Spuds and Budding Businesses

The more you look for something the more you find. Unless it’s Capezio cowboy boots. So far, no joy. But on my walks around Norwich looking for better days and things, I find them in surprising spaces and places. 

Take Small Potatoes. Not the kind you make with undersized turkey, a drizzle of gravy, and some tiny cranberries for a miniature Thanksgiving. I mean the arts and crafts shop on Otrobando Avenue on your way to Yantic, past Agway and Comfort Suites that shares a parking lot and green space with Our Piece of the Pie. 

It’s been there almost five years and if you’ve been inside (and three’s a crowd if you follow my drift), you know it’s crammed with handmade goods ranging from flags to shawls, as well as crafts books, paintings and oodles of stuff you usually find online at sites like Etsy.

Lifelong Norwich resident Erica Corbett created Small Potatoes and explains “I saw this adorable little building just sitting there, screaming to be put to use. I decided to open a business but didn't know what! 

“I decided to open a gift shop that showcased handmade goods. I reached out to local artists I stumbled upon and some that I found on the artist marketplace ETSY. I run on a consignment basis which allows for me to maintain a low overhead and for the new artist to get their feet wet in retail without a large inventory commitment.” 

Success breeds success, just not necessarily more floor space. And gravity being the way it is, Small Potatoes can’t display crafts on the ceiling where there’s plenty of room and so is a week away from being part of a bigger success story as it moves up the street a bit and a step back in time to what I and my family used to call “The Big Y Plaza” on Sturtevant Street. 

Remember it? Now it’s the Yantic River Plaza, and it’s starting to fill up with other small businesses taking a flyer on what is happening elsewhere in Norwich. Individuals pursuing their passions and putting their money, time and talents where their hearts are, into businesses of all sizes and shapes. 

If you’re unhappy with your current shape, stop in at CrossFit Payback. And if you’re trying to unwind after a workout, there’s Vibes Hookah Lounge on the opposite end of the plaza soon to be joined by an ice cream shop (with the promise of coffee and donuts). 

Paul Breglio Yantic River Plaza owner praises the city’s business-friendly environment saying, “What brought me to Norwich was the price per square foot of buildings. What has kept me interested in buying more properties in Norwich is the way the City and all if its departments welcome and work with me on getting projects accomplished.  NPU is a big factor too; They are very easy to work with.” 

So next Thursday, 1 March, (put it on your calendar and if you don’t have one, we both know where you can get one) make it a point to celebrate Small Potatoes’ Heaping Helping as they debut at the Yantic River Plaza. And learn for yourself how sometimes mighty oaks from small potatoes grow.  

-bill kenny