New Milford business owner aids with Holiday Stroll prep work

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Michael Cleveland photo Mary Mattingly's new business called I Do, Again on South Street in Milford sells new and consignment wedding gowns, prom dresses, and bridesmaids gowns.

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According to Hutchins, the fairs include:

• Milford High School Music Boosters Shop ’Til You Drop, Jacques School, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Day care provided by Nellie’s Treehouse Daycare.

• Unitarian Universalist/Stone Church Holiday Craft Fair, 20 Elm St., 8:30-2.

• First Congregational Church Holly Berry Fair, 10 Union St., 9-2.

• Church of Our Saviour Christmas Fair, 10 Amherst St., 9-2.

• SHARE Christmas Fair, 1 Columbus Ave., 9-2.

• Crestwood Care & Rehabilitation Center, 40 Crosby St., 10-2.

• VFW Womens Auxiliary Fair. 9-2.

• Candle sale to benefit the Souhegan Valley Boys & Girls Club & SHARE, Riverway East Road (behind Milford House of Pizza on Elm Street), 9-1.

• United Methodist Church Christmas Fair, 327 N. River Road, 9-2.

• Milford Farmers Market Indoor Market, Milford Town Hall Auditorium, 9-2.

The shuttle bus stops at each fair, and people can get on and off at any stop.

MILFORD – As she prepares for this year’s Holiday Stroll and day of fairs, Tracy Hutchins, the executive director of the Downtown Ongoing Improvement Team (DO-IT), has help from a new business owner with new ideas.

Mary Mattingly, who opened I Do, Again LLC on South Street on Nov. 1, has jumped in to help organize the stroll, which will take place Dec. 3. That is the same day that a number of organizations are holding their holiday fairs, for which DO-IT provides a shuttle bus, so there is a lot of planning that needs to be done. Plus, Hutchins has just moved her office to the Wadleigh Memorial Library annex – the white building behind the library – and last week was planning the appreciation dinner for Pumpkin Festival volunteers.

Enter Mattingly.

“I have a new business, and I think having the stroll, where people can come and see the stores and see what we have to offer on the Oval, and just off the Oval, is important,” she said. “It’s a tough economy, and we need to be backing each other up.”

Mattingly’s shop, at 42 South St. – the former home of the Christian Science Reading Room – offers new and consignment wedding gowns, prom dresses, bridesmaid gowns and much else. She and Hutchins agree that, despite the economy, a business in Milford can do well, which was at least part of the reason Mattingly took the plunge with I Do, Again.

“Women are still getting married, and girls are still wanting to go to proms and look their best on their special day,” Mattingly said. “That’s where a consignment store like this comes in: It gives women an option to look amazing at an affordable price.”

Hutchins looks at the broader picture, of course.

“We do have some businesses that are really struggling right now, but we’ve done really well through this recession, and I guess we are still in a recession,” she said. “Milford’s downtown has done very well compared to Nashua, Concord, even Manchester. Our vacancy rate has stayed really low compared to those other places, percentage-wise.”

New businesses such as Mattingly’s help keep that vacancy rate down, but Hutchins said it could be creeping up this year.

“This year, it seems it’s catching up with us a little,” she said. “We have some businesses that are having a tough time, which is really concerning. On the other hand, there are these bright spots happening,” including Cafe on the Oval’s move to the old Dyer building on the corner of South Street and Union Square.

And most of the town’s restaurants are doing well, some even very well, she said.

“The retail business, it’s kind of a mixed bag, but I think the reason we’ve done so well up to now is because Milford people really do support Milford businesses,” she said. “Hopefully they will continue to do that through the holidays – look locally first.”

That, to some extent, is where the Dec. 3 fairs and stroll enter the picture. The day will include the lighting of the Oval Christmas tree and caroling, and businesses will be open so that visitors can “stroll” in. Mattingly is working on that.

“I’m trying to organize having everyone decorate their storefront windows with a Christmas tree, a menorah, whatever is near and dear to them,” Mattingly said.

And she and Hutchins will discuss having visitors vote on their favorite displays.

“I love the Oval,” Mattingly said.

I Do, Again can be reached at 673-2IDO (673-2436).

Dec. 3 holiday fairs

According to Hutchins, the fairs scheduled so far are:

1. Milford High School Music Boosters Shop ’Til You Drop, Jacques School, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Day care provided by Nellie’s Treehouse Daycare.

2. Unitarian Universalist/Stone Church Holiday Craft Fair, 20 Elm St., 8:30-2.

3. First Congregational Church Holly Berry Fair, 10 Union St., 9-2.

4. Church of Our Saviour Christmas Fair, 10 Amherst St., 9-2.

5. SHARE Christmas Fair, 1 Columbus Ave., 9-2.

6. Crestwood Care & Rehabilitation Center, 40 Crosby St., 10-2.

7. VFW Womens Auxiliary Fair. 9-2.

8. Candle sale to benefit the Souhegan Valley Boys & Girls Club & SHARE, Riverway East Road (behind Milford House of Pizza on Elm Street), 9-1.

9. United Methodist Church Christmas Fair, 327 N. River Road, 9-2.

10. Milford Farmers Market Indoor Market, Milford Town Hall Auditorium, 9-2.

The shuttle bus stops at each fair, and people can get on and off at any stop.