The attraction of physical fitness businesses to the Westport area has expanded with the opening of Leisure Fitness, the fitness equipment store, at 877 Post Road East in the shopping strip near the Sherwood Island Connector ( http://www.leisurefitness.com ).  According to store manager Paul Maggiotto, the Westport location is the first in Connecticut for the Newark, Del.-based company that has 27 other store location mainly in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New York. Maggiotto describes its offerings as “commercial and residential specialty fitness equipment” with a selection that ranges from $1,000 to $9,000 and up to $20,000 for special needs equipment.  Phone (203)557-8050. The 2,600 square-foot facility was the prior location of Consign-Mart. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The conversion of Westport’s main post office on Post Road East into a restaurant is on track. Work has been ongoing for months with the opening of the Post 154 restaurant scheduled for late July or early August. It will feature a sweeping bar, banquet rooms, and outdoor dining. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Cursive, a New York-based retailer of fine paper, jewelry and home and personal accessories, has closed after six months at Westport’s Sconset Square location,15 Myrtle Ave. An employee at its Grand Central Terminal (GCT) location said, “We had a short-term lease and things just didn’t work out.”  She added that the GCT store, which celebrates its four-year anniversary next month, and its shop at ABC Carpets in New York remain open. See WestportNow March 13, 2013. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

A fabric, design, gift boutique and parties store, Make & Mingle, 165 Post Road East, has closed its business in the location previously occupied by Agabhumi, a women’s accessories retailer. The store, whicht closed its Fairfield location on April 11, 2012 opened in Westport later that month. It was the WestportNow Comings & Goings on April 20, 2012. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

A new coffee, bakery and sandwich shop, Steam, will open at the Green’s Farms Metro-North station by late June, according to co-owners Briana Pennell and Chris Barrett. They were awarded the right to use the site in a Town of Westport competitive bid process. Deputy Police Chief Foti Koskinas was at the station today with the couple. “Renovations began about one week ago, and the new business should be operational sometime in mid to late June,” he said. Norwalk resident Pennell, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, is a pastry chef. Barrett, a Stamford resident, has a background in the restaurant business. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport Auction, 615 Riverside Ave., , specializing in estate consignments, has opened at the site of the former Saugatuck Post Office. It will conduct its first live auction Sunday at 1 p.m., according to Travis Worrell, owner of the business with his wife, Kate. “We’ve been conducting one-time auctions in various locations for the past five years and decided to open this 3,400-square feet permanent location which is close to the train station and is easy access for New York customers,” Travis Worrell said.  He said the estimated 425 items and groupings to be auctioned range in value from $100 to $100,000 and are comprised of mid-century furniture, fine arts, jewelry, Chinese antiques and other merchandise. “We focus on the unusual, he said. For more information, phone (203)222-3448. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

La Boutique, a women’s accessories store, has opened at 719 Post Road East in a space adjoining Effi’s Salon, according to owners Suzanne and Fred England. The Englands, owners of Beadz, 1094 Post Road, Darien for the past seven years, said the Westport store is a natural expansion of their business. “I’ve lived in this area for 28 years,” said Suzanne England. “I love Westport. It’s an artsy town. When i think of shopping, I think of Westport. It’s an eclectic group.”  Fred England said the accessories are handmade in the Darien location, and that includes custom offerings as well. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

After 15 years, The Avenue Gallery, specializing in framing antique maps and nature prints, has relocated from 117 Post Road East to Norwalk’s 173 Main St., in the former Brandman Paint distribution center. In an email to WestportNow, owner Diana Wyant said, “It was hard leaving Westport, but my clients were having issues with the lack of parking.”  She said she retains the same phone number, (203) 227-5062. Signs in the window say the space will be taken over by Alex and Ani, a jeweler described on its website as offering “eco-friendly, positive energy products that adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com