Open for Business, or Still Closed [UPDATED]

With so many local businesses still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, Patch is compiling a list of businesses that are open and serving the community.

Are you open for business but not listed below? On Friday or Monday, email David Gurliacci (Darien@patch.com) or, on Saturday or Sunday, email Chandra Johnson Greene (at chandra@patch.com) with the name and address of your business, the hours you’re open.

Plus, please include any special services, products or other information that might be useful to the community. For example, do you have wifi, fresh water, or charging stations? Let us know and we’ll publish it on Patch, in our email newsletter, and on our Facebook page.

Please leave a comment or email darien@patch.com if you know of other closings, cancelations or postponed events due to Hurricane Sandy. Don't be shy about posting a comment!

Continuously updated — with power being restored, the situation is fluid and more places may have power

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Sunday

9:57 a.m.: The following email was sent by Baywater Properties:

Power was restored to much of downtown Darien today, and so many restaurants and retailers will be open from Sunday to provide you with an oasis from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Estia's American will begin serving breakfast on Sunday at 7 am, and will serve breakfast and lunch throughout the day. Estia's normal schedule will resume on Monday. Ten Twenty Post will begin Sunday with brunch from 11 am, and will be back on its normal schedule from tomorrow. UCBC Bakery & Cafe will be open from tomorrow morning. Wiliams & Company will be open tomorrow and is taking appointments for spa treatments, the perfect way to recover from the stress of the storm. Bodega Taco Bar will be opening soon, so stay tuned for more information! Many other retailers will be open.  Having been unable to operate for the last week, all are so excited to be back in business.  Come down and support your local retailers and restaurants!

Also Mama Carmela's will also open on Sunday until 2 p.m.

A late-afternoon Thursday tour of Darien:

Part 3 (last part) Update 6:15 p.m.:

If Downtown between the highway and the railroad underpass was practically dead (with time standing still, as proved by the stopped clock in front of The Goose and the massive tree trunk blocking half of Tokeneke Road just southeast of Downtown), then Downtown east of the railroad underpass was lit up and lively.

Power appears to be back at all businesses between the underpass and the Norwalk line, with restaurants appearing to do quite a bit of business. Rory's, the Darien Diner and Bertucci's each had full parking lots, and there were plenty of cars at Duchess, too. Matsuri's and Frendly's were also open. Chipotle appeared to be closed.

Little Thai Kitchen, Subway, Burgers, Shakes & Fries, Planet Pizza and Post Corner Pizza were all open.

Part 2 Update 5:31 p.m.:

Downtown Darien between I-95 and the railroad underpass remains without power.

At the Gulf station on the corner of Corbin Drive and the Post Road, there's no electricity, but gasoline is available for cars or generators through a temporary pump run on a battery. It takes a while, because the pump goes into a 5-gallon container, which then gets poured into your gas tank. But there's no line, either.

The station closes at 6 p.m. tonight and will be open again Friday starting at 8 a.m. And—who knows?—there may be electricity by then.

Part 1 Update 5:27 p.m. (reported at 5:05 p.m.):

Electricity is restored across the Noroton Heights shopping district, including Palmer's Market. Stop & Shop is now fully lit as well, as is Walgreen's pharmacy.

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List of Open Establishments

Dr. Maryann Lehmann, D.D.S. — Saturday

Dr. Maryann Lehmann, D.D.S., located at 5 Brook St., is without power, but is working from an alternate location at 10 Mott Ave in Norwalk. Patients can call the office at 203-655-0021, calls are being forwarded, and the office can still schedule anyone who needs an appointment (or who already had one booked).

Darien Social — Saturday

From an email received Friday: "This is Baird from Darien Social.  We are still without power but have all intentions of opening tomorrow [Saturday] with the band "Remember September." If we have power we will open. [...] Our hope is with power we can provide some relief from the "stuck-at-home" life we have endured.  We will run specials, and just hope to get the Darien locals to come out and get back to life as usual. [...] These are difficult times and we all need to push on."

