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SHELTON — Common Bond Market, a longtime staple of Huntington Center and the go-to place for organic and other health-oriented foods and products, will be closing its doors next week.

Well, not if Diana Maione has anything to do with it.

Maione, a longtime customer before becoming deli manager four months ago, is not letting go so easily. She hopes to acquire the business, and her fellow employees are on board, taking to social media to ask the community’s help in saving the store.

"We are dedicated to the belief and mission of Common Bond,” said Maione, adding that she has informed the owner, Josh Elliott, of her desire to take over the business.

“For Shelton, if this place goes down, there will be nowhere for people to go if they have food allergies, or (if) they are vegans,” said Maione, adding that 25 staffers will lose their jobs when the store closes.

“It would be devastating to the community," she said.

Attempts to reach Elliott for comment were unsuccessful.

"We need your help,” a statement on the Employees Save the Common Bond Market Facebook page reads. “One of our beloved local businesses is facing the threat of closure."

The posting calls Common Bond “a vibrant hub for fresh, healthy and locally sourced food, not to mention a welcoming gathering place for all who love good company" in addition to being "an essential part of our community fabric.”

The statement calls on the community to help through donations or spreading the word on social media about the store’s fate — and that a group of employees is trying to keep the store open.

"We believe that together as a community, we can make a difference and ensure that the Common Bond Market continues to thrive for generations to come,” the post reads.

Maione said she is looking to buy the business and run it as a co-op. Common Bond Market opened in the former Beechwood Market location in 2013.

“I am scrambling right now,” Maione said Friday afternoon, adding that she was speaking to an accountant later that day as she moves to find ways to acquire the business.

Maione said staff were informed Monday the store would be closing by next week. The deli and kitchen were closed Friday, with a skeleton crew scheduled to be on next week before the doors shut for good, Maione said.

“We were devastated,” said Hannah Brighindi, a Shelton resident who has worked at Common Bond for about five years as a grocery buyer. “Working here is not just a job. We’re not just employees, we’re tight knit. Like a real family.”

Theresa DiBenedetto, a Shelton resident who just joined the store staff four months ago, said she and other staffers were crying at the news, as were some customers who just learned of the business’ fate, she said.

Laurie Mylen, a longtime customer and part-time employee for the past year, said she would miss the comradery among the staff and customers if the store closed.

"The people here are fantastic,” Mylen said. “Everyone gets together, talks. I know them by their first name, they know me by my first name. We’re genuinely happy to see each other. That is going to be a great loss for the community. There are few remaining mom and pop-type operations like this.”

Mylen said the store has become a hot spot for those seeking gluten free, vegan, and organic options.

“People here know and can help. There is a supplement department. Those people are so gifted and can always guide you. And when it comes to the kitchen, we have the best cooks. We always have had a wonderful lunch crowd,” Mylen said. “This store is going to be missed terribly.”

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SHELTON — Firefighters from 18 local departments battled the weekend fire at the Oak Ridge Waste & Recycling or provided backup coverage during the massive blaze that required more than 30 hours to extinguish.

The first call for a structure fire at the facility at 90 Oliver Terrace came in around 5 a.m. Saturday, according to Deputy Fire Chief Paul Wilson. Crews were still there the following morning, he said.

“We left (the scene) at 6:15 a.m. (Sunday) but there were still smoldering piles,” Wilson said. “Crews returned to evaluate around 8 a.m. to manage these areas."

When the first crews arrived, Wilson said there was heavy smoke pouring from the facility. Firefighters closed Bridgeport Avenue at Platt Road while the firefighting efforts continued. Bridgeport Avenue remained closed until nearly 2 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation. Crews observed fire billowing through the roof of a large pre-engineered metal building used to process recyclables.

The fire was not the first at the facility, he said.

In 2019, firefighters extinguished a garbage truck fire that broke out at Oak Ridge. Another refuse truck caught fire at the Winters Bros. Waste System transfer station on Oliver Terrace in 2017.

“We’ve had a few fires in this facility but nothing to this magnitude,” Wilson said, adding that no one was injured during the incident.

Fire Marshal James Tortora said the fire was in piles of waste and debris that were piled high. He said pallets of wrapped cardboard and plastics were also consumed.

“We have had other fires of this magnitude, for instance the Star Pin building, but nothing with a huge fire load of this quantity,” Tortora said.

