 Middlebury College football star has been named to Sports Business Journal‘s “New Voices Under 30.”

Zelkowitz, now 29 years old (and called “Joseph”), is a senior associate with JP Morgan’s sports finance group. Previously, he was a financial operations analyst with the New York Yankees. (Hat tip: Amy Schafrann)

Joey Zelkowitz

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Congratulations too to more Stapleites: the school’s Students of the Month.

Seniors Molly Oliver and Nathan Smith; juniors Jocelyn Connors, Matthew Perez and Leila Stein; sophomore Luke Cooper, and freshman Emma Rivel, have been nominated by their teachers.

Principal Stafford Thomas calls them “the ‘glue’ of the Staples community — the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students that keep the high school together, making it the special place that it is.”

From left: Emma Rivel, Matthew Perez, Leila Stein, Molly Oliver, Jocelyn Connors, Nathan Smith, Luke Cooper.

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The other day, John Brandt brought his illustrative presentation “The Soundtrack of Our Lives” to the Y’s Women.

It demonstrated visually how music is part of our everyday lives, from film and dance to Broadway. Brandt’s journey included “Casablanca,” “Star Wars,” “Titanic,” “Exodus” and “Gone with the Wind”;  Martha Graham and “The Nutcracker,” and “A Chorus Line.”

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Trombonist/composer/bandleader Altin Sencalar brings his magic to this Thursday’s Jazz at the Post (November 14, VFW Post 399; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7; $20 music charge, $15 veterans and students).

Sencalar has shared the stage, toured, and/or recorded with Christian McBride, Michael Bublé, The Temptations, Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Ne-Yo, Big Sean and many others. An apt musician to close out the first NextGen Fest.

He’ll be joined by pianist Tylerl Henderson, bassist Gram Kozak, saxophonist Greg Wall and drummer Mike Camacho. Click here for reservations, and more information.

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We’ve had a bumper crop of acorns this year.

Pam Docters spotted these nuts near Compo Road South. They make for a perfect “Westport … Naturally” spread.

(Photo/Pam Docters)

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And finally … in honor of 2nd Street, our soon-to-be-new second-hand clothing store:

(The recording above is 103 years old. “06880” is 15. To help us reach the century mark — or, at least, 16 — please click here. Thank you!)

Roundup: Dems, Reps React To Shooting; Billie Jean King Tickets …

Yesterday — in the aftermath of the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania — the Democratic Town Committee said:

Dear Westport Community,

The Westport Democratic Town Committee denounces the violence perpetrated against former President Donald Trump, and all other acts of political violence.

We live in unusually divisive times, where conduct has devolved both nationally and locally. This is unacceptable. The Democratic Town Committee is committed to civility, community, and above all – safety.

Sincerely,

Michelle Mechanic, Chair
Nicole Klein, Vice Chair
Robin Weinberg, Secretary
Alan Shinbaum, Treasurer

This was posted on a Westport Republicans social media account:

There’s no place for political violence in our republic.

Civility & respect.

God bless Donald Trump, America and those harmed by these actions.

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Tickets for this year’s “Booked for the Evening” — featuring tennis legend and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King, set for September 12 — go on sale today (Monday, July 15) at 10 a.m.

Click here to purchase, for this sure-to-sell-out-quickly fundraiser. Click here for a seat map of the event.

The library notes: “All tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and we cannot guarantee access to tickets.” A livestream/watch-from-home ticket option is also available.

NOTE: If you don’t see tickets available on the website at 10 a.m., refresh your browser. The ticket link might be added to the page after you logged on.

King will come to the Library fresh off the 2024 US Open, whose grounds were named in her honor in 2006.

Onstage, she’ll chat with Chris McKendry, a Westport resident and host of ESPN’s tennis coverage.

Billie Jean King

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Decades ago, Functional Clothing sold used blue jeans in a basement-level Main Street store, near the current Gap.

Soon, a new used clothing store will open downtown this fall.

2nd Street takes over at 17 Main Street. Most recently, it was the site of Loft.

The chain’s originated in Japan in 1996. There are now more than 700 locations there.

The first 2nd Street in the US was in Los Angeles, in 2018. there are now about 3 dozen in the this country. The Westport and New Haven sites will be the first 2 in Connecticut.

The website boasts of “a huge selection of styles from street wear to vintage to Japanese designer and luxury accessories.” It also cites the company’s sustainability and waste-reduction efforts”
As part of our Hand2Hand project, we make sure to reuse all the clothing that arrives in our stores. Any items that we cannot sell are donated to a partner company that will recycle the clothing to clean up oil spills in factories, while other items are resold to create job opportunities and provide clothing to those in need.
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In other business news, Stop & Shop is closing 5 underperforming stores in Connecticut — and 27 others throughout the Northeast — by November.

The Westport location will remain open.

The 5 Nutmeg State stores to be shuttered are in Ansonia, Danbury, Milford, Stamford (West Main Street) and Torrington.

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Many readers enjoyed yesterday’s “06880” story on Westport road names.

Nancy Anderson adds: “My father, Dr Arnold Pearlstone, moved to Westport in 1963 where he lived until his passing in 2020.

“In 1963 he and his partner Leonard Flom (they were both well known ophthalmologists) purchased adjacent plots of land on a road without a name. It  is off North Ave extension, and was named “Arlen Road” after both of them.”

Dr. Leonard Flom

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Cali Carleton is a Westport mom of 5. A year ago, she launched Domino & Juliette.

They create high quality, safe, affordable and “educationally accurate” toys for children. Favorite items include alphabet and numbers puzzles. Made from food grade silicone, they are dishwasher safe (and great for crafts and messy play).

The toys are hailed by by parents of neuro-divergent children and therapists, because they are soft, flexible and chewable.

D&J also sells placemats for children of all ages to practice counting, spelling, sorting, geography and science.

With every order placed, the company donates a 24-pack of Crayolas to children in need, in places like Bridgeport.

Last month, Domino & Juliette entered retail space for the first time. They joined Honeypie, the children’s boutique on Riverside Avenue also run by a Westport mom.

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A bird found a home on Dave Briggs’ front porch.

Feeling safe, she hatched 5 tiny chicks. “It’s been amazing to watch,” he says of the process that led to today’s very cool “Westport … Naturally” photo.

(Photo/Dave Briggs)

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And finally … on this date in 2006, Twitter was launched. The world has never been the same.

(From local roads and stores to national politics, “06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” Please click here to help us keep those connections strong. Thank you!)