Stew Leonard's Begins Indoor Renovations At Norwalk Store

NORWALK, CT — Customers at Stew Leonard's flagship store in Norwalk this week may notice some changes to the store's bakery department and other inside areas as construction continues on a major renovation project.

On Tuesday, Stew Leonard's announced indoor renovations had begun at the Norwalk store as construction teams began working on the bakery department.

While the construction work will make the bakery aisle temporarily smaller and restrooms have been relocated for the time being, store officials assured customers all of the same freshly baked goods would still be available.

In an email to Patch, store spokesperson Meghan Bell said maintaining great customer service during the renovation period has been top of mind for the Leonard family.

"All renovations are being completed overnight when the store is not open," Bell said. "Our store leadership is working hand in hand with our construction team to make sure that the renovations do not impact product selection, quality or the customer experience."

The indoor renovations come months after work on the store's new indoor garden center appeared to be partially finished, as the store had planned for the center to be mostly complete by the end of November.

Plans for the store's expansion, announced in summer 2021, also include a new farmers market.

The bakery updates are scheduled to be finished in April. Other updates planned for this year include second floor party spaces, kitchen updates and a pizza, ice cream and coffee service area.

"The outside renovations will run until late fall 2023," Bell said. "This includes the new enclosed farmer's market and a new covered sales area, in addition to the four season indoor garden center that many shoppers saw this past holiday season when our tree shop was open."

The Stew Leonard's team hopes to have all renovations at the Norwalk store completed by the fall, including new energy efficient refrigeration, moving certain production areas to increase efficiency and an overall refresh of the store while maintaining the store's original look and feel, Bell said.

In late September, Bell said construction thus far has been smooth and has not had much impact on day-to-day operations at the Norwalk store.

Throughout the renovation work that took place last year, the store still offered many of its yearly Halloween events, including a family-friendly walk-through display, and continued to sell Christmas trees outside the store during the holiday season.