Six years and Gerard Sack says he still gets customers coming in asking when Marge's moved in.
"A lot of people hunker on the other side of Stratford," says Sack, who co-owns Marge's Coffee, Sandwich & Ice Cream Shoppe on East Main Street with his wife, Margaret, the store's namesake.
"I still get people coming in asking how long we've been here," he says.
So "to get the word out" on a business that will turn six in July, Sack is mailing flyers to new homeowners in Stratford, offering them a free sandwich when they bring the piece of paper to his shop.
He calls it Marge's "little way of a Welcome Wagon," and says he gets the new addresses, coincidentally, from property transfers published on Stratford Patch.
"I've given away a lot of free things over the years," says Sack, hoping that this time it yields a new group of customers.
Marge's is open seven days a week. They serve hot and cold sandwiches, including breakfast options, more than 20 choices of soup and, of course, ice cream.
The ice cream comes from Dr. Mike's in Bethel, which is where the Sacks live.
"At Marge's you'll be stepping into a little ice cream history," notes Sack.
He says his wife's great-grandfather invented the original ice cream scoop. And he has one in the store to prove it.
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