It's almost summer and there are few better feelings than spending free time on the beach or outside. Here at Impressions we are firm believers in body confidence and positivity. One of the best ways to achieve this is by staying active! We spent some time with Terrace of Wallingford's Body Temple Fitness. Read what he had to say about what their business offers, below.

"Body Temple Fitness is a personal training studio that caters to clients of all ages and fitness levels. Their first studio was established in 2007 in Meriden, CT. Once that studio began to grow, the owner Terrace Johnson, along with his wife Shelly, began looking for a new location. They took notice that many parents in Wallingford were supportive in keeping their kids active and healthy.  As a studio that involves family, fun, and fitness, they were interested in targeting this positive group of people!  Then, in 2010, they opened their Wallingford, CT location.  The BTF team is confident that they can help you meet your goals whether they are weight loss, strength training, recovering from an injury or surgery, or just to maintain your overall health. When it comes to kids and teens, maybe you'd like to help your son or daughter build endurance, strength, and more with their Sports Specific Training! No matter what your desire is, they are positive you will love it!  Their professional trainers are available from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm, by appointment only. They are very accommodating with days, times and having two locations (second location is in Middlefield, CT)  Visit their website at www.bodytemplefitnessct.com for more information or to register for a consult!  One of their staff members will contact you within 24 hours to schedule your appointment! "

We love the fun vibe that BTF has inside their facility and had such a great time meeting and talking to Terrace!

Thank you for reading this weeks FOW! If you own a business in town and would like to be featured on our Focus on Wallingford series, comment below or contact me HERE!

If you've been in Downtown Wallingford you know we have a variety of restaurants, bars and options for nightlife but there's only one place to get ice cream, candy and cupcakes! Mr. D's is not only a fun place to hang out but the product is extremely tasty.

I've known Ann and Bill DeFusco for a number of years and they have allowed me to photograph inside their space a number of times! (You may recognize it from last week's styled shoot post) They are so lovely and I'm excited to share a piece of their story...

"I had this idea a while back: one day I’d like to open a bakery, ice cream parlor, and candy store, all rolled into one! All I had was this idea. One day while driving through downtown Wallingford, I spotted a “for rent” sign. I knew, right at that moment, this is it! This is the place that I'll open my shop! That was six years ago.

I’m proud to say that Mr. D’s will be celebrating its 5th year in business this coming July. Mr. D’s offers cupcakes baked fresh daily using original family recipes. Our ice cream parlor proudly serves Wallingford’s own Pralines Ice Cream and we offer over 250 varieties of confections and nostalgic candy. Not only that, but we also serve up delicious smoothies, bubble teas, milkshakes and other gourmet beverages. But wait, there’s even more! Our toy department offers toys for kids of all ages. See you at Mr.D’s!"

Thank you for sharing, Ann and Bill! Make sure to enjoy the spring and summer ahead and poke your head into Mr. D's for some treats and toys! 

If you own a business in town and would like to be featured on our Focus on Wallingford series, comment below or contact me HERE!

Last February I worked with Rachel, the owner of Salon Le Rae for the first time and ever since we jump at any opportunity. These last few months I have been collaborating with the Salon and a local boutique for some styled shoots (last week I blogged our Audrey Hepburn shoot). Rachel is so talented in her craft, smart and driven. I am honored every chance I get to work with her. Below is a small piece of what Rachel wants our readers to know about herself and her awesome salon!

"I have always had a passion for the beauty industry since I was a young girl, I always knew I would be apart of the industry someday. After graduating from high school at Lyman Hall I went straight  to cosmetology school. I then worked at a salon in Wallingford but after a couple years I decided I wanted to learn more about my industry so I then ventured to a salon in Westport, CT where I went through intense training learning more coloring and hair cutting techniques. After being there for a couple years I began working at a salon in West Hartford, CT where I specialized in weddings. This is where I found my passion, I love nothing more than making a bride feel and look beautiful on her wedding day! In January of 2011 I bought an existing salon in Wallingford. It was so nice to have my own place where I could finally bring everything I had learned throughout my career into my own business. I have always had a special love and connection to Wallingford since I moved here from the Midwest when I was 16 years old. I knew there was no better place to open my salon. There are so many small businesses in Wallingford that are all striving to be successful but the difference with our town is our sense of community we have here. We all want our fellow businesses to succeed, even if we are in the same business! You do not always find that, and that's what makes our town so special. Since opening I have hired five more stylists and we continue to grow every day. We offer all hair services including hair extensions, makeup, spray tanning, eye lash extensions, waxing and specializing in hair and makeup for brides. I love nothing more than having my own business while fulfilling my passion of the beauty industry. I would not have wanted to do it anywhere else but here in Wallingford, CT where I have the love and support from all our local businesses!"

Thank you for your time Rachel! I look forward to our next collaboration and hope our readers enjoyed this weeks Focus on Wallingford excerpt.

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 1^st!  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.

Hello! Welcome to the Impressions Studio blog! Spring is right around the corner as well as many changes for our Studio. I wanted to keep my loyal clients informed about everything coming so, after some brainstorming I decided "what better than a blog!?" Here I will post weekly features of people, places and things important to us here at Impressions Studio.

One project that I spent some time on this winter is something called Focus on Wallingford. I decided to start this to feature some of the many small business owners located in Wallingford. I'm a huge supporter of local businesses and I feel that it is extremely important to support the "little guy".  Although it may cost a little more at times, you can't put a price tag on the added customer service. Most importantly, by supporting small businesses, you're helping boost the local economy. Local businesses are the ones that donate to your schools, fundraisers...so on and so forth. These bi-weekly blog posts will feature basic facts about each business as well as environmental portraits of each business owner. If you own in business in town and would like to be involved in this project contact me HERE.   

We will also be blogging about current projects going on at the studio and other fun tidbits, so keep your eyes peeled!

Just a fun fact about the portrait above...Before the frigid winter began, I got the opportunity to model for my friend Cheryl Cronin (owner of Cronin Photography in Branford). We played with different lighting techniques and I got to see how it feels to be on the other side of the camera. It's always fun getting a taste of my own subjects' medicine! 

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to see if your favorite Wallingford business is featured!