In From the Cold

I should have checked the weather Monday morning. By the time I got my son buckled into his car seat to head to school, the December-like cold had drilled into me so effectively that dislodging it would take more than just the heat in the car. With many trees bare now and the remaining leaves on the hillsides looking less colorful and more like what I call the "roasted coat" of autumn, I didn't truly mind being cold because it seemed to be the motif of the day---cold temperatures, cold, clear air, a landscape feeling increasingly chilly and cold of all sorts on the horizon.
Still, I knew that some kind of penetrating warmth to re-balance body and spirit would be welcome. And then, as I parked near the office in New Milford, I recalled that I had an invitation to a preview of a new shop, Spruce Home & Garden, opening this Friday (Nov. 5) on Bank Street. Once I got settled in my office, out into the cold I went once again, a fully-zipped fleece vest doing little to blunt the cold.
And then I found the warmth I was, by now, craving. It came from the coffee served at the preview opening, but also from the re-imagined interior of a retail space with a long and storied history in the center of a town that continues to work hard to be the heart of the community and not get pushed into slouching toward oblivion by the rise of big box retailers and the mass merchandise, one-discount-fits-all mentality. Long ago, the big space (two floors) in an attractive building on the short, sloping street that's a bellwether of the downtown's status was a classic five-and-dime. Up until September, it was the luxe lifestyle store Homeward Bound, whose principals painted a grim picture in explaining their (small) chain's demise.
Being opened by the friendly and style savvy Steve Wilburn, Spruce Home & Garden should strike downtown watchers and champions as an oasis and herald---with the former designation stemming from the great merchandise, much of it at nice price points, and the latter role being attributable to its timely arrival to blunt the cold, cold message that the downtown might have been in decline.
Whether cold, hot, rainy or blanketed in snow, New Milford center is a wonderful place in which to work, or otherwise spend time in. As I look west out of my office window, past the Housatonic Railroad tracks that may once again offer passenger service, and across a placid stretch of the Housatonic River toward hills dressed in their roasted coat, I'm sure that New Milford center's status is firmly the opposite of decline---because with a rail line, a river and gorgeous views, the truth (which would be obvious to visionary urban planners) is that it hasn't even scratched the surface of its potential.
The latest entry in the cadre of those working to create a better future for the town center is Spruce Home & Garden. Have a look at what will be open to the public beginning Friday:

For more photos by Walter Kidd and a story, see The Litchfield County Times and The Housatonic Times this week, or online at www.countytimes.com and www.housatonictimes.com.
Until next time.