By James Lomuscio
By marketing convention, the business plan would seem flawed: far from Westport’s bustling Main Street, minimal parking and an emphasis on tactile projects and games when most are hand held rather than hands-on.
Store clerk Jill Clark was at the counter Wednesday at Westport’s Age of Reason on Post Road West. She has worked there 20 years. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) James Lomuscio for WestportNow.com
But the Age of Reason located at 19 Post Road West, has not only defied the odds since Westporter Dina Berger opened it in 1983. It has thrived, so much so that in 2000 it opened a much smaller shop at the Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk, and this past spring opened a shop at Earthplace: The Nature Discovery Center in town.
“We have a lot of traditional things, but we also have cutting edge, and it’s still hands on,” says Berger.
Ergo, one finds a classic crystal radio set and microscope alongside ReCon, a programmable robot that states, “Program me to get a snack and come back.” There are solar cookers and water testing kits, as well as chemistry sets, microscopes and three-dimensional puzzles.
“I love this store because they have very unique things,” said Sandra Koo, who accompanied by her son Justin Shaw, 6, and daughter Vanessa Shaw, 7, had just purchased a fiber optic kit. “And, they wrap.”
According to Jill Clark, a store clerk who has worked there nearly 20 years, Berger’s employees are as much of a constant as the store itself. Store manager Helene Kurtz and store clerk Irene Foreman, she said, have been there nearly as long.
“It’s the customers,” Clark said about the reason she has stayed. “They come and spend hours in the store, and we get to know them.”
According to Kurtz, the business’ success is tied to its philosophy.
“We go on the premise that there is no reason a kid can’t learn and have fun at the same time,” she said. “And we don’t push things. If we think something is not right for a three-year-old, we’ll tell the parent.”
Because of such straightforwardness, Berger says, “people rely on our integrity.”
Berger also attributes the main store’s 30 years of operation “to a very unique assortment of merchandise which will appeal to people on many different levels, people who are curious, adults as well as children.”
“Our focus is on science, and most stores veer away from that, and they’re afraid to stock things that will not have a lot of turnover,” she said.
“We’re willing to keep merchandise that should be there and be offered to the community even if it doesn’t sell quickly. We’re not looking for fads or the latest, hottest item.”
As the Age of Reason celebrates its 30th anniversary with select discounts of 30 percent for two weeks beginning Nov. 4, the shop’s hands-on philosophy seems poised to pick up even more steam.
The Westport Library’s Maker Space, launched in July 2012, and the Westport Public Schools’ STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program, aim to encourage young learners to make things.
Of course, Berger admits, the location on Saugatuck River’s west bank, away from Main Street consumers, has been challenging.
“The locations is a challenge to say the least,” she said. “When we opened 30 years ago, we wanted to be in a certain proximity of downtown. But this has been a nice atmosphere. You could find something different here, and we thought the location would say that as well.”
She says there is one major advantage to not being on Main Street: lower rents.
“The rents are much lower,” she said. “I have some items in the store that sell for a dollar, and I would not be able to do that with the rents on Main Street.”
Like her philosophy, the store’s location is poised to get yet another boon, a planned redevelopment of the west bank, including a reworked National Hall across the road.
Of her tenure in town, Berger credits the community.
“Because of them, patrons patronizing us, we can keep doing what we’re doing,” she said, adding that she has no plans to make a chain of the store despite its two other locations.
To celebrate 30 years, Berger will offer 30 percent discounts Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week on minerals, games and puzzles.
The following week beginning Nov. 7, books, science kits and arts kits will be discounted the same amount.
“It’s to say thank you to the community,” she said.
