Specialty shops working side by side
Book, toy stores connect in formerly burned building
The quick restoration of the historic Bethel buildings that burned in a fire last July has given rise to a unique retail story.
Gone are the days when a retailer can open the doors to a shop and expect customers to come flocking in. With consumers’ habits changing due to online shopping, brick-and-mortar shop owners need to be creative to attract people to their stores. Such is the case in downtown Bethel, where the owners of Byrd’s Books and The Toy Room have formed a unique collaboration.
“We work well together, and books and toys are a perfect marriage,” Kimberly Ramsey, owner of The Toy Room.
“The businesses complement each other,” added Alice Hutchinson, owner of Byrd’s Books.
The owners had worked collaboratively for years from their respective downtown storefronts, but challenges — such as getting groups of children across busy Greenwood Avenue — limited their partnership. Byrd’s Books had been located at 126 Greenwod Ave. and The Toy Room was at 153 Greenwood Ave.
So when Jeff Bruno, the new owner and builder who rebuilt 178 and 180 Greenwood Ave., put “For Rent’ signs in the storefront windows, Ramsey and Hutchinson quickly approached him.
“We assumed the spaces would be filled already, but we asked anyway,” Ramsey said.
The storefronts were available and now The Toy Room and Byrd’s Books are side by side in downtown Bethel. Bruno added an interior door to connect the two businesses, allowing customers to browse freely between the specialty shops.
“It’s really good news for Bethel, the businesses and the developer,” Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said. “People are amazed the building is open and has been reconstructed already. It’s a good move for the bookstore and toy store so they can collaborate. It’s hard to be a specialty retailer these days, so you have to work together. I’m thrilled we have so many vibrant retailers in town.”
The first event Hutchinson and Ramsey will hold together as neighbors is a Harry Potter Party to be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday. The event will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the launch of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
“We like doing events,” Hutchinson said. “It connects people to the literary world.”
Ramsey added: “For retail, experience shopping has become the trend.”
A block party is set for Saturday, and will include grand-opening, ribbon-cutting celebrations for The Toy Room, Byrd’s Books, Doherty Petri School of Dance, Patricia’s Presents, and DiLillo Real Estate.
Bradley Koltz, executive director of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, said he would like to see collaborations similar to Hutchinson’s and Ramsey’s become a trend in retail.
“I’ve seen bookstores collaborate with a café or coffee shop, but doing it with a toy store is brilliant,” he said. “I’ve been in there and seen customers go back and forth. It’s very smart.”
Hutchinson and Ramsey said their move is an obvious example of businesses working together, but several downtown Bethel shop owners meet informally on a regular basis to discuss how they can work collaboratively. For instance, Hutchinson said the owners talk about the brands and products they are carrying so there is little duplication in the shops’ offerings.
“We’ve always been very chummy that way,” Hutchinson said.
Chummy could also describe the relationship Byrd’s Books’ customers have with the store. Moving an independent bookstore is no small feat and Hutchinson said she “fully expected” to hire movers. She first put out a call for volunteers to help with the transition and within days the entire stock was moved from 126 to 178 Greenwood Ave.
“I’m touched and humbled that people like our store so much. This is a wonderful community,” said Hutchinson, whose middle name is Byrd. “The way independent bookstores survive is through the community. There is still a large population of people who buys books at a brick-andmortar store.
“A lot of people feel strongly about saving a culture,” she added. Hutchinson and Ramsey recall well the July 13, 2017, blaze that burned two historic buildings and displaced eight families and several businesses.
“It was definitely scary, especially hitting so close to home,” Ramsey said. “I grew up in Bethel and this building has always been here. It was like a tooth was missing.”
Hutchinson had a family friend living in one of the apartments and worried that the family — including four children and a dog — would have a hard time getting out safely.
“You also worried about the history,” she said. “It’s one of the iconic buildings in Bethel and you really wanted to see it restored well. We are very happy with the rebuild.”
Bruno, for his part, had to basically start from scratch after purchasing the building from the Staib family, which had owned the property for more than 150 years. The adjacent building, which had sustained heavy smoke and water damage, was restored by JP Maguire.
Residents have also started to move back into the upstairs apartments.
“They did a great job of keeping the integrity of the building. It brought new life into this strip. It’s nice to have it re-energized,” Ramsey said last week at her store with Josie, her new Chihuahua, sitting calmly on the check-out counter. “The downtown vision and revitalization is working. New businesses are coming in and I hope more retailers take up the storefronts along the street. The more retailers the better.”
Getting the right mix of retailers, service businesses, restaurants and housing — all near the Bethel train stop — is part of Bethel Forward, a plan to create a future vision for downtown Bethel. Ramsey and Hutchinson, although they already had businesses in downtown Bethel, are part of that movement.
“Change is always a good thing,” Ramsey said.