Spring Has Sprung, and Businesses are Booming

In Branford Center, it's always easy to tell when spring is on the way: opens for the season. This year, as the snow piled higher in February, the Shelley's team opened briefly for Valentine's Day, advertising with . Now, the store is surrounded with palm crosses, pansies, and early vegetable plants, ready to be taken home for holiday celebrations or the beginnings of backyard gardens.

Yvette Chambers, who owns the store with her husband John, said that her favorite thing about opening in the spring is "just seeing people again and having everyone be so joyful that the winter has passed." Noting that the store was opened by John's parents, Norman and Marion Chambers, in 1951, Chambers said that customers are now coming in with fourth generation kids. That devoted client base is important to businesses like Shelley's; as Chambers said, "Plants aren't a necessity, but you do it because it makes your soul feel good."

Shelley's is certainly not the only seasonal business whose opening marks the appearance of spring. All over Branford, garden stores, restaurants, and tourism locations are opening their doors to their seasonal customers. Why not stop by to see what they have in stock?

Greenhouses and Orchards

, 217 Main St., Branford, 203-488-9479. With cut flowers available for Valentine's Day, Shelley's starts their season as early as February, then continues into spring with fresh flowers – both cut and for planting, as well as vegetables and ground cover for gardens and landscaping. The fall season starts with pumpkins in September, and November begins the winter items, such as winter greens and cemetery blankets. The store will close again at Christmas, after the Christmas tree season is complete. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Mike's Vegetable Stand, 206 S. Montowese, Indian Neck, 203-488-0841. Alongside is a small stand where the family that owns the garage sells fresh produce and flowers. From local honey and maple syrup to tulips, Mike's Vegetable Stand offers a wide variety of locally grown goods. The stand opens on June 24 for the season, but early goods can be picked up at the Indian Neck Garage. Hours for the store are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; hours for the stand are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

, 710 Leetes Island Rd., Stony Creek, 203-488-3578. While Medlyn's is open year round for fresh eggs ($3 per dozen) and firewood, the market really begins to swing into gear when the strawberries ripen! Tomatoes follow, and then corn, which is the market's biggest seasonal seller. Firewood is their biggest year-round business; customers can pick up 3 pieces of wood for $1 or a bundle for $2. Delivery is $300 per cord – making buying local more affordable than shopping at the chain grocery store options for firewood. While the market isn't open for retail yet, expect them to start with strawberry sales at the end of May. Once opened, the doors will welcome customers from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Vaiuso Farms, 75 Hosley Ave., Branford, 203-488-1430. Open since 1927, Vaiuso Farms supplies wholesalers in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York with year round sales. The retail side allows local residents to get their choice of flowers, seed plants, and bedding plants once spring is in the air and the Easter season begins. Currently open, the retail store does the bulk of its business in May and June, closing down after the July 4 holiday weekend. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but as the season progresses, the doors close earlier. 

, 33 Branford Road, North Branford, 203-488-7996. Up in neighboring North Branford, Rose Orchards has a seasonal farm market, bakery, and creamery that sells homemade, old fashioned custard. As spring and summer fade to fall, the orchards offer autumn events, from school visit opportunities to a hay maze. Kids can visit the farm animals for an in-person experience. Get more information on their website.

Maple Tree Farm, 275 Totoket Rd., North Branford, 203-484-0664 The Maple Tree dairy farm, also in North Branford, opens their seasonal farm stand to the public to offer a variety of spring and summer vegetables. They continue with pumpkins, gourds, mums, and fall decorations as the weather turns colder. All year round, appointments can be made to pick up hay, straw, and firewood – just call ahead! The stand itself is self-serve. Products are put out, prepackaged and labeled with the price, and a can is set on the stand to accept payments: customers figure out what they owe and leave it in the can. This helps keep prices low, because no one has to monitor the stand, and customers have always honored the system. The stand is open from July 1 through November 1, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Restaurants

, Birbarie Marina, 7 Indian Neck Ave., Branford, 203-483-8414. Thought it first opened in 2008, the Lobster Shack already feels like an annual tradition for many Branford residents. This year they're moving to a new location, just across the bridge, with an even better view of the water. With lobster rolls made from fresh local lobster, shrimp rolls, fresh clams and steamed little necks, sausage and onion grinders, and hot dogs for the kids, the Lobster Shack's outdoor seating encourages a great picnic-like outing for the family. Patrons can bring their own wine, beer, and salads – sodas and desserts are available for purchase – to better enjoy the location on the Branford River. The projected opening date for the Lobster Shack this year is May 19, and hours will be Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Be sure to bring cash – credit cards aren't taken.

