New Haven Independent

“I haven’t even thought about the economy,” said Fenton, the owner of Blend at 1120 Main St. “I would prefer to be hopeful.”

Fenton opened Blend, a creative center, about a year ago and recently doubled the size of her business by expanding into an adjacent building when the occupant moved to another location in town. “When I opened, I had a much bigger vision than my space allowed for,” she explained. “When this additional space became available, I thought it was too good to pass up.”

Blend offers creative classes for youngsters, and play sessions for toddlers. Over the past few months, Fenton began offering theater classes for middle school students, guitar lessons for pre-school through high school students, and Yoga classes for teen-agers and adults. She added the services of several teachers who specialize in various creative activities. The website is www.blendforkids.com

Fenton said that finding a specialty niche and networking with the Branford Center Merchants Association and the Chamber of Commerce has helped grow her business. “I couldn’t be more happy,” she said. “Branford has so much potential.” Branford business leaders agree, saying that networking and creativity are the keys to surviving the economic crisis.

Although three Branford stores have closed their doors due to the economy, others have expanded and a few new ones have opened. That gives the business community reason to be cautiously optimistic.

Other businesses that have expanded include Zane’s Cycles and the Swedish Performance, both on Route 1. Two new ventures include the To B Maternity & Baby Boutique in the Town Center; and The Blue Cottage restaurant in the Indian Neck neighborhood.

Recent closures include Ella, the Green Bow, and Tuscan Shamrock, all in the Town Center.

“There are challenges, but Branford in general is certainly holding its own,” said Ed Lazarus, president of the Branford Chamber of Commerce. “There are new businesses that are starting and new businesses that are thinking about coming in.”

Lazarus said that compared to some areas, Branford has not been hit as hard by the economic crisis. “I don’t want to underestimate the challenges, but this is still a great place,” he said.
Lazarus acknowledged that the business landscape is changing, and that entrepreneurs who serve a niche may have an advantage. To help counteract the economic downturn, the Chamber has sponsored workshops and roundtable discussions to offer tips about economic survival.

“The single biggest thing I have seen at our events is the overwhelming number of people who are attending,” Lazarus said. “Everybody understands the need to get out and network.”
Peter Indeck, who chairs the Branford Center Merchants Association, echoed the optimistic sentiments. “We had a few store go by the wayside, but we have some new exciting businesses coming in as well,” Indeck said. “People are looking at the town. There definitely is interest in some of the vacant spaces.”

Branford Center Merchants meet monthly to discuss special events and promotions “We network and try to share with each other what’s working and not working,” said Indeck, who is also the business manager at the Arabella clothing store at 1156 Main St. “In this difficult economic climate, we need each other more than ever.”

This year, the Merchants Association has reached out to include restaurant owners in promotional events. “We’re all in this together,” Indeck said. “People often say, ‘So go the merchants, so goes the town,’ but it’s also true that so go the restaurants, so we all go.”
Efforts are underway to coordinate Branford Center promotions to coincide with upcoming events, such as the new Thursday night new jazz series on the Green this summer.

The owners of Mango’s restaurant in the Center capitalized on their success to create a new dining adventure in the former Indian Neck Marketplace. The Blue Cottage, which features traditional Cape Cod seafood, opened in later February. Both restaurants are owned by Nick Colavolpe and wife Gina, along with Lenny Caponera, and Michael DePonte.

“We just want to thank Branford for being so loyal to us, said Nick Colavolpe. “I don’t think we would have been able to do this in any other town.”

He said the restaurant business in general has been slow over the winter months, but it’s starting to pick up. “Even with the economic climate, people need to go out,” Nick said. “It’s been a long hard winter and people have spring fever. People are getting tired of Wall Street and want to go out and forget about it for awhile.”

