When I officially became the owner of Impressions Studio in 2010, I was very excited knowing my business was located in Wallingford, CT. This town is small enough that everyone feels familiar and nothing is too far away. Over this (very long) winter I came up with the idea of a blog featuring Wallingford business owners and their stories! For our first post we have two great businesses, Dad's Restaurant and The Crush Club.
First up, Dad's Restaurant located at 740 North Colony Road and owned by Chrissy Barton
"I have been in business in Wallingford for 12 years. Dad's is like family, I am seeing third generation customers! It's not like going to work everyday , I have made so many friends and the customers are so loyal and just great people. Everyone that works at Dad's has been there since the beginning of my journey, and I am blessed everyday :)" Chrissy Barton
Next up, to get us excited for some spring weather and grape growing season we have The Crush Club
- Located at 65 So Colony Road and owned by Amanda Bracket and Deana Morin.
"There are some big changes happening at Wallingford’s Mirco-Winery."
If you haven’t heard of The Crush Club, they are a winemaking facility where YOU come and handcraft your own wine starting from fresh grapes in the Spring and Fall. The whole process takes about a year and five visits to the winery. Making reds, whites and roses… There is sure to be a wine for your palate.
In January, Amanda Brackett and Deana Morin purchased The Crush Club. Amanda has been with the winery since the beginning. She started as the winery manager and then began taking on more winemaking responsibilities. She is now the head winemaker. Deana began as a customer and quickly became a permanent fixture. She started with sales, expanded into event planning and then evolved into the business manager.
Wallingford is quickly becoming a destination for Connecticut wine. With three vineyards within minutes of The Crush Club, Wallingford is an ideal spot for The Crush Club to plant its roots. Owner, Amanda Brackett, says:
"The Connecticut wine community is a small community, especially in our corner of the world. We all need to work together. The Crush Club doesn’t do the same thing that the other local wineries do, in that, you cannot purchase a bottle of wine from us. You have to come and make it… By having a concentrated network of wine providers in our small area, consumers are able to make an event out of their wine tasting excursions. Visiting more than one winery in a day adds a value to their trip. We have had customers in the past that come on a Saturday morning, crush their grapes and then head up the hill to Gouveia or the folks that went to Paradise Hills and then attended one of our blending classes. Rosabianca Vineyards is just a stones throw away in Northford. And now our ‘Wallingford Wine Trail’ is rounded off nicely with Gouveia’s new wine bar, The Library. We have become a destination rather than a pass through and local should support local!"
The girls have some big changes coming down the pipe. They plan to offer more winemaking packages, classes and some new events. Their new website is set to launch May 1st! For now, to keep up to date with happenings at The Crush Club like their Facebook, facebook.com/thecrushclub."
Comment below if you are interested in having your business featured. Or, mention your favorite Wallingford business and what you love about them.