If you’re looking to combine holiday gift hunting with a fun outing, shop one of Connecticut’s Main Streets. In towns throughout the state, picturesque greens, holiday lights and cozy cafés combine to create a Christmas card environment without the crowds. Today’s profile is the last in this holiday series.
Summer tourists flock to Madison to sun bathe at Hammonasset Beach State Park and other beaches. They browse produce at outdoor farmers’ markets, listen to concerts on the town green and eat lobster rolls at local seafood shacks. But the seaside community, with its New England charm, is a fun destination off-season as well.
The town’s center is filled with an eclectic mix of cafes and shops, many housed in red brick buildings dating back to the 1920 and ’30s. Visit this time of year, and you’ll find a main street dressed up for the holidays, with Christmas trees dotting the median that runs through the center of town.
You’ll also find plenty of holiday spirit.
“Madison feels like a place from another time,” says Roxanne Cote, founder of R.J. Julia Booksellers, a nationally known independent book store at 768 Boston Post Road. “There’s that wonderful small town feeling. People smile at you. Shop owners remember customers’ names. It’s comfortable and comforting to still be able to find that, especially these days.”
That sentiment is more than lip service in R.J. Julia, a retail anchor in town for 25 years. The bookstore, with its polished wood shelves, comfortable chairs and helpful staff, is easy to wander into, but difficult to leave. Along with books, the store stocks greeting cards, gifts, stationary and games. If you work up an appetite, head to the back of the store for lunch and a cappuccino at RJ Café & Bistro. Time your visit right and you might spot a best-selling writer at the next table, since authors from around the country stop at R.J Julia to give lectures and sign books.
Madison Art Cinemas, across the street from the bookstore at 761 Boston Post Road, is another downtown anchor — and a historic landmark. Opened as the Madison Theatre in 1912 and then acquired by Hoyts, the cinema, now independently owned, specializes in first-run independent art, foreign and domestic films.
If you have foodies on your holiday list, shopping’s going to be easy for you in Madison. Tucked down a walkway off the main drag is The Shoreline Vine, (724 Boston Post Road), an artisan olive oil and vinegar tasting room. The store stocks more than 40 oils and vinegars in a variety of flavors. You can’t go wrong with any, but if you’re looking for suggestions, pick up a bottle of the fig or pomegranate balsamic. You won’t be disappointed.
Other don’t-miss stops include Ciao Bella Moda International, 698 Boston Post Road, with its trendy women’s clothing and accessories; Maggie’s of Madison, 705 Boston Post Road, with its stock of chic linens and gifts; bellaPerlina, a jewelry shop at 673 Boston Post Road; and Two Elms, Inc., a classic stationary store, (782 Boston Post Road), offering beautiful pens, papers and cards. Creations, a gallery at 712 Boston Post Road, features the works of more than 60 Northeast artisans. You’ll find many more fun shops as you go.
Once you’ve explored the Boston Post Road’s offerings, wander up to Wall St. and grab a libation and a meal at Moxie, (52 Wall St.) — if you can choose from all the hip beers, ales, ciders and cocktails and menu of re-imagined comfort food.
More Wall Street stops — Robertson Madison, 69 Wall St., for classic women’s clothing and J. Horton, 14 Wall St., for gifts, home accessories, stationary and more.
