Railroad Street site gets a makeover

NORTH CANAAN — A renovation project at a Railroad Street property promises a major transformation and expanded use there.

The Source Collection has been open for nearly two years in a section of the mostly orange building next to the former Canaan Market. It occupies the former video store space, where customers can find bargains from the online home furnishings business. Retired products, order returns and items with minor damage can be found at discounts of up to 70 percent.

The other side of the building has hosted a string of eateries: a fried chicken joint, an Italian deli and a Mexican restaurant. None of them lasted long, and there are no plans for another restaurant at this point.

Shelley Brooks, whose son Joshua owns the building, said the three sections of the building are destined to be a combination of retail and office space. They already have a local business interested in two of the spaces. The Source Collection, which has outlets in Winsted and North Attleboro, Mass., may even relocate.

There are many decisions yet to be made, but a complete overhaul is beginning. Inside, the spaces on either side of The Source Collection have been gutted. New floors, walls and a stairway to second-floor space are being installed. 

Brooks said high-end siding will replace the painted stucco on the exterior.

Perhaps most important is that drainage issues are being addressed. Tim Brooks (Shelley’s husband and Joshua’s dad) described the system that was approved by the Inland Wetlands Commission to drain standing water from in front of the building. Some will recall a drain in front of the video store was not often efficient and that lower section of the building experienced minor flooding. 

An effective system has been installed. The building entrance there, where customers once slogged through water, will be a flagstone terrace fronted by a wall faced in stone.