Darien’s Make-Modern craft studio wants a second location

GREENWICH — A longtime business selling boutique and fabric merchandise along with cafe goods has closed in Cos Cob, and in its place, a studio for crafts and arts is set to open.

The Drawing Room at 216 East Putnam Ave. has gone out of business, liquidating its inventory late last year.

Now an application has been submitted at the town Planning Department to change the usage at the site “from retail to a school use for craft class instruction,” according to attorney Chris Bristol, who is representing property owners Jonathan and Karen Schmitz.

The new business, MakeModern, would offer arts and craft instruction to young people, host birthday parties and hold events for adults, according to the application. The original Make-Modern store opened in Darien three years ago.

“Make-Modern conducts classes for traditional handcrafts with a focus on children’s classes and camps, but also offers craft classes for teens and adults,” Bristol noted.

The operation would host 12 youngsters at a typical crafts session, the application stated, and typical teen and adult classes would accommodate eight students. There would be at most three instructors on site at any one time. Classes would be staggered at least 30 minutes apart to allow for sufficient time between sessions for arriving and departing students. The operation would use approximately 1,500 square feet, consisting of the single-story portion of the front building. A rear structure would not be used.

The application states the new operation would not cause parking problems in the area as children and teens will be dropped off. In addition, Bristol noted, parking is available at a municipal lot nearby and there is also street parking.

“The proposed craft school is perfect for this property,” the attorney concluded. “The location is also a perfect compliment to nearby businesses, including restaurants, a coffee

bar and various shops that offer students of all ages opportunities to walk and shop in the area.”

The Drawing Room had been a family operation for three decades; it hosted an interior design business, a gallery, a boutique and a Europeanstyle tea house. The operation began as Karen’s Fabrics.

The application has not yet been scheduled for a preliminary review by the Planning & Zoning Commission.

Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media The former site of The Drawing Room Boutique and Cafe in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich. A pre-application has been submitted to convert the front building from retail to school use.

Ken Dixon/Hearst Connecticut Media Tara Donnelly of Easton, center, recalls the 2005 murders of her parents in their Fairfield jewelry store. Joining her in a news conference in the Legislative Office Building on Monday were Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, far left, Deborah Davis, an advocate with Mothers United Against Violence, near left, and Attorney General William Tong, right.