The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 14, Number 13
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Filene’s Basement to open at Berlin SYMS store By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Filene’s Basement store is coming to Berlin. The 100 year-old off-price clothing retailer has joined forces with SYMS Clothing. Filene’s Basement will open a 30,000 square foot store in the SYMS store at 267 Berlin Turnpike in Brickyard Plaza April 15. “Everybody at Filene’s Basement is thrilled that SYMS saw the value in the brand,” said Pat Boudrot,
spokesperson for Filenes’ Basement Inc. and a 16 year employee of the company. Last June Filene’s Basement was in bankruptcy court, when it was picked up to “co-brand” with SYMS. “Filene’s Basement has long been the go-to store for designer and brand name bargains on women’s fashions,” said Marcy Syms, chairman and CEO of SYMS, the Basement’s new parent company. “And SYMS is best known for its wide assortment of brand-name tai-
lored clothing for men. It made perfect sense to combine the strengths of both stores to offer customers the best shopping experience.” Boudrot said the move fits Filene’s Basement well. “Marcy Syms grew up in the off-price industry.” Boudrot said there will be a “soft opening” April 14 and a grand-opening April 15. However, Filene’s Basement has already moved in and is operational. The Filene’s
Berlin’s business scene brightens; AA status secure
Colorful surprises in store at local jewelry boutique
By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
By Pam Fuschino Special to The Citizen Pulling into the parking lot of Kensington Glass, you’ll see a group of low-slung industrial buildings. What you don’t expect to see, as you enter the building, is an explosion of colorful glass jewelry designed Danielle Swirski —who’s quite colorful herself. Petite, with a shock of purple hair and a Hello Kitty tattoo, Swirski becomes animated when talking about the jewelry she creates. “The glass has a mind of its own,” Swirski said. “You’re never sure what you’re going to get.” Swirski has been designing jewelry since 2001, along with Kens-
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
See Filene’s, page 29 Filene’s Basement and SYMS will share a store.
Photo by Pam Fuschino
Danielle Swirski, designer, in See Boutique, page 25 her shop at Kensington Glass.
The town recently made its case to Standard & Poor in order to get an updated read on its credit status. What follows is official reaction to the outcome as well as highlights of the town’s presentation to Standard & Poor. According to finance Director Jim Wren, the presentation resulted in a re-affirmation of the town’s long-term credit rating of “AA/Stable.” Officials comment Mayor Adam Salina said “Businesses have been expanding within the community. While we’ve lost some business, there has also been, at the same time, strong investment by these longtime businesses in our community and that’s what’s allowed us to remain stable with a small amount of growth through
these difficult times. We have been fortunate that some of our larger companies have remained steady and growing to an extent.” New business is coming, too. Liberty Bank recently opened its doors and made an investment in the Farmington Avenue plaza where it’s located. And Farmington Savings Bank has purchased the last vacant parcel on Farmington Avenue where it will soon build a new facility. While the economy has been stagnent, that’s been “offset by some growth,” Salina said. “There’s a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel…I’m causiously optimistic. At the very least we’ve been able to remain stable during the most difficult times when many town’s have lost subtantial business. We’ve ridden out the difficult times and there
See Business, page 15
Editor’s note: In this special edition, The Citizen reports on business news around Berlin with an emphasis on retail establishments — from small boutiques and consignment shops to iconic stores like Mickey Finns and the new Filene’s Basement on the Berlin Turnpike. In addition, officials provide an overview of the local economy and an update on Berlin’s bond rating. And check out the winners of the Economic Development Commission’s 2009 business awards on page 17. What you’ll read here is just a small sampling of the diversity and activity on Berlin’s business front — and it’s plain to see — there’s a lot going on.