The Blue Cottage, which has a Cape Cod ambience, will feature entertainment on weekends, with light jazz and reggae slated for Sunday afternoons on the deck. “People want a little bit of escape when they don’t have to worry about anything,” Nick said. The Web site is www.thebluecottage.net

The owners of the new To B Maternity and Baby Boutique at 1080 Main St. feel they can counteract the economy by serving a niche population. The shop, which opened in March, is owned by veteran shop-keeper Pam Edwards and her daughters Tracy Forbes and Courtney Barnikow. Edwards previously owned the Elegance store on Branford’s Main Street.

“There was nowhere on the shoreline or in New Haven Country for stylish pregnant women to shop for clothes,” Forbes said. “No matter what the economy, people are still getting pregnant. We are a niche.”

“There’s a uniqueness about this store,” said Edwards. “And people who are not pregnant buy our clothes as well.” The shop also sells accessories, jewelry and baby items. The Web site is www.tobmaternity.com

A hometown boy who has gained international acclaim in the bicycle business has capitalized on success with the November opening of the new “World Famous Zane’s Cycles shop at 330 E. Main St., off exit 55 on I-95.

“There’s no challenging economy here,” said store owner Chris Zane. “We’ve had record sales this year.”

Zane opened his first bike shop in Branford in 1981 at age 16. He gained widespread recognition over the years by being the first shop in the nation to offer lifetime free service on all bicycles he sells. His business techniques and customer service beliefs have been documented in textbooks and he often lectures at colleges both here and abroad. But despite the international notoriety, he never forgets that his customer base begins at home.

“The support we’ve gotten from the community is so rewarding,” Zane said. “It’s fabulous.”
The new bicycle shop features green technology including 120 solar panels that generate electricity for the store. In early April, an 8-foot bicycle-style wheel that serves as a wind generator was installed on the roof.

“The windmill on the building was the last step of the project,” Zane said. “It’s very exciting.”
The Web site is www.zanes.com

Also seeing success in the transportation business is Swedish Performance, an auto repair shop owned by John Lear. The shop recently relocated to a larger building at 370 East Main St ., about a quarter-mile from the original location. Lear said the move was necessitated by an upturn in business.

“We’ve been growing about 20 to 25 percent a year since we started,” Lear said in regard to the 3-year-old business. “Our customer base keeps growing.”

In addition to the steady growth, he has also noticed a trend in the repair business due to the economy. “People want to hang on to their cars longer,” Lear said.

He said regardless of the economy, customers expect good service. “”I try to treat people the way I like to be treated,” said Lear, who has been in the business 23 years.

Although the economy has led to the closing of three local shops, the businesses are continuing to operate in other venues.

The owners of the Ella clothing shop closed the Montowese Street location and moved the inventory to their Guilford store, which was the original site of the business. The Branford store had been open three years.

Erica Grasso, one of the owners of Ella, said the economy was partly to blame but that it was a “multi-faceted” decision. She is confident their customers will rely on the Guilford shop. “We have a dedicated customer base,” Grasso said.

The Green Bow gift store, owned by Laura Morgan, closed when its lease expired, partly due to the economy and because the Park Street building was put up for sale. Morgan, however, also operated the gift shop on the Internet, and is continuing to do so.

“I liked seeing the customers and chatting with people,” Morgan said, as she compared the shop to the Internet business. “But cost-wise, this is definitely worthwhile.” The store features unique gifts and specialized gift baskets.
The Web site is www.greenbowgifts.com

Darryl Foley-DePalma, who owned the Tuscan Shamrock at 1036 Main St., is in the process of starting an Internet store. Her shop, which specialized in Italian and Irish merchandise, closed at the end of March.

Foley-DePalma said the cost of operating a “brick and mortar” store had become prohibitive, and the Internet seemed a viable option. The Web site is ….

Terry Elton, Branford’s economic development director, said business owners and town officials have been working together to spur the economy. Elton has been meeting with prospective clients for some of the vacant stores.

He said a very positive indication of Branford’s stability is the recent triple “A” bond rating the town received from Standard and Poor’s Rating Service.

“This is really an extraordinary time,” Elton said. “When the recession starts to recede, we’ll be in good shape. There are a lot of good signs out there.”
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