By James Lomuscio
The Westport Downtown Merchants Association’s (WDMA) annual Sidewalk Sale than ran from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and boasted discounts from 30 to 60 percent drew more shoppers than peak Christmas shopping days, some merchants said.
Buttressed by sunny skies and balmy breezes, foot traffic was steady throughout the day, many said, despite the fact that Greenwich and New Cannan are also hosting sidewalk sales this weekend.
Westport’s sale will continue Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“It’s been nonstop traffic all days,” said Jennifer Papazian, manager of VINCE., an upscale, contemporary women’s and men’s clothing store that opened in March 2013 at 115 Main St. “We’ve never seen traffic like this, even during Christmas.”
She acknowledged that sales of 60 percent off drew in first time customers.
By 5 p.m. the sun was still hot outside Brooks Brothers at 136 Main St. where sales associate Andrew Downes had been stationed since 10 a.m., working with customers on the hunt for 50 percent off men’s clothing arrayed on the tables under a pop-up canopy.
“It’s got to be our sports shirts and our dress shirts,” he said about the consistent stream of customers. “And the weather, it couldn’t be better.”
At Jack Wills, a men’s and women’s British clothing shop at 139 Main St., supervisor Zach Sutton noted that the 30 to 50 percent off sales coupled with welcoming displays in perfect weather proved the right formula for success.
“It’s been really great; a lot of window shoppers have turned into buyers,” he said.
Trish Marsilio, sales associate at Williams-Sonoma at 136 Main St. reiterated Papazian’s bullishness saying, “It’s like Christmas.” Dish towels and summer linens at just 20 percent of were being swooped up, she said, not to mention ice pop molds.
Lisa Witthofft, owner of LiLi designs, a privately owned jewelry store at 40 Main St. said that this was her seventh sidewalk sale, “and it’s been great, steady all day with beautiful weather that brings in shoppers.”
If there were one wish for next year, she said, it would be for the WDMA to push it a week from when New Canaan and Greenwich held their sidewalk sales to bring in even greater foot traffic that would translate into repeat business.
Victoria Schallert, one of the owners of The Brownstone at 36 Main St., was more direct in her criticism of the WDMA for not moving the sidewalk sale to another week.
She said that ever since the other towns copied the same same idea for the same weekend beginning in 2011, she has tabulated a 442 customer loss for the month of July, including the repeat business due to the sidewalk sale.
“They’re not listening to us,” she said of the WDMA.
Meanwhile, Karen Rigoli, manager of Lux, Bond and Green in Brooks Corner, noted that increased customers were generated by sale prices, particularly her store’s 50 percent discounts on giftware such as vases, and 30 percent on some jewelry.
“This year we had more people asking about it prior to the sale,” she said.
The weather proved a double blessing for David’s Tea at 135 Main St., where manager Becky Way said thirsty bargain hunters kept the demand for ice tea and tea pop, carbonated tea, going strong.
“We’re out of ice, that’s how good it’s been,” she said. “It’s been good to us and exceeded our expectations.
