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Two In, One Out in West Haven
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Business New Haven
11/26/2001
By: Anne-Marie Brungard
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Savin Rock Plaza in West Haven is changing and growing again. After doing the supermarket shuffle for a couple of years (C-Town and Grand Central), Adam's Supermarket is finally settling in as one of the plaza's anchors. Closing its doors is Autumn Brook's Unique Boutique, a gift store that stayed barely long enough for the paint on the front sign to dry. People's Bank, Family Dollar and a hair salon will be complemented by their new neighbors.
New tenants include Video Haven, whose grand opening took place on November 14, and CardSmart. CardSmart completed renovations of its 3,000-square-foot retail storefront that now houses the discount card and gift store. Says owner John Labate, “Half-price cards and gift wrap make all the difference,” referring to the failure of the last gift store there. “Once we get [customers] in the store, with the half-priced items, then we have a chance to sell gift items.”
The West Haven location is the sixth in Connecticut for the Labate family, which hails from Fairfield. This family-owned and -operated business has other stores located in Fairfield, Devon, Wallingford and Monroe. While John Labate searches for new locations and handles general management duties, John's wife and son are responsible for accounting and buying functions, respectively. According to Labate, it is this team approach that gives them an edge over the competition.
Labate says he had his eye on West Haven for several years and just waited for the right opportunity and location to present themselves. When visiting family members in the area, he spent time informally assessing the location while listening to the needs and concerns of area residents. One consideration for choosing the location was the fact that there was nothing else like it in the area. Sure, Walgreen's and Silver's Drug Store are further down Campbell Avenue, but considering CardSmart's level of variety, Labate surmised that most residents would have to travel to Milford's Connecticut Post Mall or into Hamden.
In purchasing the store from the Paramount Co., Labate ran into some opposition. Paramount prefers larger, more established retail strip malls. A larger anchor that would draw customers from a larger geographic area. Labate used his current experience in Connecticut, balanced with one larger model in Devon, to prove that West Haven was a worthwhile investment.
In choosing locations Labate banks on smaller communities, in part due to the relative dearth of competition. West Haven is a family community. “I enjoy the personal contact, the personal stories - people are friendlier,” says Labate. That family atmosphere extends to the employees, too. Labate has hired mostly West Haveners who know the neighborhood and customers; some are familiar faces from other plaza stores. That getting-to-know-you period is briefer as customers trust the faces that they have seen and known for years.
The family- and community-focused approach that Labate uses in business translates into a long-term commitment to the community. Labate says he is not interested in making a killing today and leaving tomorrow. He is in it for the long haul, he says, offering value for customers' dollars. This approach has worked in the other locations, and that experience appears to be Labate's best ally.
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