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James Bairaktaris 2/26/22 James Bairaktaris 2/26/22

New Neighbors: “Mexicue” brings Mexican + Barbecue to Main Street in former Bobby Q’s building

Filling newly renovated storefronts, Mexicue has announced their opening in Westport with a second floor restaurant space at 38 Main Street. The restaurant group has several locations in New York City, one in Washington, DC, and one in Stamford - with Westport and a Bethesda, Maryland location both being their newest openings. The company’s website describes it as a fusion of barbecue and traditional Mexican meals that began in a Manhattan food truck by founder Thomas Kelly.
The restaurant brings barbecue back to one of Westport’s most famous spaces - the former home of Bobby Q’s barbecue. The locally owned barbecue joint closed in 2016 as part of a natural end to their decade+ run in the community, with owner Bob LeRose adding to the downtown dinner scene while helping found the Blues, Views, and BBQ festival. LeRose passed away in August after a battle with cancer, however his passion for the community lives on through the many groups he supported throughout the years.

James Bairaktaris 11/15/21 James Bairaktaris 11/15/21

New Neighbors: Gofer Ice Cream coming to PRE, Neighboring Fortuna’s Deli

Gofer Franchise Systems LLC. Release

Today Gofer Ice Cream announced it will hold a Grand Opening for its new Ridgefield shop on Sunday, November 21, 2021. The company also announced a new ninth area shop will open in Westport in the Spring of 2022.

After many months of construction the Ridgefield shop at 407 Main Street is ready to officially open its doors. Early customer reaction has been positive according to new Franchisee Partner Eric Barrow. “We have been working hard to ramp up the crew and I am very happy with the initial response from the community” he commented. “I have been a member of the local Rotary Club for almost a year and we look forward to getting even more involved in the community now that we are open.” The new location is the chains largest to date and includes a Party Room space in the back of the shop in addition to the full line up of Gofer Ice Cream products. The Grand Opening will be November 21st from 12:30 to 4pm and will feature giveaways, face painting and part of the proceeds will go to local charity Filling in the Blanks to fight childhood hunger.

The company also announced a lease has been signed by new Franchisee Partner Hasni Waheed at 1240 Post Road in Westport, Connecticut. The shopping plaza in the Greens Farms area of town is next to Crate and Barrel. “The location was carefully selected and has many great neighboring tenants like the CT School of Music, Fortuna’s Deli, Splatterbox and many others in the center that provide a great flow of traffic from all demographics.” Commented Jay Ragusa, CEO of Gofer Franchise Systems. “Gofer has a variety of products and something for everybody. With our premium soft and hard serve, plant based and fat free options, I am confident the diverse set of neighboring businesses will benefit from our shop as well. It is a great location with great parking and several nearby schools. I like that it is away from the Main Street area of town. I believe it is similar to the neighborhood Greenwich shop on the Cos Cob town line that has been a huge success since opening in 2003.

Gofer Ice Cream continues to expand in the Fairfield County area and is currently looking to grow upstate in Connecticut as well into nearby Westchester County and Long Island New York areas in the future. Work also is currently underway for opening the eighth location, second in Stamford, at 2367 Summer Street in the Ridgeway Shopping Center. An early 2022 opening is planned. “If all goes as planned we hope to enter our 20th season with nine operating shops.” mentioned Ragusa. “It's been quite a journey for our family and it's great to see the success replicate to other communities, crew members and especially to the Franchise Partner’s family”.

James Bairaktaris 10/12/21 James Bairaktaris 10/12/21

Downtown Starbucks Shortens Weekday Hours due to Product Shortages

A sign could be found on the door to the Starbucks location in Downtown Westport this evening as the shop locked up at 5:00, citing product shortages as the driving force behind the early closures. The coffee shop will be open during its regular hours on weekends, with no solace in sight for the evening coffee drinkers as national shortages have seemingly hit the Westport community.

James Bairaktaris 9/17/21 James Bairaktaris 9/17/21

Westport Library Book Sale Planned for October 8th - 11th

Westport Book Sales, Westport Library

Mark your calendar for the Westport Library Fall Book Sale, to be held Friday, October 8th through Monday, October 11th, 2021, inside the Westport Library at 20 Jesup Road, on the Library’s main level.

This Book Sale offers something for everyone, with thousands of gently used books in over 40 categories, including children’s books, from infants to teens; literature and classics; fiction, mysteries, and SciFi/fantasy; nonfiction including art, photography, history, math, science, psychology, religion, biography, business, cooking, gardening, performing arts, travel, foreign language and more, including Noteworthy, especially antiquarian books. A broad selection of DVDs, CDs, and vinyl records will also be available.

Book sale hours:

Friday, Oct. 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m
Sunday Oct. 10th, hours are Noon to 5:00 p.m., and everything will be half-price.
Monday Oct. 11th hours are 9:00 a.m. to Noon, and shoppers can fill our Logo bag for $5 per bag, or buy individual books at half-price.

Admission to the sale is free.

“Early Birds” can gain advance entry to a pre-sale shopping hour on Friday, October 8th at 8:00 a.m., by purchasing a pre-paid admission ticket, which will be sold online, only, beginning Friday, September 24th at 9:00 a.m. at eventbrite.com, at https://westportlibrary-octoberbooksale-earlybirdtix.eventbrite.com. For more information, visit the book sale’s website at: www.westportbooksales.org.

