End of an Era

Growing up in Fairfield, Connecticut definitely had it's perks. As a child, I never fully appreciated the fact that I lived in suburban America, with backyard neighbors, quiet backroads and within walking distance of our church, our bank, a pharmacy, most of my friends, a pizza shop, a newspaper stand, gas station/service center, community park, later a video store, a bagel shop, a hair salon, a travel agency, our elementary school and most convenient of all, a grocery store. It was a small one, but it was perfect for picking up those last minute items and more recently for my mom, who living alone never needs much in the way of groceries.

The truth is, it's just a tiny pocket in that suburb that still enjoys the charm of days in the past, when anyone could walk to the market and purchase all they needed for that day. Most of the businesses in the tiniest of stripmalls has changed hands. What used to be a meat market is now travel agency, what used to be Stratfield Pharmacy first became a video store and is now an Italian Restaurant. I can recall weekly trips to the "drug store" to purchase candy, avoiding the vicious german shepherd along the way. Very little has changed, although the dog is long gone.

Right now, in that neighborhood, there is an unhappy event occurring. The owner of the building that now houses the IGA market has accepted a bid from a rather large chain, Walgreens, and is shutting out the grocery store. It's truly a very sad event. Why? Because within 5-10 minutes of my mother's home there are several CVS and Walgreens stores. What has historically been a nice, quiet privately operated cluster of business will now be redefined by a major "chain" store.

Probably what is most disconcerting to my mom is that her corner of the world has been fairly quiet, safe and comfortable. While it's only minutes from Bridgeport, a city in Connecticut that is rife with crime, the unsettling safety issues that plague that city rarely cross over into Fairfield. With the advent of this new store will come, most likely, a rise in neighborhood crime, as stores such as CVS and Walgreens are often the target of ill-minded individuals. This is a huge worry for that community, which has enjoyed decades of safety. (We won't add centuries, as the house next to this IGA was historically a brothel!!)

I really am sad about this development. Apparently the property owner did not even give the current business operator even a chance to rebid for continued use of the building. Not to mention, this property owner has allowed the property to suffer tremendously, with no improvements over the years that my family has lived there. It is a shameful state, and I highly doubt this property owners calls to the community to support his decision will be met favorably! He ought to just walk away with his head hanging.

So on my next visit to Connecticut, I won't be able to run down to the corner for milk, or deli meat, or any of the small food items that I forgot. I cannot take my girls down for some ice cream or even send T in the morning for the orange juice that we've all finished up. If anything was a "convenience" store for us, it was the place we could go to buy all the things we forgot on Thanksgiving morning - butter, sweet potatoes, brown sugar and the likes. I doubt there is a person in that neighborhood who will be able to call Walgreens convenient. It just won't be anymore!

Full Story here.