Elm City Market Launches Rooftop TGIF Party Series

The party was near the clouds Friday evening, as residents of 360 State Street apartments mingled about the building’s rooftop lawn for the first installment of Elm City Market’s summer celebration series.

The event marked the first in a series of rooftop summer parties by ECM, an organic-oriented grocery that operates on the corner beneath the apartment tower. Marketing Coordinator Courtney Barr said that the campaign is part of an effort to establish the market as more than just a grocery store, but a pillar of fun, food-centered events in the downtown community. 

Throughout the summer, ECM will coordinate with various luxury apartment complexes and businesses to host similar private rooftop events. New Haveners can find out about such parties through management emails and fliers in their building. The events take place on the half-acre eco-patio-roof above the store, beside the 32-story apartment tower. 

Old friends, new co-workers, families, and couples began gathering for the event a half-hour after the workday ended. Over the course of two hours, about 80 people passed through to participate in the festivities.

Elm City Market (ECM) Head Chef Brianna Cole and Barr greeted the guests upon entry with a bag of ​“goodies,” which included a $20 ECM gift card and free samples from the store. After a warm welcome, the hosts made sure to direct the attendees toward a curated selection of house-made hors d’oeuvres and complementary spiked seltzers.

R&B hits played from a speaker as people filled their plates with charcuterie and admired the view from above the city. Peggy Void, a resident of the complex for six years, remarked on the mosquito-less serenity of the rooftop. She said she was thankful that she could get her fruits, dairy, and ready-to-eat meals from the market right inside her building; it’s much more convenient to travel by elevator than by car.

Void said that the apartment complex’s turnover rate makes it a good place to constantly meet new friends, as renters filter in and out throughout their education. Meanwhile, she watched in wonder as a group of pediatric dental residents played an unfamiliar lawn game. 

“I should get that,” Void said, ​“for when my girlfriends come.”

“Kuub. K‑U-U‑B,” the dental residents repeated to everyone who asked — and it was almost everyone who asked. With whoops and hollers, the group of friends inadvertently sold bystanders on the game and offered a visual reminder of the perk of having a lush lawn right outside their downtown digs.

The players have all lived in the building for about two years. Meanwhile, brand new internal medicine residents sat inconspicuously along a wall in the corner, politely getting to know each other over bites of dessert.

Partners Alex Bordelon and Colin Sutherland sipped beverages and discussed their excitement for a summer of rooftop leisure. The couple moved into the complex about a year ago and expressed gratitude for the building’s services; ​“Amenities like this are hard to come by in New Haven,” Bordelon said, gesturing to the vast terrace. 

And, of course, what’s a rooftop party without a photo shoot? Brianne Brathwaite took time to pose in front of the building’s pool, showing off a new pair of pants she bought from friend Kimberly Sewell-Poole at her downtown shop, More Amour Boutique. 

Sewell-Poole, Barr, and Cole flattered Brathwaite (“Yessss!” ​“Go off!” ​“OH-kay!”) as she posed, certain to capture the outfit and the moment of summertime rooftop leisure.