A Tale Full of Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing

In the grand honored tradition of making a snap decision based on the smallest amount of evidence available, let me be the first to say Dunkin Donuts is here to stay in Old Greenwich. (I believe I had this called several weeks ago, but I could have been wrong.) For the past several months there has been a steady stream of caterwauling and rending of clothes over the prospect of a chain store like DD opening and debasing the olde-timey charm of Old Greenwich Village. Folks saying they’ll never go in, never patronize such a place. But guess what? In the first week, people have been going in and definitely patronizing the place.

How do I know? Well, with my daughters impending Bat Mitzvah on the very near horizon, and GHS volleyball warm-ups to make, I have started becoming a disturbingly regular visitor to , which is happily imprinting nearly anything I suggest. Thank you, Richard. But Chillybear is a neighbor of DD, and every time I go by, the place has multiple customers. Add to that, I’ve been to two local meetings where at least two people in each brought their iced whatevers in the ubiquitous DD plastic cups. And a quick look up and down Sound Beach at nearly anytime will net you a local with a DD coffee cup in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

Do I wish some local mom and pop could have opened Mom and Pops Donut Emporium? Sure, but it wasn’t going to happen. Of course Old Greenwich needs unique shops that make for an interesting shopping district, but you know something, having a Dunkin helps the big picture. More foot traffic equals a more profitable neighborhood, which hopefully translates into more people willing to risk opening a boutique.

So what kind of store do we need? Or better yet, what kind of store will we support in Old Greenwich? I’ve said it before and I stand by it: we are a very small community for retailers to rely on Old Greenwichers exclusively, so we either need to step up to the plate and buy local all the time, or the next new store needs to be able to draw people into town (like our three new home design studios). Thoughts?