Jun 19, 2009

Splurge owner honored by chamberBy Michael C. JulianoConnPost.com

Greenwich, CT — Sonia Sotire Malloy remembers when she was a child eating pizza by the slice at Davinci’s pizza shop and hunting for treasures at Baubles in downtown Greenwich.

The Stamford native said she enjoyed the area’s shops so much that she opened Splurge, a gift shop on East Putnam Avenue in December 2007.

“When I decided to pursue my lifelong dream of opening a gift store, my fond memories of the locally owned businesses of Greenwich contributed to my selection of Greenwich as my location of choice,” she said Thursday in front of about 100 people at the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce’s 25th annual awards luncheon at the Millbrook Club. “I was, and am, committed to building a store reminiscent of my experiences as a child.”

Owning a new business during this recession has been a challenge, but it also has been rewarding and has made her a better entreprerecognized as the Small Business Leader for 2009.

“I have learned the importance of being nimble and flexible, listening to my customers’ needs and broadening my product offerings and my price-point range,” she said.

In her gift shop, Malloy captures the “mom-and-pop” tradition that once was so prevalent in Greenwich, where individually owned shops are becoming fewer, said Scott Weiner, the chamber’s vice president of community and governmental affairs.

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