Melanie Mignucci ’12
Video Editor
Sunny Daes, a chain of ice cream stores around Fairfield County, has opened up a new storefront on Riverside Avenue, but some wonder whether it will manage to stay open in such an obscure location.
Officially, the store’s grand opening was Feb. 15, though the store held a “soft opening” in mid-December.
Since the store opened in the awkward midpoint between winter and spring, the latter being the typical start of the ice cream season, this could lead to a lack of sales and an eventual closing. While Dairy Queen, close to downtown Fairfield on the Post Road, has opened for the season, it is a well established store, in a very visible location.
In addition, Sunny Daes joins Baskin-Robins and Carvel among ice cream retailers in Westport, leaving supply of ice cream high while the demand remains low. Dan Woog, who blogs about Westport at danwoog06880.com, raised some questions about how much business there is for stores across the Saugatuck river from downtown proper in a Dec. 29 post.
“It’s out of sight—physically and metaphorically—for many downtown shoppers,” Woog wrote.
“Most ice cream shops rely heavily on foot traffic, which is non-existent across the river.”
Across the bridge from Main Street, businesses mostly cater to art enthusiasts, restauranteurs and architects. The Westport Arts Center, Circa Antiques, Westport Glass Co., law and design offices, and a handful of restaurants are walking distance away from Sunny Daes. These businesses, unlike their new neighbor, do not need abundant foot traffic to maintain business. Sunny Daes may be the same way.
George Montaña, an employee at Westport Glass Co., said that his store was not very busy most days. Julie Bliss, store manager of Circa Antiques, two doors down from Sunny Daes, said that her store does not see a lot of walk-in customers.
“Most of our business is designers and architects across the country,” Bliss said.
That store’s location at 11 Riverside Avenue was chosen because “the owner really liked the space,” according to Bliss, not because of its proximity to Main Street and its pedestrian traffic. In Bliss’ opinion, “this part of Westport is known for art, antiques and furniture, not retail.” Sunny Daes might be able to leech off customers leaving businesses in its area, but its main demographic– kids, with time and money to spend– is rare so far away from Main Street, with its concentration of retail shopping.
Sara Andros ’12, after having visited the shop, believes that Sunny Daes could possibly stay in business.
“The ice cream was delicious, but there was no one else there,” on a Sunday morning, Andros said.
“The store was in a part of town that I don’t think many people go to, so I guess it could go either way. I hope it does stay in business,” she said.
Bliss acknowledged that the buzz about Sunny Daes, as well as testimonies from satisfied customers, might make up for its sub-prime location.
“I think a lot of people were really looking forward to [Sunny Daes’] coming,” she said. She added that the shop would “probably” bring foot traffic across the bridge.
The lot is small, tucked away from view and from the heavy traffic of Main Street. It takes a good five minutes to walk to Starbucks from the store, at a fast pace. The
parking lot comprises several close-together parking spaces, required some tight maneuvers for SUVs and minivans. Despite this, at 3:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon the store was packed with children getting after-school soft serve. Sunny Daes brings its own set of competitive advantages. It sells almost 70 different kinds of ice cream, frozen yogurt and gelato. The store is friendly, with bubble-gum pink walls, fast service, and a whimsical cow statue outside of the store. These factors could lead to a Riverside avenue renaissance, or at least the success of Sunny Daes– even across the bridge.