, 2 Sybil Ave., Indian Neck, 203-481, 2583. Lenny, Mike, Nick and Gina, who own in Branford Center, are also the owners of The Blue Cottage, a seasonal seafood restaurant and bar located in the building that once housed the Indian Neck Market. Patrons can sit at the bar overlooking the salt marsh and enjoy a specialty cocktail, sit in a booth or table inside, or enjoy the weather with outdoor seating once spring is fully here on the Shoreline. Outdoor entertainment enhances the dining atmosphere on the weekends. The restaurant launched its season on April 1, and will be open seven days a week from May 30 to September 5. Current hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to close, and Sundays 1 p.m. to close. You can find them on the web.

, Bruce and Johnson's Marina, Block Island Rd., Indian Neck, 203-488-3007. Located right on the marina in Indian Neck, the Dockside offers up their brand new deck for fresh seafood and outdoor dining. Owned by "sassy seafood sisters" Susan and Traci, the Dockside has a full bar and a variety of specialties and signature dishes. Lunch options range from soup and sandwiches to fried calamari and crab cakes, and dinner possibilities include steak and chicken as well as fresh or fried seafood and lobster. A senior menu promises a variety of options at an affordable price. The Dockside is open for the season from 11:30 a.m. until Close every day. For more information, visit them online. 

The Place, 901 Boston Post Rd., Guilford, 203-453-9276. Next door to Branford, Guilford's The Place Restaurant offers tree-stump seating around bright red tables under the open sky. Started as a clambake in the 1940s, The Place keeps some of the traditional menu items, such as roast clams cooked right on a wood fire, alongside sweet corn, lobster, and veggiebobs. Shrimp, catfish, salmon, and BBQ chicken help fill out the menu – and ice cream, cakes, and pies are available for dessert. Like the Lobster Shack, patrons to The Place can bring their own beverages, but sodas, juice, tea, and coffee are available for purchase. The Place opens on the last weekend in April, and, weather permitting, is open through October (weekends only during the last month). You can pull up a stump on Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sundays, noon to 9 p.m. Visit them online.

Education and Recreation

Harrison House Museum and Barn, 124 Main St., Branford, 203-488-4828, admission free, donations suggested. First built by Nathaniel Harrison in 1724, the Harrison House was home to the Harrison family through 1800, when the Linsley family moved in and stayed until 1938. That year, architectural historian J. Frederick Kelly restored the house to its original condition, and the rooms are furnished with period furniture and appliances, including seventeenth century chests made in Branford, a beehive bake oven, and rope beds. One room is dedicated to Branford artifacts and archives. The house, barn, and a colonial garden are currently maintained by the Branford Historical society. Though the Branford Historical Society sponsors events, sometimes at the Harrison House and sometimes at other locations, including the James Blackstone Memorial Library, year round, the Harrison House opens for tours on Saturdays from June through September, 2 p.m. through 5 p.m. Private tours are also offered by appointment.

, 17 River St., East Haven, 203-467-6927, admission $5 for children, $9 for adults, $7 for seniors. If you're looking for a trip into the past along the electric railroad, the Shoreline Trolley Museum in East Haven is the way to do it. Preserving more than 100 vintage trolley cars, the museum runs rides on a portion of the old Branford Electric Railway line every half-hour from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Museum grounds are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekends starting May 1st, daily June through August, weekends in September, and on scheduled days and weekends for haunted events in October. The museum reopens briefly during the Christmas season for visits with Santa. Check the schedule online for a complete listing of special events.

, leaving from the Stony Creek Dock, tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $5 or $6 for children. Although Captain Mike Infantino started taking out the Sea Mist II for seal watches earlier this spring, the real Thimble Islands season doesn't start until May, when all three tour boats are back in the water. Catch a ride on the Sea Mist II starting on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 10:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., and 4:15 p.m.. The schedule expands to six days a week in June (closed on Tuesdays), and runs hourly in July and August. The Volusnga IV, captained by Bob Milne, starts Tuesday through Saturday on May 16, running at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m., beginning hourly tours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Memorial Day Weekend (with no tours running Monday afternoons). In September, the Volsunga IV goes back to its three times per day schedule on weekdays, with four tours on the weekends, and in early October, tours are still available on weekends. Captain Dave Kupsterer pilots the smaller boat, the Island, for a closer look at some of the areas of the Thimbles where larger craft cannot go, offering tours during the weekends from Memorial Day through mid-June, and adding weekdays from mid-June through Labor Day. Kupsterer sails at 20 minutes before the hour from 10:40 through 3:40. For more information about the Sea Mist II, click here, or call Captain Mike at 203-488-8905. For more on the Volsunga IV click here or contact Captain Bob at 203-481-3345. Captain Dave can be reached at 352-978-1502 for more information about the Islander.