The Cow’s Outside on Main Street [photo: T.Eliason/HCE]
Window-shopping only works when you can easily get out of the car and let your feet carry you up and down the sidewalk, to all the shops that catch your eye. Some in Danbury believe that easy access to their business has been taken away by the city’s removal of approximately one-half of the on-street parking spots in front of their stores. The spots were converted to curb during the construction of the new Charles A. Bardo Parking Garage on Library Place. Among the frustrated business owners is Jay Weller-Streck, owner of the Cow’s Outside Leather Shop on Main Street. “There’s no parking out front, so they’re just going to keep driving,” he says. As a result, he’s decided to do the same.
The Cow’s Outside has relocated to Norwalk after 32 years and two generations of family business in Danbury. Thankful to the community for its support, Weller-Steck says, “It’s with no sour grapes that I leave,” but providing for his family takes precedence in the wake of a slowed business and the lagging foot pace.
Regular customers have been increasingly transacting business over the phone and through the mail. They know a spouse’s boot size or taste in cowboy hats and are comfortable simply making a phone call. Without the customer making an actual trip to “the Cow”, the chance for a multiple sale is often lost.
Lost business has also fallen through the cracks in the empty sidewalk with the setting of the sun each day. Although the Cow is open at night, Weller-Streck believes female customers are now less inclined to shop, having to walk through a poorly lit area with trees obstructing the streetlights. Added steps in the rain for folks has had the same effect on business.
Excited by what he’s seen so far of the bustling dinner and bar beat in Norwalk, Weller-Streck says, “All day long, there’s people walking down the street—all prospective customers.”
The Cow’s Outside has
relocated to Norwalk after 32
years and two generations of
family business in Danbury.He also likes the idea of not having to carry almost the entire load, in contrast to conducting business in Danbury. Other than the Music Guild and the Cow, he says, “There’s other things drawing people to the area.”
But, is the hide he offers hip enough to match the new city he’s moved to? “Oh yeah,” he says confidently, “that’s right up our alley.”
So long, though, doesn’t mean good-bye—despite the distance between Danbury and Norwalk. “I’m a destination shop. Most of my customers are coming 20 miles plus, so for them it’s just going to be 20 miles in a different direction.”
Still, he’s happy to leave behind a bit of the Cow’s 32-year legacy in the city he lives in and continues to love. Weller-Streck hopes that “Escape to the Arts” will help him turn the sidewalk “cow” into a seasonal art project for area children. At Halloween, Christmas, and other special days, he envisions children painting and decorating this important town landmark.
That same kid-friendly attitude continues inside the Cow’s Outside. When he sees parents telling their children not to touch items, he simply assures them that “there’s nothing breakable in here, so they can go nuts.” His own kids happily exploit that approach, even if it takes him a few days to clean up.
That may be a different parenting style than his parents took, but one aspect of Weller-Streck’s business style is as old school as when his parents ran the Cow’s Outside: He does not have a website to promote the business or allow online shopping. Weller-Streck is happy to be stuck in that 70s time. “I think the computer is ruining our country. I can’t deal with it,” he admits.
He also takes a pure outlook regarding the charitable events that he promotes. “I don’t allow press coverage,” he says, because it negates the good will that a business is trying to engender.
In the end, he won’t forget the city and how difficult a decision it was to relocate. “It is very hard because I personally love Danbury,” said Weller-Streck.