Of special interest for this sale:

Music lovers will find an expanded selection of books and sheet music for all musicians, including music from hit Broadway shows, and books about George Gershwin and Cole Porter; adult and youth Choir music; and a large selection of method books for students of piano, strings, woodwind and brass.

History buffs will be impressed by a recent donation of a vast collection of military history books, in addition to our usual broad selection of books exploring American and world history and politics. Military history volumes include a strong World War II component, among which are several uncommon titles, and scarce periodicals and works about specific weapons and aircraft.

Fans of author and former long-time local resident Erica Jong will find books donated from her personal library, including author-signed presentation copies to Jong, many of which are also signed by Jong, as well as books authored and signed by Jong.

Our foreign language selection includes a large number of new books in Nordic languages, such as Norwegian and Swedish.

Collectors can look forward to our offering of noteworthy and antiquarian books. A catalog of a representative sampling of “Specials” will be published on the Book Sale’s website prior to the sale.

COVID safety measures continue to be in effect. Every person over 2 years of age is required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth at all times while inside the Library. Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance to the sale, and at various stations throughout the Library. Patrons are asked to maintain social distance as much as possible. Capacity will be monitored in conformity with COVID and fire marshal regulations applicable at the time.

To volunteer at this sale, please contact Judi Lake at: volunteers@westportbooksales.org

Can’t make the sale? Visit our Westport Book Shop at 23 Jesup Road, across Jesup Green from the Library, or shop any time 24/7 on our Online Store (www.westportbooksaleventures.org/shop)

James Bairaktaris 9/13/21 James Bairaktaris 9/13/21

Fleishers Announced October 20th Reopening after July’s Employee Walkout

Fleishers Craft Butchery in Saugatuck joined their other locations in a sudden closing down in late July. Within days, the reason was brought to light by employees: they walked-out over the removal of Black Lives Matter and Pride flags that were hanging in the Westport location’s window.

According to Forbes and employees at nearby restaurants, a friend of a Fleishers investor complained about the Westport spot having a BLM flag hanging in the glass. The investor, Rob Rosania, phoned Fleishers CEO John Adams and requested the signs be removed. Adams hopped on the train to Saugatuck, took down both flags, and then continued to do the same at their other locations in New York City.

Soon thereafter, the employees walked out on the brand’s butchers shops - rendering them closed.

Last week new signs adorned the Westport location’s windows describing renovations that will “surprise and delight”, with a reopening date slated for October 20th.

James Bairaktaris 8/31/21 James Bairaktaris 8/31/21

Back to Work CT: State Sends $1,000 Checks to Eligible Residents with New Jobs after Longterm Unemployment

Governor’s Office

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the first round of the $1,000 bonus payments authorized through the Back to Work CT program are being mailed this week to more than 1,500 eligible applicants who are among the initial group of workers participating in the program.

Established by Governor Lamont in May, the Back to Work CT program is designed to provide an additional bonus payment to long-term unemployed workers who live in Connecticut, are transitioning back to the workforce, and have obtained new jobs. It is supported by Connecticut’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, which utilizes federal funding obtained through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT).

Approximately $10 million has been allocated for the program, which will provide bonus payments for up to 10,000 eligible applicants. It is administered by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Labor and runs through December 31, 2021.

“Many workers who were displaced during the early months in the pandemic and faced long-term unemployment are now transitioning back into the workforce and starting to rebuild,” Governor Lamont said. “This one-time bonus payment will help some of those workers pay for the critical things they need to get back to work, including childcare. This is the latest tool in our toolbox to maximize our state’s recovery from the pandemic.”

“Governor Lamont’s relentless focus on health, safety, and economic recovery has made Connecticut a national leader in our response to COVID-19, and the Back to Work CT program represents another timely investment in our people,” Connecticut Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Mark D. Boughton said. “I want to recognize colleagues at DRS for quickly standing up the Back to Work CT program, and thank the Connecticut Department of Labor for their ongoing partnership. The DRS is proud to contribute to this effort that directs additional support to those helping to sustain Connecticut’s comeback.”

“This is a job seeker’s market. It’s a great time for people to get back into the workforce and take advantage of opportunities to improve salary and benefits, or even start a new career,” Connecticut Department of Labor Interim Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said. “Women were hit particularly hard by the pandemic recession in terms of lost jobs and lost income. At the same time, women remain primary caretakers for their families, making it difficult for them to re-enter the workforce early due to childcare and other responsibilities, which leads to additional lost income. The governor’s Back to Work CT incentive is a great added bonus for people who really need that financial help during the back-to-work transition. Thank you to Governor Lamont, Commissioner Boughton, and the DRS team for their partnership on such an important program.”

To be eligible for a Back to Work CT incentive payment, a person must:

Have filed an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for the week May 23-29, 2021;
Have filed an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for 11 additional weeks between December 27, 2020, and May 22, 2021;
Obtain and maintain a full-time job for eight consecutive weeks between May 30 and December 31, 2021; and
Not file an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for any portion of the required eight consecutive weeks of employment.

To claim a $1,000 incentive payment, a person is required to complete and submit the Back to Work CT program application electronically – no paper applications are accepted. The Department of Revenue Services may contact an applicant directly to substantiate his or her employment following completion of the required eight consecutive weeks of employment.

The Back to Work CT application, and additional information about the program, can be found on the Department of Revenue Services website at ct.gov/drs.