A devastating fire last March couldn’t extinguish Angela D. Keeton’s dream of running her own gift boutique in New Haven’s Hill neighborhood.
Although she lost everything but the clothes on her back in the blaze, Keeton rallied her family, friends and community to make her dream take shape. Her store, Angela’s Unique Creations Gift Shop, celebrated its grand opening with a bittersweet celebration at 9 Kimberly Ave. on Thursday.
“It’s been a struggle,” Keeton said, her voice wavering. “The people is what keeps small businesses moving, so please come out and support us.”
Keeton started making gift baskets for her family 36 years ago, and her now grown-up kids Angel and Aaron joined her in front of the small storefront along with friends and supporters. The business first opened in December 2020 but Thursday’s event marked the formal ribbon-cutting.
The shelf full of bright red Valentine’s gift bags inside Angela’s helped bring out another theme at Thursday’s event — the city’s “Shop & Love Local” campaign.
Aimed at marketing Valentine’s Day hotel and restaurant deals in New Haven, the campaign touched on another theme, the city’s grit in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Haven Hotel Marketing Director Valerie Molloy spoke of the many “romance packages” at area hotels. “We welcome you back to hotels,” Molloy said, adding, “We’ve always been here, but we’d love to be that bridge to the community.”
Like Keeton’s fire, the pandemic has pushed many city business owners nearly to the brink, especially the renewed turmoil caused by the Omicron variant, Mayor Justin Elicker said.
“Our businesses are really struggling,” Elicker said. Gesturing toward the Keetons, he added, “You persevered and were able to continue.”
Alder Kampton Singh said the entire Kimberly Square business community is a testament to grit in the face of the economically-distressed neighborhood’s many challenges. Veterans like Kimberly Pizza and Kevin’s Seafood have operated for more than 20 years.
“Kimberly Square is very resilient,” Singh said. “With the pandemic, it’s still here.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
