BROOKFIELD — Newtown residents Jennifer and Marty Lynch have been saving for their retirement by building a company targeting many who are already enjoying their own retirement. For 15 years, Marty Lynch operated his Cornerstone Medical institutional durable medical supply company from a nondescript warehouse in Oxford.

But the Lynchs felt they were missing out on connecting with an exploding demographic of Connecticut and southeastern New York residents who are either aging in place at home, or who are receiving supported care in their residences as well as in institutional assisted living and skilled care facilities.

They also saw a huge and untapped market among individual caregivers, including family members, aids, nurses, and other medical professionals who interact with seniors and younger patients who are disabled, along with those who sustained injuries that may experience short- to medium-term recovery periods.

After opening more than 100 Bed, Bath & Beyond retail stores across the country in his previous career, Marty Lynch knew he needed a high traffic location that would afford a particularly inviting retail layout. So he chose a site between Bob’s Discount Furniture and Maggie McFly’s at 195 Federal Road in Brookfield to open Senior Depot.

“We wanted a site that was easy to find, and where our customers could drive up to the front door and walk right into the front door from their cars,” Mr Lynch said during a recent visit to the inviting, well-stocked store.

After spending a decade and a half serving institutional care clients through Cornerstone, the Lynchs decided to expand to their retail operation because they did not see any of their competitors providing the extent and quality of care that they felt their growing number of clients were entitled to, and deserved.

“We spent a lot of time learning how to deal with patients, many of which were experiencing institutional or medical recovery for the first time,” Mr Lynch said. “We believe these clients and their families deserve a lot of sensitivity. And we stress our ability to provide those professional skills in a sensitive way — it’s our calling card, really.”

Even with many folks in the region entering their senior years, Mr Lynch was constantly surprised to learn that most were unaware of the variety of support equipment and products available.

“We offer a massive assortment of products for our clients, and if someone needs something we don’t have in stock, we can typically special order it for them, sometimes in as little as one day,” he said. “Our clients also help us — we had someone come in looking for a special type of pill dispenser. We didn’t have it, but thanks to them, we now carry it and it’s a pretty popular item.”

Among the other popular products available at Senior Depot are Handybars, which help boost drivers or passengers from low slung vehicle seats — and the handy Rollators, stable, lightweight walkers with custom holders for groceries or gardening equipment.

Many of the products sold by Senior Depot are covered under Medicare and other insurance policies, and the Lynchs are happy to work with clients to help them get purchases covered. Other clients are so happy to find the items that are perfect compliments to their aging in place that they simply opt to purchase the equipment or supplies out of pocket.

Senior Depot personnel, including Mr Lynch’s brother Jimmy Lynch and James Licursi, are all trained in not only how to handle client relations, but on how to assemble and operate the equipment they sell. The store also sells orthopedic and corrective products for the general population, along with exercise and mobility equipment.

“Our customers also like the fact that they can talk about things like incontinence products and other similar supplies with trained professionals in a much more private and discreet environment than a big box retail or drug store,” Ms Lynch added.

The Senior Depot staff is ready and able to take phone orders at 203-775-1095. But they encourage clients, family caregivers and medical support staff to visit the store to discover all the products that they might not be aware of — that could help ease and better comfort their patients and loved ones.

The store is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 6 pm, and their website is in development with plans to launch in the near future.