42°
NEW CANAAN, Conn. Bill Colleran may be the only person in town who wants to see snowflakes on the ground.
Summer warmth means its down time for Colleran and the rest of the staff at New Canaan Ski & Sport. Rather than preparing skis, poles and helmets for sale or rent, hes repairing broken bikes and informing shoppers about available swimwear.
Were just plugging along and making the best out of the situation, said Colleran. Were doing OK. Its not been the busiest of weeks.
Such is life for some New Canaan businesses that are pushing through the summer as residents leave town for vacations. Colleran blames sluggish summer sales on people not thinking of winter and the economy. He knows that could change in September when the temperatures drop and people begin thinking about hitting the slopes. Theres still plenty to do, he said.
Koko Bhalla, manager of Comina, a furniture and gift store on Main Street, said the slow summer period is something she plans for. The store focuses on a smaller New Canaan audience and visitors who come into town. I wouldnt say (business) is dead. Its just slow. We have a different clientele and a lot of people come up from New York City, she said.
Bhalla said the downtime now will be made up in September when people are back to look for home furnishings.
July is the quietest month for childrens clothing store Candy Nichols, although store co-owner Elizabeth Correa said business Tuesday was unusually brisk. Its been a good day today. Well take it, she said.
Correa expects the rest of the month, except for a few days after the annual New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Village Fair and Sidewalk Sale, to be stagnant. It offers her the opportunity to prepare for the school shopping season, which starts in August. It gives us time to check our orders and get ready for back to school. We hope this year will be better than last year, Correa said. She also closes the store for a week and takes a vacation of her own.
Shoes N' More on Elm Street seemed pretty busy. Store manager Karen Solomon said a sale kept her and co-manager Grace Calvey active most of Tuesday. I think we just fill a need for our customers, Solomon said.
Will you shop at stores in New Canaan stores this summer? When and where will you do the bulk of your summer shopping? Leave a comment below or visit our Facebook page.
Click here to follow Daily Voice New Canaan and receive free news updates.
