Two Brave Entrepreneurs Launch Businesses in Spite of Pandemic

SIMSBURY, CT – While small businesses are closing at a tremendous pace due the impact of the COVID pandemic, two courageous Simsbury women are challenging conventional wisdom and launching two unique business ventures at the Fiddler’s Green Shops in Simsbury this winter.

Amy Sheehan and Stephanie Civitillo are both leaving corporate careers to follow their entrepreneurial spirit and embark on the independent business journeys they’ve dreamed of for years.

Amy will open “The Coffee Spot” in a charming Victorian house at 750 Hopmeadow Street, in the heart of Simsbury’s historic downtown. This sophisticated retreat will feature high-end fair trade artisan coffee, loose-leaf teas, sandwiches, soups and in-house baked goods, including a wide selection of gluten-free items. Amy is currently transforming the cozy rooms of this circa 1891 house into inviting spaces for reading in oversized chairs, meeting friends at welcoming tables, working at light-filled window-facing bars, and indulging in house-made gourmet treats. The building, part of the Fiddler’s Green Shops & Restaurants, was most recently the home of The Storyteller’s Cottage. The Coffee Spot will open in March 2021.

Stephanie will open “Roux Cajun Eatery” at the other end of the Fiddler’s Green Shops, in the unique stone building at 6 Wilcox Street, previously the home of Sakimura Japanese Restaurant. As a transplanted Louisiana girl, Stephanie is excited to bring authentic Cajun cuisine and culture to Connecticut. Roux Cajun Eatery will feature breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as grab & go specialties, catering, and community events with a N’Orleans vibe. Stephanie is working hard to renovate this unusual space and highlight its unique historic features, including exposed sandstone walls. She’ll be adding a new outdoor patio featuring authentic New Orleans lampposts and fencing, along with an adjacent market, honoring the original Pattison’s General Store that inhabited this location for 122 years. Roux Market will open in February, and Roux Cajun Eatery will follow in the spring.

Both businesses are part of the Fiddler’s Green retail complex at the corner of Hopmeadow and Wilcox streets. The property is also the home of Joe Pizza, McLadden’s Irish Pub, and a variety of shops and offices.

For more information and updates on opening dates, please visit www.Fiddlers-Green-Simsbury.com.