City too tame for Brazen Betties

Shop owner says revitalization not enough BY ALEC JOHNSON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

TORRINGTON In June there will be another vacant storefront downtown. After three years of peddling Connecticutdesigned and -crafted clothing, jewelry, and art, Julia Sloan is closing the door to Brazen Betties after a street festival on June 9. Sloan, who has been a vocal proponent of small business and downtown revitalization, said she recently reviewed her financials and decided staying open wasn't the best choice. "Looking at costs and income ... I am asking myself if it justifies being open and the answer is no," Sloan said. "I am still youngish. I still want to get out there and focus on my designs and focus on me, but this was an amazing chapter of my life."
Julia Sloan, owner of Brazen Betties in downtown Torrington is closing up shop in June following three years in business. Alec Johnson / Republican-American

Sloan, 33, who paid $550 a month to rent her store in the Yankee Pedlar building, said she broke even most months, but it wasn't enough to keep her in business. She said it would have been impossible without the help of her "roommates," who are her parents. "It is harder and harder to own a small business," she said. "When this came about I really wanted to make it work and that (living with her parents to cut expenses) was the best option for me. But I am still young and I want to be able to just strike out on my own and do my thing." Sloan's departure from downtown comes at a time when momentum of revitalization has slowed. Just a year after officials celebrated four Connecticut Main Street awards, and a huge real estate purchase by Torrington Downtown Partners fueled enthusiasm, the Torrington Development Corp. is out of money; and a UConn study with recommendations about how to move forward has sat untouched for six months. Ebony Parish of Torrington, who is one of 40 designers who sold work at Brazen Betties, said she understands Sloan's decision. "It's really sad because I don't see Julia as just a store owner in Torrington. I see her as a cheerleader for the town," said Parish, who designs clothing under the label Asa Gleek. "She is a lot of inspiration and passion and creativity to a place that desperately needs it." Sloan's store, up a few steps from the Yankee Pedlar entrance and nestled under the hotel, like a cubby not much larger than a well-organized closet with windows, has racks of dresses reminiscent of the 1960s when she who wore the brightest Emilio Pucci dress to cocktail parties turned heads. Inches away are racks of T-shirts with irreverent but fond cracks about Route 8 and "raggies" that poke endearing fun through jokes understood only by locals. Also in the inventory: postcards of old-time Torrington, handcrafted pewter jewelry, framed paintings. Sloan said that in her three years renting downtown there has been progress to revitalize the area, but

not enough to make a big difference. "It would have been good to see a little more creativity in maneuvering the revitalization and moving it forward," she said. Attracting more restaurants should be a priority, she said, because they increase foot traffic. "Everyone needs to eat," she said. Marketing is another area where she said the development powers should focus. "I see them struggling with marketing," she said. "I did my best to make Torrington a vibrant place with my business. If I were to open somewhere I would need to go to a place that is more progressive." By progressive, she said, she meant a city that does more to promote local business. "Maybe more of a hip atmosphere," she said. A soft mix of jazz and funk music by Jules Broussard floated from Sloan's open door on Wednesday evening inviting shoppers into her well-stocked boutique, but she had no buyers. A young couple looked around for a few minutes before quietly leaving and the empty sidewalks were ghostly. "There is a realistic foot traffic problem," Sloan said. "I think people are used to shopping differently these days, whether it be online or frequenting bigger box stores, it is more about convenience shopping." Sloan said her busier evenings are those when vendors fill the streets for Main Street Marketplace or when there are shows at the Warner Theatre. "During the week it can definitely be tough," she said. Once she closes the store, Sloan plans to join the vendors at Main Street Marketplace and she said she will try to get an online store running, something that has less overhead than a brick and mortar storefront. "I feel like I accomplished a lot of what I set out to do," she said. "I invested in my hometown by opening a business. I really wanted the shop to be a destination and it has." Parish said losing the vibrancy of Sloan's business would be tough for downtown. "It feels kind of like a light going out," she said. Sloan's final fling street fair will be from 4 to 8 p.m. June 9. The rain date is June 16.