Truly Yours Gift Shop Going Strong In Stony Hill

By JOHN VOKET

Published: May 29, 2009 12:00 am

BETHEL â âWhenever I visit Truly Yours I know that even if I donât know what Iâm looking for, Dawn will be able to find the perfect gift no matter what the occasion is,â said Newtown resident Anne Ragusa, a frequent customer of Truly Yours, LLC, Distinctive Gifts and Fine Stationary, which is celebrating its fifth year anniversary this month.

Dawn Handwerker Leonardi, owner of Truly Yours, started the company out of her home in January 2001, by offering birth announcements and invitations for all occasions. But as the demand for her distinctive stationery increased, Ms Leonardiâs young business was facing growing pains â her home-based environment could no longer accommodate the growth of the business and the demand for a wider range of products.

In 2004, she decided to expand her business into a boutique-style stationery and gift storefront located in the Stony Hill area of Bethel, just about a mile from the Newtown town line.

Truly Yours boasts a diverse product line of invitations, birth announcements, stylish gifts, baby products, stationery, wedding accessories, and home dÃ©cor. As a small-business owner, Ms Leonardi strives to give her clients options that differ greatly from mall or discount stores.

She keeps a close watch on market trends and tastes so she can provide her customers with the most popular and highest quality products available, which may be key to the boutiqueâs success.

âWe carry well-known product lines from unique companies such as Lampe Berger, Tea Forte, Ugly Dolls, William Arthur, as well as other quality brands,â she said. âAdditionally, I like to provide, high quality lines that are made in America. I also think it is important to support local artists.â

Despite changes in the community and the local retail market over the years, Truly Yours LLC, has held its own through the recent challenging economic climate.

Local community involvement may be another reason why Truly Yours continues to flourish. Ms Leonardi is an active supporter of Newtownâs St Rose of Lima Catholic Church and School, along with many other local schools, as well as the Stony Hill Four Corners Association, a group of businesses that support local events for the Stony Hill community.

Truly Yours also sponsors a Newtown youth baseball team.

âIt is very important to stay connected to and support the communities that have given me the opportunity to grow my business doing what I love to do,â Ms Leonardi said. âI am so grateful to my customers. I know they have a choice of where to shop and I really appreciate that they choose to support my local store.â

Truly Yours, LLC is in Redwood Plaza, 78 Stony Hill Road (Route 6) BethelStore hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10 to 5; Wednesday 10 to 6; and Saturday 10 to 4. For information, 743-9161 or www.trulyyoursllc.com.

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Thank you for pointing out the trail access provisions included in the BOS motion—it’s an important clarification that deserves more attention in this conversation. If the development is, in fact, required to provide permanent free public access and commit to ongoing maintenance of this section of the Rochambeau Trail, that is a remarkably beneficial outcome for the town. oIt’s not every day that a private project shoulders the long-term burden of preserving and caring for a public historical corridor at no taxpayer cost—especially one that previously had no formal access, upkeep, or visibility. Let’s be honest: the idea that the only way to protect history is by preventing any development nearby is a rigid and unworkable standard. What’s being proposed here appears to strike a rare balance—historic preservation, public access, and smart development all rolled into one. That’s not a loss its a win. So rather than allowing a handful of voices to derail progress under the banner of “historic purity,” maybe it’s time to acknowledge the reality: this trail is better off with structured stewardship and visibility than remaining an overgrown ghost on old maps. Let’s move forward. Bring in the easement, bring in the public access—and yes, bring in the bulldozers!!! Progress and preservation can coexist. Let’s not let the NIMBY use fear or nostalgia keep us stuck in the past.
Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road
I've heard that several people are under the impression that the public might be banned from the Rochambeau Trail. Points 2 and 3 from the BOS motion (included in full below) make it clear that public access to the trail is part of the requirements for the developer. From what I understand, it requires free public access to the trail in perpetuity. Technically, this could be argued to be a "payment-in-kind," that attempts to balance public good with overall town growth. We can argue about weather that balance is acceptable and how the trail may be affected, but with the understanding that the trail is expected to be maintained as a publicly accessible trail regardless. July 15, 2024 Board of Selectmen approved motion: Discontinuance of Reservoir Road: Selectman Cruson moved the resolution: Resolved, that the Newtown Board of Selectmen, in accordance with Section 2-115(d)(8) of the Town Charter and Conn. Gen. Stat. §13a-49, and subject to the conditions set forth below, hereby discontinues an unimproved portion of Reservoir Road described as “Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued “on that certain survey map which will be recorded on the Newtown Land Records titled “Map Showing Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued” dated August, 2023 and revised September 15, 2023, and certified substantially correct by Gregory Szyszowski of SLR (the “Survey Map”), said discontinuance contingent and effective only upon the completion of the following: 1. The approval of an application for the development of land in the manner described in a letter from Attorney Thomas W. Beecher to First Selectman A. Jeffrey Capeci and Members of the Board of Selectmen dated May 30, 2024, pursuant to the “Residential Open Space Development” regulations of the Borough of Newtown by the Borough of Newtown Zoning Commission, and construction of that approval project within the timeframes required for special exception approval; 2. The inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction; 3. The conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes; Be it further resolved, that Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings, LLC., its successors and assigns, shall not use any portion of the discontinued road as a vehicular road or access way to and from any developed portions of the property. Be it further finally resolved, that should any of the foregoing contingencies not occur, then the discontinuance contemplated herein shall not become effective and this resolution will become null and void. From: https://www.newtown-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif12216/f/minutes/bos_7-15-24_min-_att_final.pdf
Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road
Is this paper road (roads that only exist on paper map but not in reality) even owned by the Town? Many roads that predate the Town's road standards are privately owned and were never accepted by the Town, such as many of the nonconforming roads around the lake communities where the property owners own right to the center line. That is something we had to deal with when working on the Roads Ordinance a few years back. We also had to deal with a private road to run the utilities to the new SHS.
Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road
For anyone who wants to know, I cant post a link here, but Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority has an entire website. Look up "HRRA whats in whats out"
I Get It!
It’s important to clarify that while public process matters, so does the right of a property owner to reasonably develop land they legally own—especially when they follow the rules and engage with the town in good faith. The Board of Selectmen (BOS), whether one agrees with their decision or not, did not “give away” anything. The land in question was part of a road that had been unused and undeveloped for generations. There was no public access, no signage, and no infrastructure—just an overgrown path most residents never knew existed. Mr. Ackert calls the discontinuance “illegal,” but state law grants municipalities the authority to discontinue roads, subject to procedural requirements. The fact that this matter is in litigation shows that questions of law are being properly addressed in court—not in letters to the editor. If the court finds procedural flaws, they’ll be corrected. That’s how the legal system works. Real solutions are found through public process and the courts, not through social media outrage. What’s missing from this conversation is a recognition that towns need to balance many interests: history, environment, public access, private property rights, and economic development. And while the newly championed Revolutionary War heritage is important, there are also pressing modern realities: towns need housing, economic vitality, and responsible development. These things don’t happen in a vacuum—they require compromise, planning, and often, yes, change. If residents truly wish to preserve this trail as public space, the appropriate path is through purchase, conservation easement, or formal designation—not by expecting private landowners to bear the burden of public sentiment. If the writer believes so strongly in its value, perhaps they might consider investing in its preservation themselves. We can honor our history without freezing our town in time. Development and preservation aren’t mutually exclusive—but vilifying one side of the conversation only deepens division. Let’s focus on solutions that balance respect for the past with the rights and needs of those who live here now.
Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

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Truly Yours Gift Shop Going Strong In Stony Hill

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