Bistro 88 will open at Bridge Square, in the location previously occupied by Peter’s Bridge Market in about two months, according to an employee in a neighboring shop. The Asian cuisine and sushi restaurant is currently in the process of securing a liquor permit as noted on a prominent sign at the Square. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The mediterranean restaurant Café Manolo, 8 Church Lane opposite the Westport Weston Family Y, closes Saturday after its final dinner is served, according to owner Pedro Garzon who opened the restaurant in June 2009. The 3,500 square feet space was formerly part of the Westport Bank & Trust Company. Then from 2006 to April 2009 it was occupied by the Zest restaurant following extensive renovation. Pictured are diners at the restaurant tonight. Said Garzon: “I’m uncertain about where I go from here.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

After a 50-year presence in Westport, Brandman’s Paints and Decorating Center, 413 Post Road East in the Compo Shopping Center, has closed, according to owner Larry Curry. However, its decorator services will remain but under the ownership of Bridgeport-based Painter’s Supply which will open in the same location “in a few weeks,” according to a store manager, Matt Auchy. Curry said the Westport store was first at Sconset Square (then known as Sherwood Square) as The Paint Bucket starting in the 1960s and then relocated to the Compo Shopping Center in the 1990s. He said its Norwalk, New Canaan and Stamford stores will remain open. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Brandman’s Paint and Decorating Center, which has closed at the Compo Shopping Center, began its run in Westport in the 1960s as The Paint Bucket at what was then known as Sherwood Square, now called Sconset Square. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Signorello of Westport, the modern home furniture and accessories shop at 11 Wilton Road near Post Road West since 1990, has closed, according to a staff member of a neighboring antique shop. She said that Signorello, owned by Westporter Pina Signorello Manzone, closed before Christmas. According to the store’s website, the owner’s goal “was to create a high profile showroom for contemporary furniture and a forum for architects, designers, and collectors.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By James Lomuscio

Geiger’s Garden Center will remain in Westport, abandoning plans announced last July to sell the 2.5-acre Post Road East property to a prospective buyer for residential and commercial use.
Geiger’s Garden Center at 1135 Post Road East abandoned plans to become a mixed use commercial and residential development. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The reasons John Geiger gave Monday for the 57-year-old business staying put are pleas from customers plus the fact sales doubled in 2011.

He did not mention a number of negative reactions to the preliminary plans, including from a now-elected member of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

“Believe it or not, but we doubled our sales this year, and that’s pretty remarkable in this economy,” said Geiger, whose father Frank Geiger started and heads the business at 1135 Post Road East.