Annie Sullivan Is Back Running an Organization in Darien

Before she moved away after 19 years in Darien, Annie Sullivan had been interim executive director first of the Y.W.C.A. Darien-Norwalk, then of the Darien Community Association, and had owned the House of Needlepoint store in town.

Then she and her husband, William, moved to Boston last summer, where Sullivan, whose career has been in retailing, got a job with Brooks Brothers. Last month, the chain's Darien store needed a new manager, and Sullivan was back in town again, running another Darien organization.

"Having my own shop here is a blast," Sullivan said during an interview in the three-floor, 11,000-square-foot store in the middle of downtown. She wants the store to be even more woven into the fabric of the community (my pun, not hers), by partnering in community fundraising events, perhaps with family fashion shows.

Born and raised near Philadelphia, Sullivan started her career with a Philadelphia-based department store, Wanamaker's, and was working for Avon Products as director of merchandising when she was first living in Darien.

After moving to town, she bought House of Needlepoint -- which was then, as now, a community gathering place as well as a business. She later sold it to its current owners, Beth Crump and Kim Kernan, who were customers at the store.

Brooks Brothers also is more than a business, she pointed out: "One of the best things about Brooks Brothers is that it fosters a culture of caring." The company gives generously to good causes, treats its employees so well that many stay with the company for a long time, and is run ethically for both its employees and customers, she said.

While Sullivan was working at the Brooks Brothers store this spring, the Boston Marathon bombing (several blocks away) sent people streaming past the storefront, many of them distressed and confused.

The store opened its doors to offer passers-by water and a place to charge their cell phones, Sullivan said.

Sullivan wants to grow Brooks Brothers "made to measure" business in which a customer is measured in 17 ways for clothing and then can order a tie, shirt, shoes, pair of pants or whole suit, made to fit, without even entering the store. The service could be handy for a busy executive, even when traveling, she said.

The chain is known for its men's clothing but also has women's and children's offerings, is currently in one of its two big semi-annual sales events (the first one is just after Christmas, this one started just after Father's Day and runs through Tuesday, July 2.)

Sullivan is currently living in town on weekdays and taking the train back to Boston on weekends. She said she wants to move back soon to a community where many of her friends are also running shops in town.