Darien, CT Federal Realty Investment Trust has unveiled the newly named Darien Commons and announced a number of new retail and restaurant tenants slated to open within the next 18 months. These leases bring beloved local brands and exciting national names in dining, take-out and beauty to the adjacent 122 luxury apartment residences as well as neighbors and commuters utilizing the nearby Noroton Heights train station. Retail openings are expected to begin in fall 2022 and new tenants coming to Darien Commons include:

• GLOSSLAB - a hygiene-first, membership-based nail studio operator;

• Gregorys - coffee roaster, tea, pastries and packaged goods;

• Molto pizza - Fairfield, CT-based Italian eatery & wine bar; and

• Van Leeuwen - ice cream & vegan ice cream new to CT.

In unveiling the new destination neighborhood, Federal Realty has curated a mix of retail, services and dining options to support a highly desirable lifestyle for the apartment residents, visitors and the broader community. Darien Commons adds a high level of quality and convenience to the town, while bringing fresh offerings and dynamic living options to attract new residents. The line-up includes Manhattan-based brands making their first foray into Fairfield County as well as regional and local emerging businesses.

On-site surface parking makes Darien Commons easily accessible and shopping more convenient. Walgreens recently opened a brand-new 12,000 s/f drugstore with a pharmacy as part of the development and in 2019, the existing Equinox fitness club underwent an extensive renovation. There is an additional 63,000 s/f of retail on-site, and tenants will be announced over the coming months.

This transit-oriented development provides immediate access to I-95 and is just steps from the Metro-North rail line to New York City.

With its superior location and initial line-up of tenants, Darien Commons creates an appealing opportunity for like-minded retailers and enhanced convenience for apartment residents. The project was designed by Beinfield Architecture of Norwalk and A.P. Construction Company of Stamford, CT is the general contractor.

Rachel Apfel Glass founded GLOSSLAB with a mission to modernize the nail studio experience with its hygiene-first, membership based concept. After giving birth to her second daughter, Glass made her dreams a reality, and founded GLOSSLAB on three key pillars including: Hygiene, efficiency, and membership.

Gregorys was founded in 2006 in Manhattan, New York with a strong focus on quality, innovative products, and world-class service. Though it is a specialty coffee brand first, the company incorporates lifestyle and wellness into a holistic approach to food and experience.

Molto Meaning “a lot” or “many” in Italian, Molto offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience. The Roman café style décor, circa 1950, is a high energy gathering place punctuated by its 40-foot Carrera marble top bar, which features an extensive wine program and spirited cocktail menu. Molto is famous for its square brick oven pizza, fresh mozzarella, seasonal salads, and paninis, as well as a variety of salumi and formaggi, Italian tapas, and hearty classic Italian fare from penne alla vodka and gnocchi Bolognese to chicken parmigiana and veal Sorrentino.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream was started out of a yellow scoop truck on the streets of NYC in 2008 by Ben Van Leeuwen, Pete Van Leeuwen and Laura O’Neill, who were on a mission to make good ice cream from good ingredients that makes you feel good.

Since 2008, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has innovated beyond the original dairy recipe and added cashew-milk vegan ice cream and oat-milk vegan ice cream to the lineup. Across the 3 lines, they offer 32 flavors and 4 special flavors every month. They have grown to more than 25 scoop shops in NYC, LA, Houston, Philadelphia, grocery stores across the country and now Connecticut.

“Darien Commons is an ideal destination for these food and service options to expand in Fairfield County,” said Patrick McMahon, Senior Vice President for Federal Realty. “Our company has a long history of bringing high quality convenience and boutique retail to our mixed-use centers and creating a desirable mix both for residents and visitors, as evidenced by this first group of tenants.”