Championing the Little Guy in Wilton's Tougher Economy

When economic times turn tough, “small local-business owner” might seem like a treacherous job title. Poor job reports, national credit downgrades and wild stock market fluctuations are almost panic-inducing.

When you’re on your own in a local market, every reactionary move you make counts, big time.

That’s when being part of a collective of local businesses might sometimes be the best defense, according to Torie Clancy, Executive Director of the .

“The Chamber is all about making Wilton a more dynamic and inviting business and shopping destination. Membership in the chamber starts at $275 a year, and think about what that gets for the entire year: sponsorships, publicity, the listing in the directory, on the website. [We focus on] education with seminars, advocacy in working with local and state government on members’ behalf, and promoting commerce through events and networking. All of this individually would cost a ton, but as part of a united front, members can do things with the biggest bang for the buck,” said Clancy.

Looking out for the small business owner is the primary goal of the Chamber, especially in bad times. But according to Clancy, the community has a vested interest in showing local shopkeepers their support.

“When you shop in Wilton, you invest in your community, in your neighbors and in yourself. In this economic climate, the best return on investment is in a local business. It’s estimated for every dollar you spend twice as much is reinvested in the local community by a local store. Significantly more money will circulate in Wilton if you shop here,” she said.

To Clancy, local businesses make the town, both by creating jobs and by offering superior services because of close community ties.

“Most new jobs are provided by local businesses, and one-of-a-kind businesses are integral to the distinctive character of Wilton”, she said.

“Usually local business owners invest in the community, and many times they live in the community. So these are your kids’ friends, your soccer coaches. Customer service is just inherently going to be better; even if you don’t know them personally, there’s a recognition there. There’s reduced environmental impact. And local non-profits get greater support: there’s 350 percent greater support of non-profits from local businesses, and we have so many great non-profits dependent on sponsorships, we’re known for being a great town for just that.”

In her six months since joining the Chamber, she’s made significant innovations, like digital distribution of a redesigned newsletter, and other hi-tech changes.

“We used to be on a call-by-call phone system, where we were charged per call! Changing little things like that make a big cost-saving difference. We’ve created a modern website, to spotlight members and post events online, and help people pay online. We’re now wireless. We’re less reliant on paper. We’ve done a massive membership audit to better serve the membership, and give everything a fresh beat.”

The Chamber also recently redesigned their logo in an effort to freshen up their branding and grow their social media effort. Wilton shoppers will soon start to see the new logo appear as decals on storefront windows and elsewhere.

And, said Clancy, there’s a renewed emphasis on family.

“Because we have such a family-focused community, family events tend to be such a good draw for our members. So when we’re able to blend business with family focus and community that’s a beautiful thing. For instance, we had over 350 attendees to the Chamber program, ‘ the largest one ever. Thali, up on Route 7 told us at the event they saw so many people that had never tried them before so this was increased visibility and exposure for them.  It’s win-win for the businesses and for the community.”

Clancy also gave some advance scoop on another plan that will weave local business promotion into a Wilton family event: for the annual Halloween festivities in Wilton Center, the Chamber is throwing a Scarecrow Fest.

“Fifty lamp posts will have scarecrows hanging from their frames. Wilton-based businesses and organizations will have the ability—first come, first served—to assemble and decorate one scarecrow to hang in the town for over two weeks. It’s a great family draw, it shows off the business—for example, if you’re a pet store, you might decorate it with biscuits and dog bones. I think it’s a fun, creative opportunity; it brings people—and the spending—down to Wilton Center. Ideally in years forward we can expand it to South Wilton and North Wilton and Georgetown. It doesn’t cost the town to do this, so no tax dollars are at stake; however, it’s a great opportunity for the businesses to treat their buying public and be seen in a fun, happy light.”

Still, with “Vacant” and “Retail Space Available” signs more apparent all around town, there’s a challenge to counter any negative impressions that Wilton may not be able to sustain . Looking at empty spaces where can be frustrating.

“That was a national chain that closed, and some of that is due to ebooks and technology. There’s not a lot we can do about that,” said Clancy.

“But what we can do is look at the space that is vacant as great commercial space, and it’s right along the newly improved and expanded Route 7. It’s right off of the Merritt. It’s a great place to be, with nice visibility. So what we can do is just make Wilton’s business district overall an attractive place for bigger, better growth as the economy improves.”

Clancy said she doesn’t worry when another locale, such as Norwalk, is the chosen location for an out-of-state liquor retailer such as one that recently announced the opening of a mega-sized, 29,000 square foot store in that city.

“There’s actually one more liquor sales license available, but the demand has been met. We don’t need another liquor store here. I think the man or woman on the street would agree: it’s just unnecessary. Even if they had applied, it’s way too much. The numbers that they’re going to be carrying is unnecessary [for Wilton].”

So if not a sprawling liquor store, what would be a better fit for Wilton?

“The Building Blocks Learning Center just signed a 15-year lease for 18,000 square feet of space, right next to Westy’s Storage, which is fantastic,” said Clancy.

“If you are a commuting mom or dad, now we have an innovative pre-school development program very accessible. Harkening back to Wilton’s education cornerstone, it’s huge. Just across the street we have all those big commercial properties, where all those people driving or commuting into to work, what a great thing that this was approved by Planning and Zoning. It’s a good thing that they’re thinking ahead for a younger working pool, and it’s a huge benefit to doing business in Wilton.”