Neighborhood Notes: Applause for Katonah's anchor shops

Downtown Katonah

By PAUL WIEMAN

Anybody who knows me knows that except for the grocery store, I am not a shopper. I do errands; I do not shop. When I need to replace a shirt, I head to where I bought the worn-out one, look for the same make and model, and replace it. I don’t pause at the racks; I don’t find the sales alluring. I simply buy the shirt, and I leave. If what I am looking to replace was from a catalog, I call the company, ask them to look back in my history, and then order … same size, same color. I do not judge those who shop, it’s just that it is not for me.

With this as context, I want to sing the praises of a couple of longstanding stores in Katonah. 

The first time I visited Charles Department Store, probably in 1990, I remember that they did not have the item I was looking for. As I turned to leave, one of the Raneri brothers asked me to wait a bit, and then he called one number, and then another, and then a third, and, with this third call, found a nearby store that stocked the item I was looking for. Thus directed, I went on my way.

1990 was before Amazon Prime, and it was even before the dominance of big box stores, although they were beginning to have an impact. Even for a non-shopper like me, I recognize top-notch customer service, and I appreciated it. Sadly for Charles Department Store, it did not change my shopping habits, but I was duly impressed.

About 10 years later, I was in the shop again and this time I did buy something, but I have long forgotten what that was. What I do remember is as I was finishing up at the register, David Raneri thanked me by name, inquired about my wife, also by name, and asked how my two kids were doing. Amazingly, although he did not know their names, he knew their grade levels in Katonah Elementary School. And all of this in a friendly and appropriate and conversational manner. Think about this for a minute … over those 10 years, I could not have been in Charles Department Store a dozen times. I certainly wasn’t going to affect their bottom line, and they had simply no reason to remember me or believe that I was an important customer. And somehow, he knew my name and my family. 

But something did change this time. I became a shopper. Not often, but come the holiday season, I go to Charles Department Store, and I enter not knowing what I will buy but looking for a gift. And I walk around, explore the store, sometimes bump into friends, and feel the spirit. And I leave with a purchase, one that I did not anticipate getting and am pleased to find.

A couple stores down the street sits Bijou of Katonah, owned by Casey Carter who doubles as the chair of the Katonah Chamber of Commerce. Given what I have noted about my shopping habits, it should come as no surprise that buying jewelry is not exactly in my comfort zone. However, when my wife sadly lost her engagement ring when a setting prong broke — a stone that was especially important to her as it was an inheritance from her grandmother — we turned to Bijou for help and advice. With no more than an approximate date and size of the stone, and perhaps a picture, Casey found a near identical stone to replace the lost one and offered kind words of advice to prevent a second disappointment. He could not have been more accommodating or kinder throughout this process. 

Several times a year, a group of Katonah couples gather for a dinner together, and at one of these gatherings, our conversation somehow came around to Casey and Bijou. None of us buys much jewelry, but all of us had wonderful stories about Casey and how he has helped in a time of need. In short, he is an integral part of a thriving town. 

And that got me thinking … None of us individually will keep Bijou or Charles in business, but all of us will sing their praises and send patrons their way, ourselves included. We all realize the value of these merchants and what they bring to a small commerce district. They understand that they are not simply selling products but are central to a community, and they run their businesses and treat their customers with this in mind. We all benefit from their approach and their presence.

While I miss the dedicated bookstore in Katonah that couldn’t survive the first wave of Amazon, its comfortable and crowded shelves and its little children’s nook in the back, I applaud the vitality of The Reading Room and am glad to see it thriving. I am sad that we moved here just when Razzleberry’s, a throwback ice cream store next to Charles, was on its last legs. 

But amidst these losses, Bijou and Charles Department Store and others remain. New stores arrive, adding a new dynamic and a new energy, and that is certainly the sign of a healthy community, but a town needs its anchors as well, and I am thankful for their daily presence and the role they play.

I’m still not a shopper, but I recognize quality and I applaud human connection, and that is what I find when I wander into the shops of Katonah.

Paul Wieman is a retired educator. His “Neighborhood Notes” column will offer occasional observations about the Katonah neighborhood he has lived in for 35 years.