Longtime Local Businessman Offers Fairfield A Deal

FAIRFIELD, CT — Once upon a time, Roger Boroway, of Trumbull, brought his daughter, Brianna, to dinner in Fairfield, where she was taken aback to see how many people shared greetings with him.

“Dad, are you famous?” she asked.

“Of course I lied and said, ‘Yes!’” Boroway remembered.

But fame is relative, and amid the business community of Fairfield, in particular, Boroway is a well-known and well-liked personage.

Owner and operator of the Fairfield-based branch of Itex — a unique bartering chain with 50 offices throughout the country — for decades he was also the familiar owner of Midas Touch Jewelers at the same location, 1547 Post Road.

Up until 1976, as a young man he traveled to different locations throughout the region selling his wares out of his car. Then, by chance, he found the space that formerly housed The Cosmetic Jeweler, and bought it, operating Midas until March 27, 2014, when a fire put him out of business.

Around 1990, however, Boroway also began with Itex, continuing that venture to date, with several employees working out of the Post Road office.

“It’s strictly for business owners,” he said, noting that, in essence, Itex operates like a bank.

Clients bring particular wares to the venture and have an account that determines the amount of their worth in terms of barter. They’re then able to utilize their balance for goods and services, ideally finding significant cost savings in the process and opportunities through barter they might not otherwise realize.

“We’re a bank … I have people’s barter dollars right in my computer,” Boroway explained, noting their network includes thousands of businesses around the country and deals in a wide range of services and goods.

“We trade goods and services for goods and services,” he said.

Robert Morelli, trade director with Itex, noted that the first bartering was done in Roman times.

“Everyone’s eligible,” he said, explaining that reciprocal bartering has benefits for all businesses, regardless of their focus.

On Boroway, Morelli offered nothing but praise.

“He’s a great guy,” he said. “He’ll give you the shirt off his back.”

But Boroway’s fame has not been confined to Fairfield’s business sector. Those familiar with men’s softball will note that he is also a Hall of Fame pitcher who, at age 78, continues to play his favorite sport.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed it,” he said, having just gotten back on the field after the pandemic sidelined his over-50 team for more than a season.

Previously, his Men’s Majors team, based out of Trumbull, was one of the best in the country.

“For about 10 years we were pretty dominant,” he said.

Other interests for Boroway include his adoration for vintage cars, of which he owns 19, including a righteous mix from the 1950s and 1960s.

In fact, he and a friend are getting together a new storage and restoration business, he said, soon to come online in Trumbull.

Asked how he manages to do so much — though some might argue he is past the typical age of retirement — Boroway points out that it’s all in one’s head.

“It’s up here,” he said. “It’s all mental … I’m in good shape (and) I enjoy meeting people, talking to different people.”

There seems to be no point in even thinking about slowing down, he said.

“He’s a great guy,” noted Hilda Salerno, his office manager. “He’s really out to help business owners, to help them find solutions where they don’t have to spend cash.”

“They really enjoy working with Roger,” she said. “He’s a stand-up guy.”