Norwich Plaza Businesses Celebrate Resilience ahead of Small Business saturday
Norwich, CT – Just months after recovering from important flooding, businesses in a Norwich plaza are looking forward to a bustling Small Business Saturday, showcasing the community’s strength and renewed spirit. The plaza, impacted by overflowing waters from the Yantic River in January of last year, is now fully occupied and thriving, according to business owners.
Erica Sullivan, owner of Small Potatoes gift shop, highlighted the unique offerings available. “Everything is unique. There’s something for everybody,” she said. Sullivan expressed pride in the plaza’s full occupancy, noting, “To see us all thriving here, it’s brought it back for a lot of people.”
The January flood forced businesses to close for a month for cleanup and repairs. However, Sullivan views the disruption as a catalyst for growth. “it all gave us an possibility to kind of re-evaluate and dig in into our businesses,” she explained.
The Norwich Community Development Corporation played a crucial role in the recovery, providing funds to help businesses weather the temporary closure and minimize revenue loss. Mary Riley, Community Manager for the NCDC, emphasized the positive outcome. ”The flood really helped people connect and really showed Norwich as a city as a resilient one and a great business community to be a part of,” she said.
New to the plaza is Aerial Arts Fitness, which opened approximately one month ago. Manager Sarah Luiz described the studio’s offerings: ”We do bungee fitness. We do hammocks, we do lyra, we do aerial silks.” She cited ample parking and space as key factors in choosing the location, and noted proactive steps taken to prevent future damage. “They raised up some of the outlets. They changed some stuff around to make sure when that happens, we have the minimal risk for our business,” Luiz said, referring to work done by their contractor.
Sullivan reassured shoppers that supporting local businesses is a safe bet this holiday season. “Small Business Saturday for us is a chance to be a team and to do things for each other,” she said. Aerial Arts Fitness will celebrate its grand opening in conjunction with Small Business Saturday events.
