By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — A store that has done business in Westport so long it’s practically an institution is moving — but not far. 

Westport Hardware will relocate a few steps away from its current storefront in the Village Center to another slot in the shopping center at 606 Post Road East by late summer or fall.

Meanwhile, the Pottery Barn store will move from Main Street and take up residence in the hardware store’s former space at 616 Post Road East. 

Both retail properties are owned by Equity One Westport Village Center LLC, and both sites will undergo renovation to prepare for the new tenants.

New site, fresh look for Westport Hardware

“We definitely can’t wait for everyone to see the new store,” said Westport Hardware store manager Gabriella Velez, 32, who runs the store with her parents Richard and Elda Velez.

Westport Hardware has operated here since 1926, when the business was located on Main Street and was more of a general store, selling a wide variety of items, according to Elda Velez. It moved to its current site about three decades ago.

Richard Velez has worked at the store all his working life, his daughter said, taking ownership of the business with his wife 17 years ago. Another fixture at Westport Hardware, George Plaitis, has worked there 30 years, both for the previous owner and the Velez family.

The Velez family looks forward to the move because the new space will be a single floor encompassing the same square footage as the current store, Gabriella Velez said. The interior and exterior of the new location will be revamped, providing not only a fresher look but more flexibility in accommodating larger products, such as plumbing and electrical supplies in greater demand lately, she added. The current site comprises what were once three stores on different levels, requiring customers and staff to navigate the space using steps.

The Velez family also is pleased that Pottery Barn plans to move into the hardware store’s current space, a few doors down from their new site in the Village Center, Gabriella Velez said. The furniture and homewares retailer is likely to help draw more customers to the shopping center, she indicated.

Planned relocation a better fit for Pottery Barn

“Space and visibility is the primary reason” Pottery Barn is moving from its downtown location at 27 Main St. to Post Road East, according to Westport Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young. 

Plans to renovate the hardware store space and adjoining spaces to accommodate Pottery Barn are pending with the Planning and Zoning Commission, she said.

Some businesses find Main Street, where Pottery Barn is now located, more challenging in terms of receiving shipments of large items and for customer parking, because the street is relatively narrow, Young said during P&Z discussions of the downtown district earlier this year. For those stores, Post Road locations can better meet their needs, she said.

An aspect of plans to relocate the two stores involves encouraging more customers to park behind the buildings instead of in front, Young added.

“Regency Centers [the leasing company] is trying to attract future patrons to park in back and access the stores from the rear entrances [where the majority of available parking is located], as they did at 374 Post Road East … Trader Joe’s Shopping Plaza,” she said in an email.

The Velez family plans to continue running their business in Westport for years to come, and Gabriella Velez hopes to take over the business one day when her parents retire, she said.

“We don’t plan on going anywhere,” Gabriella said. “This is all my Dad’s ever done, and here we are 17 years later.”