‘I give up.’ Recurring construction projects force longtime Norwalk jewelry store to close
Kosta Jewelers of Norwalk are closing after 40 years.
A community staple in the Wall Street district is closing up shop. The owner says recurring construction year-after-year outside his store during the holidays is a big reason why.
Nik Almirakis, of Kosta Jewelers, says December is his biggest month for sales. But he says every year around this time, utility and construction trucks line the street and block parking spots for would-be customers.
"Every time you see a cone outside, you're like, 'Oh my God, are they going to start digging up the ground around Christmas again?" Almirakis says. "The answer is usually, ‘Yes.’"
News 12 spoke to Almirakis in 2019 about the same problem. Six years later, Almirakis says nothing has changed.
"You just say, ‘OK, I give up, you win,' Almirakis says. "I can't do this anymore."
City officials say a "blackout period" from Thanksgiving to the start of the new year prohibits utilities from doing maintenance work in the Wall Street district, but it doesn't apply to projects that are deemed emergencies.
"When there are emergencies and they have to restore, that's a challenge," Norwalk Transportation director Jim Travers says. "Those are things we have limited control over."
While Kosta Jewelers is closing its brick-and-mortar store, Almirakis says it will still sell jewelry online.
Meantime, Travers says the massive transformation of the Wall Street district unfortunately comes with some level of discomfort for business owners.
"Can we do better? Yes," Travers says. "I think we need to take a look and always strive to do better."
