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When entrepreneur Jay Norris was looking for a place to settle his family six years ago, just one visit to Westport, Connecticut ended that search.

“Everything checked the boxes,” Norris, who is Black, said. Every box, that is, except one. “One box it didn't check was the diversity box.”

Westport is one of the richest towns in America, but it’s also one of the least diverse in the state. Just 1% of the town’s over 27,000 residents areBlack.

“My daughter is very conscious of it,” Norris said. “’She'll say, ‘I don't have any brown friends in my class ... I don't have any brown teachers’.”

One day at lunch with some friends, Norris found Westport’s lack of diversity was threatening to make the town even less diverse.

“Two of them told me, ‘I'm thinking about leaving here,’” Norris said. He suggested they take a picture. That picture of the group of four Black Westport residents became the first image on a website Norris created called “Westport10.com.”

Since then, Norris said, the group has grown from four members to 62.

“We meet once a month — first Friday of every month — and then we connect with each other on WhatsApp to connect and create community,” Norris said. “It's very important for the rest of the community in Westport to see Black and brown images of professionals that don't play basketball or entertain.”

Norris said members of the group have also made a point of talking up Westport to their other African-American contacts throughout the Northeast. He said the presence of the Westport10 has turned interest in moving to Westport into action.

“My wife is a real estate broker for Sotheby's,” Norris said. “She's a relocation specialist. We have relocated about seven families in the last two years here, all because of the Westport10 movement. It's happened!”

Norris said his hope is that school board officials will include the Westport10 in efforts to bring new Black teachers to Westport.

“When you're recruiting those Black and Brown teachers, make sure you let them know about the ‘10,’” Norris said to the school officials. “Let them know we'd like to meet them during the interview process, because we want them to feel that they're welcome here by parents in the neighborhood.”

Norris hopes Westport10 can play a role in quadrupling Westport’s Black population to over 1,000 people within the next five years.

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The defendant is accused of launching a kickback scheme that swindled Sire Spirits, which is owned by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.

WESTPORT, CT — A 44-year-old Westport man pleaded guilty in New Jersey federal court this week to a fraud scheme that swindled more than $2 million from Sire Spirits, an alcohol company owned by rapper, producer and entrepreneur Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.

Mitchell E. Green pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Court Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Under the fraud scheme, Green, who previously worked for Sire Spirits, caused the company to overpay for champagne and cognac, while he collected $2.19 million in kickbacks based on the inflated prices, prosecutors said.

"Though he was supposed to negotiate the best deal possible for his employer, Green set up secret side deals to inflate what his employer paid so that he could reap millions of dollars in kickbacks," Sellinger said in a statement. "Companies must be able to rely on the integrity of their agents to conduct business. When employees violate that trust and engage in fraud — like the defendant did here — this Office and our law enforcement partners are prepared to hold them accountable."

In the announcement, 50 Cent is not mentioned by name, but is referred to as "an internationally recognized music artist, producer, and entrepreneur." The Connecticut Post names the rapper, based on a civil lawsuit filed against Green by Sire Spirits.

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Green worked for the Hoboken, New Jersey-based business first as a consultant and then as a full-time employee from June 2017 to February 2020. During that period, Green "secretly negotiated side agreements with two French distilleries to pay him kickbacks through his company, Q Branch LLC, for each bottle of champagne and cognac" that Sire Spirits bought from the distilleries.

The scheme caused Sire Spirits to unknowingly pay the cost of his kickbacks by hiding it in the per-bottle price that the distilleries charged for the champagne and cognac, according to prosecutors.

Based on those inflated prices, Sire paid $14.8 million for the champagne and cognac, and Green collected $2.19 million in hidden kickbacks from the French champagne and cognac distilleries.

"As Green has discovered, there’s no such thing as easy money," FBI-Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said in a statement. "The FBI works tirelessly to ensure that the consequences for this type of fraud far outweigh the initial payout."

The charge of wire fraud is punishable by a potential maximum prison term of 20 years, and a fine of the greater between:

Green is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Blake Coppotelli of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.

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Tacombi, a fast-casual Mexican taqueria, plans to open its first Connecticut eatery in Westport on Aug. 7, according to restaurant representatives. The newest location is at 1680 Post Road, in the former AJ's Farmstead space.

Tacombi's tacos, burritos and quesadillas features fillings like al pastor (marinated pork with pineapple), carne asada, carnitas, pollo Yucateco (marinated free-range chicken) and seared and crispy fish options, along with vegetarian constructions featuring mushrooms, sweet potato, kale, poblano peppers and pinto beans. Beverages include margaritas and other tequila and mezcal drinks, along with beers, aguas frescas and sodas.

