In an area where traffic lights grow scarce and where, unofficially, “the country” begins, lies Sherman, Fairfield County”™s last frontier.
The northernmost town in the county lacks the boundlessness of Bridgeport and the shore clubs of Greenwich. The radio stations that provide the backdrop for coastal towns can be static in Sherman.
Further, Sherman does not share the same 203 area code as Fairfield County”™s 22 other towns. It is an 860 locale.
- Sherman First Selectman Clay Cope. Photo by Evan Fallor
But what the town of 3,700 ”” the least populated town in Fairfield County ”” does have is a unique, mom-and-pop shop-driven economy that embraces the ideals of generations past. It has kept out, purposefully or not, the big-box stores and relies on its two restaurants, one independent grocery store and day care center to keep its engine running.
The town”™s commercial center is along a winding mile-long stretch of routes 37 and 39, its main thoroughfares.
Sherman offers no chain stores and the closest gas station, depending on one”™s in-town location, is in New Milford, New Fairfield or over the New York border in Pawling.
The town library is a private library and fundraises 50 percent of its operating costs. For entertainment, residents can visit the Sherman Playhouse, a short walk from the town hall, called Mallory Town Hall.
Candlewood Lake, the state”™s largest lake, runs along Sherman”™s east end and is one of the town”™s most popular draws. Its hiking trails are also a big boost for the local economy.
When First Selectman Clay Cope bought a weekend home in Sherman in 2001, he thought he was moving to Litchfield County. Cope, who previously split time between Sherman and Manhattan while working in the cable TV industry, moved to Sherman full time in 2011 after winning the selectman race.
An ongoing economic challenge for Cope and for Sherman is that Sherman must punch above its weight class. New Milford”™s expansive stretch of strip malls is due east; and Danbury, a half-hour down routes 37 and 39, boasts the Danbury Fair Mall and other establishments.
“All these businesses have to stay relevant and competitive to stay open,” Cope said. “There are so many choices one can make in New Milford or the other surrounding areas.”
Sherman”™s only hardware store closed last year as did the dry cleaners that occupied a store in the Sherman Green Marketplace, the central commercial area.
For Sherman IGA owner Mike Luzi, the threat of the big-box stores looming in the backyard has long been a concern. Luzi first bought Sherman”™s one and only grocery store 30 years ago at age 28. Since then, he”™s seen numerous other town small businesses close their doors due to outside competition.
He attributes some closures to a shift in buying from chain stores and residents not supporting locally owned businesses. Luzi said he buys as much of his product as he can from other local companies in western Connecticut.
“I can”™t survive by selling people a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk,” Luzi said. “In the same ways I”™m supporting them I hope they can support me, too.”
About a mile north of the town”™s one and only traffic light is American Pie Co., a locally and regionally known dessert company and lunch and dinner restaurant that provides both sit-down and take-out service. Its line is frequently out the door, with locals and visitors from up and down the state vying for its Snickerdoodle cheesecake or a hamburger.
- Sherman Green Marketplace, the central commercial area in Sherman. Photo by Evan Fallor
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, it was bustling with lunchtime customers, each of whom greeted or bid farewell to owner Bill Hunniford as they stopped in or left.
Frank Nutter, a Sherman resident of 14 years, had lunch Tuesday at American Pie. He”™s a fan of its chicken pot pie, which he said he comes in for “all the time.” A transplant from Danbury, he”™s embraced the old-school nature of Sherman.
“I don”™t compare it to any other town,” said Nutter. “I love it here.”
Cope said the town”™s population swells during the summer and fall, when its “weekender” population utilizes weekend homes during the prime foliage and lake months. Cope calls them “O.P.”™s,” or orange plates, referring to the color of New York license plates.
Hunniford jokingly said he can always spot a New York plate in the parking lot of his restaurant. If the doors are locked and the windows are up, that”™s a New Yorker. If the engine is still running, that”™s a Sherman resident.
“We try to offer something for everybody,” said Hunniford, who has owned his business for 22 years. “We get people from Norwalk, Stamford and all over the state. We get kids, grandparents and motorcycle groups. We”™re always trying to find the formula for success.”
For some, Sherman itself is the draw. Cope said home occupations are prevalent. Cope cited the recent opening of a home dentist clinic/office as an example.
The selectmen recently proposed a town budget of $5,104,012, which will be discussed at a town meeting later this month and put to vote on May 2.
