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Putnam lures visitors looking for antiques
Putnam is known as the heart of the quiet corner of Connecticut but of late it has become a favorite for antique shoppers looking for a bargain.
There are almost a dozen antiques stores in a four-block area, including a mall with over 200 dealers. Putnam is giving well-known antiques destinations in Connecticut like Woodbury and the Collinsville section of Canton a run for their money. According to USA Today one reason for its increasing popularity is probably the fact that it is located amid verdant countryside and visitors to the town can enjoy the scenic drive. It is about an hour’s drive from Hartford, 90 minutes from Boston and 45 minutes from Providence, R.I, making it a good weekend getaway for those looking for a good buy as well as a breath of fresh air.
It was an enterprising businessman named Jerry Cohen who sparked off the revival of Putnam’s downtown area when he bought a department store going against popular advice that it would be a poor investment. He proceeded to convert the store into an antiques mall and there was no looking back for him or for Putnam from that point on. Cohen’s store, the Antiques Marketplace spans 4 levels and covers 22,000 square feet. Mission-style oak furniture is a specialty of the store. Seeing his success others followed suit and opened antique stores which has led to Putnam being hailed as an antiques district.
Restaurants have followed on the heels of the new stores and visitors to Putnam can enjoy a varied dining experience from cornmeal-dusted fried calamari to Coney Island hot dogs. Putnam offers visitors gourmet bistro dining, pub dining, brick-oven pizza, deli-style sandwich shops, international cuisine, bakery and teashops. As Putnam is located near the Quinebaug River at the Cargill Falls, it has lots of outdoor activities: boating, water sports, fishing, swimming, and wild life. Putnam has invested in its river front; a two-mile pathway called the Putnam River Trail. Down the road, a 19th century mill site just beyond the Quinebaug River offers a beautiful, nostalgic picture of the town’s industrial past.
For children’s book enthusiasts, a red boxcar sits about a block away from the downtown area, just across a set of railroad tracks, honoring Gertrude Chandler Warner, the author of “The Boxcar Children” book series and a native of Putnam.
Report by Chitra Mogul
Chitra Mogul
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