“Supporting our businesses is supporting our dream,” Kimberly Sewell-Poole said Monday on Broadway in New Haven.
Sewell-Poole’s dream goes something like this: Years spent in sales at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, followed by a move to New Haven and the opportunity to open her own clothing store. That store, More Amour Boutique at 43 Whalley Ave., opened in March of 2020 in the headwinds of the pandemic, but has survived to offer her vision to shoppers this holiday.
“My products are very unique, retro-chic statement pieces,” Sewell-Poole said. “Pieces you can dress up or down. For when you want to be noticed and you want people to say, ‘Hey, you look good.’”
Sewell-Poole was one of three entrepreneurs spotlighted as part of an event designed to bring attention to brick-and-mortar retail in downtown New Haven on “Cyber Monday.” City and state leaders spoke in front of the boutique and workshop of another retailer — Neville Wisdom’s Fashion Design Studio at 27 Broadway.
“All of our places have things you’re not going to find anywhere else,” said Sam Burton, owner of Grey Matter Books at 264 York St. “If you’re looking for something with character and you want to fight against the homogenization of culture, come to our places.”
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (right) and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz flip through a book of Byzantine architecture at Grey Matter Books on Nov. 29, 2021.
Shoppers seem to be listening this year: Retailers as part of the Shops at Yale district reported crowds over the Black Friday/Small Business Saturday weekend, according to Dave DelVecchio of Yale University Properties. The 65 retailers and restaurants who rent in the district are looking forward to a busy December, he added.
“We saw really strong traffic all weekend long,” DelVecchio said. “We believe these successes are due in part to high inventory levels. With shipping and delivery supply chain issues, [shoppers] want to touch it, feel it, bring it home that day.”
Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli also sounded an optimistic note. “We continue to see great signs of recovery,” he said, noting that unemployment claims in New Haven had fallen to levels not seen since March 2020 in the most recent reporting period.
The city and the Shops at Yale are hosting numerous events to lure shoppers downtown in the coming weeks, including a Holiday Market this coming weekend. Timed to coincide with the official city tree-lighting, the market will feature 16 entrepreneurs selling their wares in a pop-up format from kiosks on the Green.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and Neville Wisdom at Wisdom’s boutique and studio at 27 Broadway on Nov. 29, 2021.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz also highlighted additional support for small businesses and the city from the federal government, with an estimated $7 billion coming to the state from infrastructure and other spending.
Connecticut is home to 350,000 small businesses which employ 745,000 people, 48 percent of the current workforce. “When you support a small business you are supporting employment and you are supporting your community,” Bysiewicz said.
Sewell-Poole said she was encouraged by a recent upturn in her business after many months of fluctuating traffic and sales due to pandemic lockdowns and restrictions. Most of her items are priced from $20 to $100, and you can easily put together a look for under $100.
“It’s been up and down, some days are good and some days are bad,” Sewell-Poole said. “We just need the city to come back out and support us.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
