Markeshia Ricks Photo
A river runs through Fair Haven. Neighbors and business owners are trying to figure out how to get you to come see it.
Making the Quinnipiac a destination for not only people in Fair Haven, but also people from other neighborhoods and even other nearby cities, is the goal of a new business initiative called Fair Haven Forward.
The initiative is the outgrowth of the work of the Chatham Square Neighborhood Association. More than 30 people stopped by the offices of marketing agency Cheney & Company earlier this week to kick around ideas about how to bring people and new businesses to the beautiful riverfront.
After six years the neighborhood has been successful in attracting hundreds to the Quinnipiac Riverfest. How to get more sustained interest in the neighborhood which not only has a river, but close proximity to downtown, was the question of the day. (Read more about this year’s event here.)
members.
Neighbor Melissa Waldron (pictured in the green shirt) said when she started looking for a house more than 10 years ago, she came to Fair Haven and fell in love. She bought a house in July 2011 expecting the neighborhood to take off.
But it hasn’t. “I’m just shocked that it hasn’t taken off,” she said. “I mean, we have a river.”
Waldron said she wouldn’t be upset if a few hipsters set up a craft brewery in the neighborhood. It just so happened that the brewers of Front Porch Brewing Company were at the meeting.
Kathy Riegelman (pictured) and Duncan Goodall, successful business owners in the Audubon Arts District, told tales of their failed coffee shops in Fair Haven. They urged people to think creatively about how those kinds of business might be run differently if they are to be successful. Riegelman, who made a go of The Coffee Pot, said a person had to be committed to the neighborhood, but there also has to be support. “I was committed,” she said, “It was hard to keep it open.”
Goodall suggested that the neighborhood might consider a “community-based” approach to businesses like a coffee shop or brew pub, where people might become members of a business by paying a monthly fee.
The Front Porch brewers, who currently run their outfit in West Haven but are looking to move, were all ears.
Brewer Andrew Peccerillo said Goodall’s suggestion definitely rang bells for him because beer culture has similar models in “mug and growler clubs.”
Nathalie Bonafé (at left in photo), co-chair of Fair Haven Forward, called the neighborhood dynamic, but not as dynamic as it could be given that it has an attraction that other neighborhoods can’t claim — the river.
Diane Panasci, who also serves as co-chair, said that though downtown has returned as an attractive destination for people, Fair Haven, despite its close proximity, has not been able to entice those same people across the bridge and down Grand Avenue.
Panasci pointed out that Fair Haven is still a neighborhood that is close to downtown where you can afford to buy a house.
“We want to grow our customer base, our neighborhood base,” she said.
Chris Fiore of Grand Vin Fine Wines said the reality is that existing businesses need more foot traffic. Events such as business tours draw people into stores in the neighborhood. He suggested a food truck event would bring people down to the river.
“We have got this river, and we have to get people down here to see it,” Fiore said. “Nobody has this river.”
People liked the event idea. Chatham Square activist Lee Cruz chimed in with news that the city has plans to close the bridge for repairs at some point. He said the bridge closing could be an impetus for turning what essentially becomes a parking lot into an event space for food and live music. Other ideas that came out of the meeting included a Fair Haven open house featuring bike and walking tours, and a historic home and architecture tour for charity.
“There is an energy in this room,” Panasci said. “This is exciting.”
There are plans to host another meeting at some point in June to keep the momentum going. The brewers volunteered to bring some samples.
Great article, Markeshia. Our neighborhood is also home to the annual Fair Haven Family Stroll & Festival, which happens the first weekend in May (it's the Saturday portion of our waterfront weekend with Sunday's Riverfest)—right along the river in the Quinnipiac River Park. This year we drew 800 people to the riverfront to celebrate high-quality early childhood education and healthy communities. You can read more at http://fairhavenfamilystroll.org and see photos at http://www.ilovenewhaven.org/2015/05/top-10-riverwalk-photos-chris-randall.html