Family Centers/Center for Hope

"Our Family Centers offices in Greenwich and Darien [590 Post Rd., Darien] are open and are available for folks to charge electronic devices, get out of the cold or fill up water bottles.  Our team of mental health professionals can also provide counseling services for those coping with emotional stress caused by the storm." — announcement from Family Centers/Center for Hope, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. To repeat: You can go there today, Friday, until 5 p.m. and the next time you can go will be 9 a.m. Monday.

New Haven Line

Metro-North service on the New Haven line has resumed Friday morning with it's regular schedule, but with free fares for now.

A map showing open subway lines as of 12:31 p.m. Friday is now attached to this article, both with a close-up view of central Manhattan and as a PDF showing the entire map. Lines going south of Grand Central Terminal are still closed.

Postal service partially open (as of 11:08 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 1):

The Noroton Heights Post Office appears to be open and running on Wednesday. Patch reader Heather Pommernelle communications manager for the Darien Community Association, emails that the Darien Post Office on Corbin Drive is closed. She adds:

"Mail carriers are delivering throughout the town – several trucks out already.  If they can’t get to an address, they’ll simply return the post for that address to the post office, and try again the next day.  So most of us will be getting mail today, if not from yesterday already.

"Though it says it’s closed at the front, they will take bulk mail through the back of the Corbin post office. (they have a generator running some lights, so they seem to be able to sort)"

Darien Food

• PIZZA: Heights Pizza, Post Corner Pizza and Planet Pizza, Behind the Net Pizza at the Darien Ice Rink.

• SUPERMARKETS: All are open and with electricity.

• For information about downtown restaurants, see the 6:15 p.m., Thursday update above. The only restaurants that appear to be still closed in town are downtown between the railroad underpass and the highway overpass.

Darien: other openings

• Darien Town Hall

• Darien Library — all day (and on Thursday to 11 p.m.)

• Darien YMCA opened Thursday morning with all programs except for the Holly Pond School. It has showers available if you need one.

• The YWCA Darien/Norwalk is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday for free Wifi, charging phones, and for children who want to play in its Toddler Time room (with parents present).

• Most businesses in downtown Darien east of the railroad underpass

• CVS — 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., normal business hours as it runs on a generator.

• Grieb's Pharmacy

• Darien Sport Shop had a sign saying it was open at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday

• Darien Liquor Shop on Tokeneke Road expects to be open during the daytime, even without electric power, until probably about 5:30 p.m.

• Darien Auto Specialists, the Gulf gas station at 1044 Post Rd.

• White Bridge Liquor on Tokeneke Road was open late Tuesday afternoon.

• Infinity Fitness 

• Elements Yoga

• House of Needlepoint, 839 Post Rd. (next to Starbucks), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Center for Hope, 940 Post Rd., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for counseling, to charge electronic devices, get out of the cold or fill up water bottles (see above)

Elsewhere

• Connecticut state offices reopen

• Barcelona Wine Bar in Stamford and Norwalk are open and anyone is invited to go in and use the tables, no purchase required, the restaurant chain just tweeted.

• New York Stock Exchange

• Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk

• Monday — King Low Heywood Thomas School in Stamford reopens

Closed

Darien

• Wednesday, Thursday, Friday — Darien Public Schools

• Holly Pond School

• Wednesday, Thursday, Friday — Darien Community Association

• Most businesses in downtown Darien between the railroad underpass and the highway overpass (see above)
  

• Darien Thrift Shop is closed until Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Elsewhere

• King Low Heywood Thomas School

Canceled

• STAR, Inc.'s annual gala, scheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 3, at Woodway Country Club, has been canceled.

• Darien Department of Public Works has announced: "The first leaf pick up scheduled for Monday, November 5th and Wednesday November 7th, have been cancelled. At this time pick ups #2 and #3 are the same. Check the Public Works page for updates."

Postponed

• Saturday — Darien Fire Department Open House  will be rescheduled for a later date. Any questions, please contact Assistant Chief Shane Smith, 203-655-1216.

• Halloween in Darien — Darien First Selectman Jayme Stevenson has announced that Halloween is officially postponed to Wednesday, Nov. 7. Tell us what you think: Take our poll. 

• Saturday — "Family Day with Revolutionary  War re-enactors at Putnam Memorial State Park" in Redding

Editor's note: This article originally was published on Sunday. The time stamp has been changed for layout purposes on the Home page of Darien Patch.