The Serendipity Of A Day In Canaan, Connecticut
“All roads lead through Canaan, Connecticut,” says Ian Edwards, co-owner of Tenuta Market, which sits “at the intersection of the Hudson Valley, Litchfield County, and Sicily,” as stated on its website.
Maybe not all roads, but the one I took certainly did, and it led me to two discoveries: Tenuta, an Italian specialty foods store, and Flea At 99, an indoor antiques and vintage collectibles Shangri-la. Not exactly from the sublime to the ridiculous, but definitely from high-end taste to tchotchkes and useful goods for (almost) anyone.
Tenuta Market
You don’t just get products from Italy at this diminutive market on Canaan’s Main Street — you get a story about everything on its shelves. The name of the store, Tenuta, means estate — everyone’s family farm in Italy is a tenuta, says Edwards — and there’s a snapshot of the makers beside each of the brands represented. If you’re interested, you can get some insight into their lives and their farms.
“So many stories are told around food, and people dedicating their entire lives to produce their unique offerings on a small scale,” Edwards says. A fashion publicist by day, Edwards took his love for cooking to a school in Sicily, learning about la cucina and living in a convent in the middle of nowhere. Co-owner Travis Powell , also a foodie, has traveled to Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world. They’re extremely selective of the foods and other products they carry. There’s Pasta Martelli, made from quality Italian wheat. Extra virgin Pianogrillo olive oil, "harvested at the perfect maturity in October." Sweet, thick Balsanic Saba 6 made by Mariangela Montanari in Modena, where she grows her own grapes for the balsamic. Textiles from Fabrizia Lanza, a Sicilian artist, cook, and teacher. Trapani sea salt, white truffle mayonnaise, and all manner of jams and marmalades, olives and nuts. Nothing is inexpensive, but you’re buying the promise of swoon-worthy meals, not to mention items so gorgeously packaged that they’re suitable as adornments for your table.
Brooklynites Edwards and Powell (he's a tech engineer for a hedge fund and now Canaan part-timer) have been friends for a decade. They discovered Canaan earlier in the pandemic and fell in love with the area. When they noticed that the storefront was available, they jumped. The owners plan to offer in-store events when — well, you know.
“We saw it as a way to bring new eyes to Canaan, and support the community,” Edwards said. “It’s doing better than we even expected.”
Tenuta Market
62 W. Main Street, Unit B, Canaan, CT
Open Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Flea At 99
In spite of the fact that some middle-aged guy was playing the riff to “Smoke on the Water” ad nauseum on an out-of-tune guitar throughout my visit, my experience at Flea At 99 was an unexpected delight. The indoor multi-vendor market — on your right on Railroad Street as you enter Canaan from the north — houses 8,000 square feet of antique, vintage, collectible, new and used must-haves and what-are-these things. What makes it even more fun is that each of the 60-or-so vendors’ shops are strewn throughout the building with no rhyme or reason — some in separate rooms, others in the hallway or separated from one another by their own items for sale.
Flea At 99 “has been around for about five years,” says Shelley Brooks. The building belongs to her son, who lives in Texas. "When the last tenant moved out, it sat empty for almost a year. Our son asked us to think about something we could do with it. Once we opened it up as a flea market to vendors, it just took off.” There’s a waiting list of other vendors who want in. And stuff, she says, moves in and out fast.
It’s a good place to pick up a pair of boots (fashion and snow), a fur or faux fur coat, some good, sturdy furniture, vintage games and puzzles, tools, and books (lots of books). Plus all the other stuff you didn’t know you were looking for. It’s really one of the most diversified markets of this kind I’ve seen. Plan to spend some time here, and remember to bring cash — no debit or credit card payments accepted. There is, however, an ATM machine on the premises.
Flea At 99
99 Railroad Street, Canaan, CT
(860) 453-4337
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