Olivette, featuring “a distinctive tasting room showcasing the freshest ultra-premium extra virgin olive oils and authentic all-natural balsamic vinegars,” has opened at 24 Railroad Place across from the westbound side of the Westport Metro-North station. Owned by South Norwalk residents Dee (l) and Alina Lawrence, the store is the second for the couple who currently operate Olivette at 1084 Post Road, Darien which opened in December 2011. Dee Lawrence said they chose this area of Westport “because we want to be part of and contribute to the Saugatuck neighborhood with all its culinary food options.”  An official opening will be held on Thursday, July 17 4-7 p.m.  In his spare time, the former lacrosse player at Yale, class of 1998, and a former natural gas broker, is a Westport P.A.L. lacrosse coach for seventh grade students. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The women’s fashion apparel store, Chic Jolie, at Westport’s 57 Main St., on the second floor above Westport’s Blue Mercury 2, will close this summer. It opened at the current location in December 2013 (see WestportNow, Dec. 18, 2013) after formerly located at 24 Taylor Place for nine years —eight years as the children’s clothing store Jacadi. It closed in April 2013 and reopened in the Brickwalk, on Fairfield’s Post Road before returning to Westport six months ago. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Stamford-based Building and Land Technology (BLT), a firm with close ties to Westport’s Bridgewater Associates hedge fund, today confirmed a WestportNow report Saturday that it is behind the $130 million purchase of the Nyala Farms Corporate Center in Westport. (See WestportNow June 28, 2014)

Sale of the 53-acre Nyala Farms Corporate Center was recorded just as Bridgewater Associates announced it was not moving to Stamford. File photo

As reported, the sale is the largest transaction in Westport’s history, and In a statement, the firm said it is the largest real estate transaction in Connecticut this year. Westport reaped $325,000 from the sale while the state got $1,625,000 in conveyance fees.

The sale, to a Stamford-based LLC sharing an address with BLT, was recorded in the Town Clerk’s Office as Bridgewater was announcing it had dropped its plans to move to Stamford where BLT was involved in developing a $750 million waterfront project to house the company. Bridgewater has a large presence in the Nyala Farms faciity, including a trading floor which has recently been renovated at a cost of millions, according to town officials.

Purchase of the 372,207-square foot office park on 53 acres in Westport was announced by Carl R. Kuehner III, CEO of BLT, a privately held real estate private equity, development and property management firm.