Thursday, April 19, 2012
Customers flock to the new business on its first day open.
When it came to the chance to win free subs for one year, Eddie Feliciano and his friend Hector Malave weren't taking any chances. They showed up at DiBella's Subs at midnight and camped out till a giant pair of scissors snipped a ribbon and the new business opened its doors in Milford at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Their all-nighter paid off as Feliciano, 20, of New Haven, and Malave, 20, of Milford, were the first and second customers, respectively, taking their place among 20 people who will now be eating a DiBella's sub once a week for a year, for free! As soon as the doors were open, DiBella's was abuzz with activity. Spatulas were dinging, bells were ringing and subs were flying from behind the counter into the hands of eagerly awaiting …
Monday, April 16, 2012
Four generations have grown right along with the city they call home.
In 1925, a scant five years after women had won the right to vote and decades before women entered the workforce en masse, Harriet L. Williams established a real estate business in Milford. With her inventor/husband retired yet three children to raise, Harriet, whose gender barred her from networking in men’s societies, met potential clients by socializing and also at church. During the Great Depression, according to her grandson Thomas L. Williams, “It was tough. They didn’t have a lot of money.” He said that the business used a payphone on High Street down from its office and also lent some clients money to finalize the purchase of a house. “She liked helping people,” her granddaughter — and Tom’s cousin — Gail Williams Urban said. …
Friday, April 6, 2012
The Milford-based fine art auctioneers thrive on trust and experience.
Every reputable art business has the story of a work that could so easily have gotten away. According to Sandra Germain of the family-owned Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers LLC, the story at the Milford-based business begins with a phone call concerning a painting at a farm in Pennsylvania that its owners had kept because they liked its frame. The frame turned out to be what is termed a frame lining, but the painting, they realized, was the work of Martin Johnson Heade, an artist with strong associations to the famed Hudson River School of the nineteenth century. In 2004, Shannon’s sold the painting at one of their auctions, which they hold two times a year, for $800,000. Far, far more likely are the transactions that result from an …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Milford's Economic Development Commission discusses how it can help facilitate a new tenant for the landmark location in downtown.
An anticipated timeline for a new business to occupy a long-time vacant downtown Milford landmark was on the table at the Milford Economic Development Commission's (EDC) latest meeting. EDC Advisor Kathy Alagno, the president of the Milford Chamber of Commerce, addressed questions about a timeline for the owners of Harrison’s Hardware to find a new business to occupy its vacant space on Broad Street. The business has been closed since 2007. She said the best thing the commission can do in this situation is help Milford have a reputation for being welcoming of new businesses. “Not that you don’t have to abide by all the rules. You do,” Alagno clarified. “But things are beginning to get on the right track, so people seem to be happier.” …
Friday, March 30, 2012
A trio of city businesses have remained in the same Milford family for 126 years.
If you want to know Milford history, follow the Smiths. Brothers Dan and DeForest Smith still own a tract of land deeded to a family ancestor at 171 Broad St. in 1639, the year Milford was founded. By 1886, the city had a population, according to the eldest brother Winthrop, of roughly 2,500. That year, George J. Smith, described by his grandson Winthrop as “one of the best businessman in the area,” founded businesses whose products ranged from plumbing supplies to cement. Three of those businesses remain in family hands today. Two of the businesses — insurance and realty — occupy the premises of 247 No. Broad St., while the third, officially the Smith & Sefcik Funeral Home, occupies an Italianate structure at 135 Broad St. on the …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Spectrum Associates President Richard Meisenheimer discusses the state of Milford manufacturing and the need for unemployment reform.
At Wednesday’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) meeting, Spectrum Associates President Richard Meisenheimer answered questions regarding the state of Milford's manufacturing industry. “I think the atmosphere is good. We are received well,” Meisenheimer said, adding that there are enough “range of buildings and zoning that [manufacturing] will continue to grow.” “As with all things in life, you want to keep a balance,” he noted, explaining that no municipality wants to have a tax base that is 95% residential or 95% commercial. Meisenheimer’s Spectrum Associates was the featured business at this week’s EDC meeting. In addition to answering questions about manufacturing, Meisenheimer discussed the various aerospace and commercial …
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Russos reflect fondly on a career in dentistry that spans 58 years in Milford.
In 1954, a gallon of gas cost 22 cents, Father Knows Best aired on television—and Anthony Russo, D.M.D., opened a dental practice in Milford. Perhaps in the Russo household father really did know best, because his son Walter, with two of his three siblings, practices dental medicine today. Walter Russo, D.M.D., continues the practice of general dentistry on Milford’s Prospect Street. His brother Peter is an orthodontist in Branford, and Jane, one of his two sisters, practices general dentistry in Stratford. His second sister Martha is a professor of sculpture and ceramics in Colorado. “It really hasn’t changed that much downtown,” said Anthony of the city where he had his first office above the Milford Citizen — today, the Rainbow Gardens…
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
For a re-invigorated Amtrak bridge, the choices are as varied as your imagination.
According to the Yale Urban Design Workshop (YURB) that is preparing a report on Milford for its Plan of Conservation and Development, Milford boasts an enviable mix of architectural styles that include the neo-colonial style of City Hall and also the Richardsonian massing of the old Taylor Memorial Library that now houses the Chamber of Commerce. One site in Milford that YURB identified as an “opportunity,” however, is the need for a welcoming gateway to the downtown with a re-invigorated Amtrak bridge. Noting that images of completed projects stimulate the imagination, YURB gave the audience a sampling of ways other bridges have re-invigorated both the structures and the environments that surround them. Created for a town center in …
Friday, March 9, 2012
Milford residents speak passionately about their city and its needs.
The town historian suggested a bandshell. Another person wondered if the city was considering automated parking. Milford residents spoke passionately about their city and its needs at a downtown planning workshop last week that was moderated by Alan Plattus, who heads the Yale Urban Design Workshop that is reviewing downtown opportunities. The comments kept coming throughout the evening, even after an employee from the Milford Library, where the workshop was held, had begun to fold up the library chairs.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Planning & Zoning takes a good look at two coastal projects and hears an update
on plans from the Yale Urban Design Workshop.
“Isn’t it wonderful what dump trucks and a pay loader can do?” mused marinebiologist Michael Ludwig of Ocean and Coastal Consultants, shortly before he petitioned the Planning & Zoning Board Tuesday to move 10,000 cubic yards of sand from the West end of Milford’s Gulf Beach to its East end. Sand, Ludwig later explained to the board, has migrated across the beach, leaving the rocks exposed on its East end. He noted that sand has also migrated into the harbor, where it destabilizes the ecosystem. One consequence is that the water becomes less nourishing for the fish, such as striped bass, that visit Milford’s coastal waters. Ludwig, who came before the board because it is the municipal body that approves petitions for area by the …
arkay
7:15 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012
No chutzpah. Subway is low quality fast food at the end of the day. Dibella's is a much higher quality product. more ›