Where do you get a juice in downtown Fairfield now that 39 Unquowa Road is a pile of bricks? In late September, Westfair ran a photo of the remains of the former Catch a Healthy Habit café, the first building to come down for the Center Commons apartment project. The short answer is that the café is around the corner on Sherman Street, under a new name.
The same goes for the rest of the row. Five businesses had to leave the Unquowa Road storefronts. All five reopened or found space elsewhere in Fairfield. When construction is finished, the new building will bring back two ground-floor commercial spaces totaling 2,250 square feet. So the shops from this block are settling into their new addresses for the long term, and those addresses are worth knowing.
What Came Down, and What Is Still Standing
Center Commons is being built by Dr. Lee Forest of Stratford through 15 Unquowa Road LLC. Plans call for a five-story building with 50 apartments, eight of them affordable, and two street-level retail spaces. The project took several years to reach the demolition stage. The Town Plan and Zoning Commission denied the application in 2022. A Hartford judge then ordered approval with conditions, including more soil testing and revised drawings, as CT Insider reported. On July 1, 2025, the commission voted 5 to 1 to accept a stipulated judgment for the revised plan, according to the Town Plan and Zoning Commission minutes.
Demolition has started, but not all at once. In its October 1 story, Westfair reported that as of late September, only 39 Unquowa Road had been taken down. The buildings that held Las Vetas Lounge, Fairfield Barber Shop, Tenth of June and Nancy Galasso Interiors were marked for demolition but still standing. The developer is aiming to start construction in late 2026 or early 2027. Once the foundation is poured, vertical construction and interior build-outs are expected to take 12 to 18 months.
That schedule matters for anyone who used to stop on this block. Even if the foundation goes in on time, the new retail spaces are more than a year away. The five businesses could not wait that long, and none of them did.
The New Map
Here is where each business from the row is now, based on the most recent local reporting.
| Former Unquowa Road tenant | Where to find it now | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Catch a Healthy Habit Café | Clean Slate, 116 Sherman Street | New name, smaller room, ample patio |
| Fairfield Barber Shop | Fairfield Hair House, 1040 Post Road | Co-owned, cuts for men and women, parking |
| Las Vetas Lounge | 1640 Post Road | About 300 more square feet up front, a full basement, a better stage |
| Tenth of June | Wendy & June, 40 Reef Road | Shares the shop with Wendy Loves This |
| Nancy Galasso Interiors | 51 Sherman St. West | Reported in June 2026 |
Each move reflects a different decision about what to keep and what to trade away.
Why the Shops Stayed in Fairfield
Clean Slate. Lisa Storch and Glen Colello ran Catch a Healthy Habit in downtown Fairfield for about twenty years. In 2020 Storch beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network. The café opened to the public as Clean Slate at the end of July 2026, CT Insider reported. Before the move, Storch told the same outlet that the new space was smaller, with a handful of tables and an ample patio. The posted menu is gluten-free and seed-oil-free and mostly plant-based. It runs from a full coffee bar, juices and smoothies to bowls, toasts, flatbreads, sandwiches and salads.
The Town played a direct part in keeping the café local. The Department of Community & Economic Development gave Clean Slate a micro-enterprise assistance grant. The grant is funded by HUD and helped pay for new equipment and fit-up costs at 116 Sherman Street. In its announcement, the Town said the grant "enabled Clean Slate... to remain in Fairfield." The same release quoted Storch:
"It's stressful having to move after so many years, and we are grateful for the support that we received from the Town. We look forward to continuing to serve the greater Fairfield community for many years to come."
The release says the program has helped more than sixty small businesses since it began.
Fairfield Hair House. Marco DiVincenzo owned Fairfield Barber Shop. He now co-owns Fairfield Hair House at 1040 Post Road with June Chen, and the shop held a ribbon cutting on April 27, 2026, according to Patch. The shop cuts hair for men and women and offers scalp-health treatments. Its website lists classic barbering alongside modern styling and color, using Oway products. News 12 reported that parking at the new spot was an improvement over the old storefront. Anyone who tried to park on Unquowa Road on a Saturday will understand why.
Las Vetas Lounge. Owner Andrew Servetas moved Las Vetas to 1640 Post Road. Westfair described it as the coffee shop and music venue's third downtown-area location. Servetas called finding the space a "miracle." He told Westfair it was the right size between the 900- and 2,000-square-foot options he had looked at. The new room has almost 300 more square feet on the front floor, a full basement and a better stage. He said he hoped to keep the live music going.
Wendy & June. Tenth of June moved to 40 Reef Road and shares the storefront with Wendy Loves This under the name Wendy & June. The owners told News 12 that the two remain separate businesses. The shop reopened on the 10th of June, which matches its name. The shop's site lists home goods, botanicals, apparel and jewelry at the Reef Road address. Reef Road is already home to another newer shop. HOPE & JOY opened at 95 Reef Road in January, and the Town's announcement placed it in downtown Fairfield.
Nancy Galasso Interiors. In June, News 12 reported that the interior design business could be found at 51 Sherman St. West.
Put together, these moves show the same pattern. The two shops that relied on foot traffic, the café and the gift shop, moved to Sherman Street and Reef Road. The two that needed parking or more room, the hair salon and the music lounge, took Post Road addresses. In each case the owner gave something up, whether it was tables, a solo storefront or a familiar address, and stayed in town.
Two Storefronts Where There Were Five
The new building is where the numbers start to matter. Five businesses operated in the old row. Center Commons will have two ground-floor commercial spaces with 2,250 square feet between them. Las Vetas alone looked at spaces of 900 to 2,000 square feet when it was choosing a new home. The street-level retail in the new building is about the size of one or two small shops, not a row of five.
The retail requirement exists because of a negotiation. Westfair reported that Dr. Forest reached an agreement with the Town and its Plan and Zoning Commission to build the complex with at least two street-level retail shops. That came after he sued the town over the original denial. When the building opens, Unquowa Road will have shops at street level again, though fewer than before. The tenants for those two spaces haven't been named yet. For the café, salon, lounge and gift shop from the old row, the new addresses are now their permanent ones.
Holiday Shopping With the New Addresses
This is the first holiday season with the old row scattered. Shopping it now means stops at 116 Sherman Street, 40 Reef Road and the Post Road addresses instead of a single block. A walk could start with a coffee at Clean Slate, continue to Wendy & June on Reef Road, and add HOPE & JOY at 95 Reef Road.
The season starts a short drive away at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, 370 Beach Road. Its 12th annual Holiday Pop-Up Market runs Friday, November 13, from 4 to 7 p.m., with a wine and cheese reception. It continues Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Santa visits from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Admission is a $5 donation that supports the Museum's educational programs and free community events. The Museum says this year's market includes a record number of new vendors. On Saturday, The Inclusive Brew will serve coffee and drinks outside.
Later in the season, the Quick Center calendar lists the Fairfield University Glee Club's A Feast of Carols on Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m. Connecticut Dance performs The Nutcracker on December 12 at 6 p.m. and December 13 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The 1 p.m. show is sensory-friendly.
For more on how Fairfield's commercial streets have been shifting this year, see our recent piece on the Post Road's two centers of gravity and our Fairfield neighborhood guide.
If you live near Fairfield Center and want to understand how Center Commons and the new Unquowa Road streetscape could affect your street over the next few years, Barbara Sweeney Homes is glad to talk it through. Work with Barbara. Schedule a free consultation.