Tacombi started in 2006 as a retrofitted VW Bus, or "combi," as it's known in Mexico, serving as a food truck selling tacos on the beaches of Playa del Carmen. After a few years in Mexico, Tacombi opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood in 2010, and tacos are served out of the combi now parked in the Elizabeth Street dining room.

The restaurant has 17 locations in the New York City metro area, Miami and greater Washington, D.C. Future locations are planned for Jersey City and south Florida, according to Tacombi's website.

The Westport location features both indoor and outdoor seating areas, where guests can dine alfresco under canopies, according to restaurant representatives. Guest can order at the counter or via QR code tableside.

Westport's planning and zoning commission approved the site plan back in February 2022.

"We have, after searching for quite some time, identified our very first Connecticut position, and we love the community of Westport," said Joe Iazzetta, Tacombi's chief development officer, during the 2022 meeting. "We consider ourselves to be a neighborhood taqueria, and Westport to us is a phenomenal neighborhood that we would love to be part of."

In 2021, Tacombi received backing from a prominent investor, announcing a $27.3 million first round of institutional funding in December. Danny Meyer's Enlightened Hospitality is a lead investor in the chain, according to Forbes, and founder Dario Wolos told CNBC in January that Tacombi is "taking a Shake Shack approach to our global growth potential."

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WESTPORT — Many people hate going to the dentist. A company called Tend is hoping to challenge that narrative, while expanding to its first suburban area in Connecticut, opening at 1375 Post Road on Aug. 2.

"A lot of people feel judged when they go to the dentist," said Matt Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer with Tend and a Westport resident.

This is Tend's 25th location, joining others in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Nashville and Washington, D.C.

Fitzgerald said when developing Tend, executives studied how likely somebody is to recommend dentists to others. Dentists are often feared by people, and so scored extremely low. They then used that data to develop an approach that would be more comfortable for patients.

"Everybody goes but nobody’s having a good experience," he said.

The idea came to build a hospitality brand around dentistry, in hopes of getting people to look forward to going to the dentist.

They built their first location in the Flat Iron District of New York City in October 2019. Fitzgerald said it felt more like going to a high-end hotel or a salon than a traditional dental office. Fitzgerald said the properties are designed to be soothing so people who come into the facility feel comfortable enough to explain their needs.

Westport isn't only the first Connecticut location, but one of the first outside of a traditionally urban area, like their other locations in Boston and Atlanta, he said.

Fitzgerald said the executives were looking at the tri-state area, and Westport kept popping up as an idea. He said they have already seen some of their New York clients switching to the Westport location.

"Westport is an amazing town. It's almost cosmopolitan, in nature," he said.

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Fitzgerald said patients can schedule and manage their own appointments on the Tend website. Patients can see their full visit history, x-rays and treatment plans on Trend's website and app, along with educational content and prices.

All paperwork is processed online, which reduces wait times, said Helen Zhang, director of communications.

The facilities have welcome areas and places to freshen up and take photos, Fitzgerald said.

Tend offers a variety of services, including orthodontics and surgeries, so patients can stay in house, he said.

"We want to retain you because we want to make sure we have the end-to-end line of sight into your care," Fitzgerald said.

Zhang said while in the chair, patients wear designer sunglasses to block out bright lights, can use noise-canceling headphones and watch TVs mounted on the ceiling, which she added can help those who have dental exam anxiety.

Tend's founder and CEO is Doug Hudson, who Fitzgerald said has been a healthcare entrepreneur for about 20 years and founded Smile Direct Club.

There are hopes to move to other locations across the country, Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said Tend works with most insurances, and for those who may not have access, they accept cash payments.

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WESTPORT — Before the COVID-19 pandemic and the opening of a mall a few miles away, Main Street had reigned as one of the premier retail destinations in New England. It still does today.

While the pandemic and the presence of The SoNo Collection in Norwalk have changed the local retail landscape, the resounding majority of the storefronts on Main Street are filled. The street is not immune to closings, but a number of recent and upcoming openings show retailers’ abiding interest in the thoroughfare.

“COVID was obviously a horrible thing, but coming out of it, there’s been so much activity,” Maxxwell Crowley, president of the nonprofit Westport Downtown Association, said in an interview. “We’ve had a lot of new residents, and this new wave of businesses, including retailers, is a reflection of all this good activity.”

‘Westport felt like a great fit’

In the latest opening on the street, jeweler Gorjana debuted June 16 at 74 Main St., taking a storefront formerly occupied by a Sunglass Hut. The new store is the second in Connecticut for Gorjana, complementing an establishment at 160 Greenwich Ave., in Greenwich, that opened in January 2022. It is one of approximately 50 locations nationwide for the company, which was founded in 2004 in Laguna Beach, Calif., by husband-and-wife team Jason and Gorjana Reidel.

