Danbury Business Owners Standing Tall for Main Street

Downtown business owners, from Russ Mumma, who founded the Music Guild of Danbury in 1967 to Juana Rivera, general manager of A.W.A. Medical Supplies, open at 272 Main St., since 2004, are standing up for Main Street.

While some business owners have complained about problems with trash, parking, pan-handlers and other nuisances, Mumma and Rivera said Main Street is welcoming and it has a lot to offer.

Rivera said her family considered Danbury, Brookfield and numerous other Connecticut towns when they were deciding where to put a new medical supply business. She said they settled on Danbury nine years ago and never looked back. They moved from Brooklyn to Danbury two years after opening, and they like the schools, downtown Danbury and Main Street. Parking isn't a problem.

"We give our customers an hour free in the parking garage. If they can't get out of their car, we walk to their car," Rivera said. "Parking isn't an obstacle."

She said if she sees someone drunk on the street, she calls for an ambulance.

"It seems to be worse in the summer months, but Danbury's problem isn't anything compared to other cities. You go to some cities and you'll bump into three on one block," Rivera said. "If they're too intoxicated, that's just sad. They have a problem."

Russ Mumma said Danbury is a great town for people who want to conduct business. He said for him, he's starting to sell musical instruments  to the children of his first customers. 

"There is tremendous opportunities on Main Street for people," Mumma said.