A fire load is a measure of a fire's potential severity, as calculated by the flammable material in a given area.

Adding to the difficulty besides the fire load, was the water supply, Tortora said.

“The hydrants were being overtaxed, which caused us to initiate a tanker task force response from towns as far away as Ridgefield,” Tortora said. “It’s a coordinated water tanker shuttle system. The operations also caused low water or loss of water to the upper Long Hill Avenue area.”

A tanker shuttle is when multiple fire trucks fill their water tanks at a fill site, then "shuttle" the water to the fire scene, where the trucks then dump the water into an on-scene tank to be pumped onto the fire.

“Due to the heavy volume of fire and the poor hydrants in the immediate area, a tanker task force was requested to supplement the water supply,” Wilson said. “A water fill site was established on a separate water main.”

The Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department wrote on Facebook that at least 12 tankers shuttled water to the scene for about five hours.

"Luckily no one was injured in this fire given the difficulty and number of volunteers that responded,” Tortora said.

Multiple mutual aid departments were requested to assist on the fire ground and to cover the Shelton stations.

Wilson said firefighters attacked the blaze from the exterior due to the deteriorating conditions of the building.

“Several master streams and aerial monitors were used to suppress the fire but due to the large machinery in the building, it was very difficult to get to the seat of the fire,” Wilson said. “Excavators and loaders were requested to the scene and were used to remove some exterior walls to allow access to the fire.”

Once access was gained, Wilson said units on the scene were able to knock down a majority of the fire. The excavators were then used to remove thousands of tons of compacted trash.

Apparatus from Monroe, Stepney, Stevenson, Stratford, Ansonia, Bethany, Seymour, Derby, Orange, Nichols, Trumbull Center, Long Hill, Oxford, Beacon Falls, Prospect, Ridgefield, Woodbridge and Redding were used either on the scene or for station coverage.

Tortora said while the fire remains under investigation, he expects to determine the cause within a few days.

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SHELTON — The latest big-name corporation will be calling Shelton home beginning this fall.

Subway announced last June that it would be moving its world headquarters to 1 Corporate Drive, and property owner Bob Scinto said the company is expected to be moved into the 90,000-square-foot space by September.

“This is very, very important for Shelton,” said Scinto, adding that Subway has a 15-year lease. “Subway is the largest franchisee in the world, and for it to make Shelton its world headquarters is a real feather in the cap for the people of the city.”

Scinto said the space is being built out at this point and will be a “real showcase” when it is complete.

A Subway spokesperson said the company’s move to the Shelton office is on track for later this year, and employees will continue working in the Milford office until the move date.

At the time the move was announced, Subway CEO John Chidsey said the Shelton location was chosen after exploring multiple options in hopes of refreshing their offices in Connecticut.

“We’re extremely excited about our new location in Shelton that will feature an upgraded, modernized workspace as well as outstanding amenities within the corporate complex,” Chidsey stated that the time.

Subway’s new Connecticut headquarters at 1 Corporate Drive in Shelton will offer a range of on-site conveniences, including multiple dining options, fitness centers, recreational activities like tennis and basketball, medical facilities, covered parking and childcare centers.

“This move is all about enhancing our employee experience,” Bill Ekstrom, Subway director of business services, stated at the time the move was announced. “In addition to being able to offer many additional features and an elevated, contemporary space, it was of utmost importance that we found a location that would provide minimal disruption to our employees.

“The close proximity to our current Milford home – just 10 miles down the road – will help us do just that, plus provide more services that will allow employees to take care of errands and personal needs on site,” Ekstrom added.

Connecticut has been home to Subway since the company was founded in 1965.

“From what began in Milford and continues in Shelton, we are pleased to strengthen our commitment to the region as we look to the future of the brand,” Chidsey said.

SHELTON — The Oxford-based developer behind the proposed 152-unit apartment complex on River Road has been given the greenlight to move forward with the project.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved initial plans from B-WIZZ to develop the four-building complex at 453 River Road. The commission also agreed to authorize a Planned Development District for the nearly 10-acre site.

The developers must return with final detailed development plans once they receive approvals from the state traffic authority and complete layout and architectural designs. But the vote marks a key step in the project, which was first proposed more than a year ago.

