The Fun Company is back by popular demand! Actually, the populous didn't have much of a chance to demand the return of the beloved shopping destination, late of Mystic and, before that, Stonington Borough. Before news of the shop's closing could really sink in, two entrepreneurs had already started the process of making it their own and moving it to Westerly.
“We're actually the third owners,” says Frank Algiere. “The original folks started in the Borough in, I think, the early '90s. They in turn sold it close to five years ago,” and the shop was moved to Mystic.
Earlier this year, Algiere met the second set of owners, who were interested in retiring. That meeting dovetailed with some other circumstances and ...
“A light bulb went on,” he says. “I had been a fan of The Fun Company, and I was looking for a new business. And I'd found this great space to rent. But people thought I was going to turn it into a restaurant.”
That's because Algiere and his family have long been in the food business in Westerly: His father owned FRA's Italian Gourmet and his sister owns Joyce's Everyday Gourmet. And Algiere and Stacy Stahl, the buyer/merchandiser of the new Fun, worked together for 20 years at UST Inc.'s corporate conference center in Watch Hill until the giant holding company decided to sell the center and lay off employees, including executive chef Algiere and executive sous chef Stahl.
Instead of a restaurant, however, the two chefs decided to cook up the latest incarnation of Fun in the “great” space, which wasn't so great at all initially.
“It was a garage,” says Algiere.
“Filled with beautiful vintage cars,” adds Stahl, “and grease all over the floor.”
But the location was prime, across from the railroad station and on the edge of downtown Westerly, undergoing a renaissance praised by both Algiere and Stahl.
So they worked. Hard. But not for long. It only took three or four weeks for them to turn the 5,000-square foot garage into a glorious galleria for their goods, thanks to family and friends who pitched in and worked “day and night,” according to Stahl, to open in time for Memorial Day.
The result of their work? A funky, friendly space full of color and light. The tin ceiling in the front half of the shop is a cool silver while the rear of the building has an extremely high, industrial grid ceiling. The painted floor sports a diamond pattern designed by Stahl, and huge panels of billowy fabric separate the sales floor from a storage area in the back. The merchandise itself contributes to the eclectic vibe: furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, gifts, paper goods, glassware and tableware, toys, garden tools and decor, pillows and throws, candles, books, greeting cards and much, much more.
You never know what you'll find, and you probably won't find duplicates of what you do discover, because much of their merchandise had been the samples displayed at wholesale markets by manufacturers and their reps. (This makes the prices really affordable.) Some of what's there now is what remained of the stock at the Mystic location, purchased by Algiere, and some of it is new, procured by him and Stahl at markets around the country. Folks who loved the old Fun will love what they've added.
“I was a classic Fun shopper and had been for years,” says Stahl. “We're trying to add our own personal style to a concept we want to keep.”
One new addition is a coffee bar with comfy chairs, wireless Internet service and pastries provided by Algiere's sister, Joyce.
“We couldn't get too far away from food,” laughs Stahl, “not to mention the amount of coffee we need to keep going!”
Soon they hope to offer more foodstuffs, such as soups, sandwiches and the like. The menu will no doubt continue to evolve as the two folks in charge continue to explore their new line of work.
“When you're laid off, you always wonder what direction you'll take, and I thought it would be food,” says Stahl. “But there are other outlets for creativity.”
They found theirs in The Fun Company, and shoppers old and new are happy they did.
Dawn Limanni of Westerly, who'd never been to the previous incarnations of the shop, browses among the greeting cards with a cup of coffee in her hand. Asked what she thinks of the new shop, she answers, “It's fun. That's exactly what it is.”
JUST THE FACTS
NAME The Fun Company
ADDRESS 33 Railroad Ave., Westerly
PHONE 401.348.8228
WEB SITE www.thefuncompany.org
HOURS 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