“We had a lot of people asking for another location, and Westport felt like a great fit,” store manager Caroline Kelly, who formerly worked at the Greenwich store, said in an interview. “Being from Laguna Beach, coastal towns are something we aspire to be a part of. And for the interior, we went for a coastal bungalow feel, with a lot of white, wood and brass finishes.”

There are neighboring jewelers, including Lux Bond & Green, at 136 Main St., in the Brooks Corner plaza, and Tiffany & Co., at 40 Post Road E. But Kelly said that Gorjana had distinctive offerings.

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“Our price points make for something that might have been missing,” Kelly said. “Our fine jewelry, like any of our solid-gold pieces, with real diamonds, start at $200 or $150.”

Among other recent arrivals on the street, apparel retailer Birddogs opened May 1 at Brooks Corner. It is the brand’s first store in Connecticut and third overall, following the opening in September 2021 of its first store, in midtown Manhattan, and the debut of a second in February in Short Hills, N.J.

“Westport was very strategically picked out,” Jonathan Scalisi, Birddogs’ Westport store manager, said in an interview. “The shopping is steady, as far as foot traffic is concerned. And it has a good mix of locals, tourism and people who come here to visit family members.”

Another apparel brand, Stamford-based Rhone, will open at 7 Main St., taking a storefront formerly occupied by Lou & Grey. The Rhone store is expected to open in late summer or early fall, according to Skip Lane, the Stamford-based director of commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield’s Leasing Services Group, who represents the owner of 7-17 Main St.

“There are new brands that really need the eyeballs, and there are old, established brands that need to stay relevant,” Lane said in an interview. “It keeps these outdoor malls vibrant.”

Messages left for Rhone’s marketing department were not returned.

Across the street, at 58 Main St., Chanel plans to open a store, taking the space that was formerly occupied by exercise-equipment maker Peloton, before its closing a few months ago.

Alongside apparel brands, home-furnishings retailers have long had a significant presence on Main Street. Last year, the street added two — Oka, at 44 Main St., and Timothy Oulton, at 38 Main St.

“With the opening of our third store in the United States, we’re closing in on another milestone: OKA Westport is our first foray into the east coast, and our U.S. flagship,” reads an excerpt posted last December on Oka’s website. “With its rare mix of small-town charm and cosmopolitan spirit, we’re certain Westport, Conn., is a perfect match for our particular brand of effortless British style.”

The recent and upcoming openings show how Main Street continues to hold its own alongside other high-end retail hubs such as Greenwich Avenue and The SoNo Collection, which opened in October 2019.

“The traffic on I-95 is a natural barrier,” Lane said. “Who really wants to get on 95 and go to Greenwich (from Westport)? It could take you an hour.”

Optimistic outlook

Typical of even the most successful retail destinations, there are still some empty storefronts on Main Street. The most-recent vacancy was created by the closing in late May of Pottery Barn’s longtime store at 27 Main St. It stayed in town by opening another store, about one mile east, at 620 Post Road E.

The storefront at 17 Main St., next to the future Rhone store, is also vacant. It has been idle since the closing about a year-and-a-half ago of a Loft store.

“It was red-hot during COVID. Now, with (rising) interest rates and the fear of a recession, these big retailers are kind of pumping the brakes a little bit,” Lane said. “It’s definitely cooled off, but it’s still a pretty hot market.”

Even if another recession hits in the near future, Main Street will likely withstand the disruption given that it attracts many customers whose spending tends to be less affected by economic downturns. In Westport, the median household income was $236,892, compared with a statewide median of $83,771 and a national median of $69,717, according to Census Bureau data, as of 2021.

Given the resilience of the customer base, retailers are still willing to pay more to have a presence in places like downtown Westport.

“There have always been rumors that the reason why the retailers can pay these big rents is it’s part of their marketing budget,” Lane said. “They don’t make money on Fifth Avenue (in Manhattan), Main Street in Westport or Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, (Fla.). But it’s their brand and presence, and it reflects in their online sales and everything else. So it actually validates paying $100 to $120 per square foot (in annual leasing), if it’s helping your brand.”

Regardless of the economic climate, Crowley said that downtown merchants can count on support from the Westport Downtown Association, which organizes events throughout the year, including the Sidewalk Sale, which was held June 23-25, and the Westport Fine Arts Festival, which took place May 27-28.

“We’re going to keep doing events and beautifying the town,” Crowley said. “It not only gives the people of the town a beautiful shopping environment and a fun place to gather, but it also supports the merchants by bringing people to town.”