“We’re very pleased,” said attorney Dominick Thomas, who represents the developers. “I think it is a very good project.”

The project calls for the construction of four separate four-story buildings — each with 38 “luxury” apartments — and a 5,500-square-foot clubhouse. Each of the apartment buildings are planned to be 11,800 square feet, according to architectural plans.

The commission agreed that the developer should designate 20 of the units, or about 13 percent of the apartments, as affordable. That figure is less than the recommendations in the city's affordable housing plan for a development this size, which was approved after the project was proposed.

The vacant property, which was previously partially zoned commercial but changed to residential as a part of the approval, sits across the street from Cumberland Farms, Hook Line and Sinker and the entrance to Jordan Avenue.

The site is bounded by residential housing to the north, residential and commercial to the south, commercial to the east and Coram Road to the west. Site plans show there will be access to the complex from River Road as well as from Coram Road.

A four member majority of the six-member body supported the plan, but the project was opposed by commissioner James Tickey and commission Chair Virginia Harger. Harger said she believes the portion of the property that runs along River Road should remain zoned for commercial uses.

“I am against turning this into a residential use entirely,” she said. “I thought that the rear of the property should be the part that should stay residential.”

Meanwhile, Tickey said he was concerned about the density associated with the housing development, which will feature 64 one-bedroom and 88 two-bedroom units, as well as a potential increase in traffic around the site.

He noted the commission has approved several development projects along the River Road corridor in recent years, including plans for the Great River Water Club along the Housatonic River, which developers hope to expand, and a 100-unit apartment complex on Petremont Lane that is now under construction.

“I do think it would overload the street system,” Tickey said.

Staff Writer Brian Gioiele contributed to this report.

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SHELTON — A downtown salon is one of the country’s best, according to Salon Today, a publication aimed at salon and spa owners.

Luscious & Co., which first opened nine years ago in downtown Shelton by twin sisters Liz and Jessica Arrindell, was recently named to the Salon Today 200 in the magazine's spring issue. The Arrindells then opened a location in New Canaan more than a year ago.

"It has been an incredible honor to serve, befriend and commit to the women who have entrusted us with their beauty needs,” Liz Arrindell said.

“We opened Luscious with the intention of upgrading the beauty experience in Connecticut,” she added. “We take pride in our commitment to healthy hair, price transparency, and a tiered stylist variety which allows our guests to choose their value.”

This is the 26th year the magazine has put out its Salon Today 200 issue, which profiles the selected salons.

The 200 salons were looked at in 11 different best practice categories, including growth, client retention and referral, compensation and benefits, customer service, employee education, environmental sustainability, philanthropy, retail and merchandising, salon culture, salon leadership and technology.

In essays, honorees wrote about their biggest challenges post-Covid and what business opportunities they were exploring. This year’s honorees listed staff recruitment and retention, how to tackle schedule flexibility and pricing, and how to prepare for economic insecurity as their three biggest challenges.

“This year’s competition studied how salons were recovering and rebuilding from the pandemic in 2021 and 2022,” said Stacey Soble, director of brand content strategy for Salon Today. “For these small business owners, it has been several years of pivoting and adapting to rapid changes and these honorees really proved their business acumen and leadership skills.”

The Arrindells, who grew up in Shelton, opened Luscious & Co. Beauty in 2014 with only two small rooms on the second floor of 469 Howe Ave. The pair has since expanded and renovated into a two-story, 4,000-square-foot space and opened a second location.

Liz Arrindell credits the salon’s success to its service to its customers.

“Whether you're coming in for a haircut, or a full extension transformation, each guest is treated with the utmost care, compassion and respect,” she said. “We take a very fresh, innovative and out of the box approach to beauty needs."

She said they also try to help their clients on price too, including the recent launch of the roots and ends color membership.

“In this ever-changing economic environment, it's the very least we can do for our amazing guests,” Liz Arrindell said.

Salons had to meet specific criteria to be named to the Salon Today 200 list.

Eligibility requirements included opening on or before Jan. 1, 2020, providing at least one professional salon service from a set list and generating at least $250,000 per year in sales revenue since 2020. Salons also had to provide statistics about their business and complete two essay sections.

The honorees were celebrated at a special awards dinner in late April in Nashville, Tenn., during the magazine's salon summit event. Representatives from more than 100 of the honorees were on hand to pick up their certificate.