Old Mill scene (Photo/Katherine Bruan)
Joey’s by the Shore has shifted to winter hours (Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.).
They’ve added soups and other seasonal items. There’s Elvira Mae’s great coffee bar too.
Customer traffic may be slower, but the Old Mill neighborhood relies on Joey’s. Just as they did for 20 years with Elvira’s. And — decades earlier — Kenny Montgomery’s store.
But even before that, there was a market at the foot of Compo Hill.
When Betsy and Hal Kravitz opened Elvira Mae’s, their across-the-street neighbor Robin Tauck gave them this:
Sheila Bergmann sent it along. She lives up the hill, and is fascinated by the photo.
So am I.
At the time this was taken, the Old Mill Market — featuring Park City Ice Cream — was also the temporary office of the Compo Hill Developing Co. They offered “Restricted Building Sites for Sale.”
“Restricted” as in “limited options for what can be built”? Or “restricted” as in “No Jews Allowed”?
It’s clear that Compo Hill was ripe for development. How lucky the neighbors are that the little store at the bottom survived the building boom that followed.
If you remember the Old Mill Market, or anything else about Compo Hill from those years — whenever they were — click “Comments” below.
How did you spend your post-Isaias Day 5?
Doerte Inett’s family was visited by a “fantastic crew” from Nova Scotia. They took care of a tree that fell on the power line on their Sturges Highway property — and restored power. Their 10-month old supervised, from the screen porch.
Cleaning up in the Old Mill neighborhood (Photo/Lauri Weiser)
Pleading for help off North Avenue (Photo/Ed Paul)
A few smiles at the Colony Road/Pumpkin Hill intersection (Photo/Christie Stanger)
Flying kites at Sherwood Island State Park (Photo/Ilene Mirkine)
This was the scene late today, at the corner of Fairport Road and Westfair Drive (Photo/Lauri Weiser)
The traffic light works at Main Street and Parker Harding Plaza. But Avery Place is still blocked by downed wires and limbs. (Photo/Lauri Weiser)
Old Mill, in yesterday’s early morning fog … (Photo/Roseann Spengler)
… and then, after it lifted, the Cribari Bridge (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
Late afternoon sun over Old Mill … (Photo/Rick Benson)
… and the moon over Sherwood Mill Pond (Photo/Jo Shields)
Hundreds — perhaps thousands — of dead fish washed up yesterday at Old Mill Beach and Compo Cove.
Health authorities and Harbor Watch are investigating.
(Photos/Tessa Smith McGovern)
Last week, I posted a real estate listing for 222 Hillspoint Road.
That may not ring a bell. But this name for the property does: Elvira’s.
For 2 decades, the little store opposite Old Mill has been a big part of the beachfront community. It sells groceries, sandwiches, salads, pizza, gyros, ice cream and coffee, sure.
But it’s also a community center. It’s a place to meet, greet, eat; share gossip and snacks; hang out and hang loose.
Which makes it a far cry from its predecessor.
Kenny Montgomery’s store.
Kenny Montgomery owned the store, before the Yiozonakos family. He relocated there from the corner of South Compo and Greens Farms Road, when I-95 was built.
He sold the basics: milk, eggs and cigarettes. The store was dusty, and smelled bad. You went there only because you had to. (Or, if you were a kid, to see how much you could steal.)
That’s why — though the official name was different — everyone who grew up in Westport back in the day called it Grub’s.
But there’s another side to Kenny. When he died, he left hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Westport YMCA.
The store was a fixture at the foot of Compo Hill for many years. Long before Kenny — or so the story goes — the only telephone in the area was located there. When the phone rang the owner would walk outside, and bellow the name of whoever the call was for.
Today, of course, you can call Elvira’s on your cellphone, and have your order waiting when you arrive.
As for tomorrow — who knows?
Another view, from even longer ago.
Posted in Beach, Friday Flashback, Local business
Tagged Elvira's, Kenny Montgomery, Old Mill
A week ago, heavy rains and strong winds pushed Compo Beach sand onto the boardwalk. Some carried beyond, into the parking lot.
A few folks out for a stroll on Sunday were annoyed that “they” — whoever that is — hadn’t yet cleaned the sand from, um, the beach.
Those people would not have fared well a century ago. Here’s how Soundview Drive looked then:
On the other hand, check out those very cool wooden bathhouses in the distance.
Around the corner was another beach scene. I’m guessing from the somewhat garbled description — “The Old Mill Road, Compo” — that these homes were on Sherwood Mill Pond, opposite Old Mill Beach.
If you’ve got another idea — or want to commend our current Parks & Rec and Public Works staffs for their great work on our beaches and roads — click “Comments” below.
(Postcards courtesy of Jack Whittle)
Once a day, every day — as regularly as the tides — Old Mill Beach-goers and Hillspoint Road drivers, joggers and strollers are treated to the same sight:
(Photo/Lynn Flaster)
There must be a story behind the boat and its owners.
Clueless? Too lazy to get an actual mooring? Just happy going out for a quick spin when the tide is high?
If you know the back story, click “Comments” below.
In the meantime, we know one thing: At least half of each day, no one will steal this boat.
Living at the beach is a dream.
Until something like Hurricane Sandy turns it into a nightmare.
But Compo, Old Mill and other shoreline residents say it’s worth it. They’re used to challenges.
They adapt.
These owners are already back home…
They’re raising their homes to FEMA standards. They’re gaining safety (and maybe a garage underneath).
Plus — this is Sandy’s dark cloud/silver lining — they now enjoy fantastic new views.
…and so are these.
Some homes are not fixable. In their place, owners build stronger houses.
Other homes are, or will soon be, up for sale. (Like Betsy and Dan Kahn’s — she provided these fantastic photos.)
A house near Compo Beach being raised…
…and 2 more at Old Mill Beach.
Many residents have lived elsewhere for the past 9 months, or huddled in only part of their under-renovation house. The wait, they say, will be worth it.
And beach life will be better than ever.
Some houses couldn’t be saved…
…but new homes — like this one on Danbury Avenue — are going up quickly.
And on Compo Cove, many houses are still being raised. (Photos by Betsy P. Kahn)
Posted in Beach, Real estate, Weather
Tagged Betsy P. Kahn, Compo Beach, Hurricane Sandy, Old Mill
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