Round Hill Store’s New Owners Seek Changes That Keep Neighbors Coming Together
By Tom McDermott
The new owners of the Round Hill Store want to preserve its place in Greenwich’s backcountry while making room for great coffee, updated surroundings and more opportunities for neighbors to sit and talk.
At a September 23 informational session at Round Hill Community Church, Chuck Royce and Ryan Brumberg described a future for the property as a village center of community life. The gathering, hosted with Round Hill Association head Brendon DeSimone, offered residents a look at a vision still being shaped by the people who use the store.
The owners shared results from a survey completed by 113 residents. The responses pointed toward a balance: preserve the best of the existing store while making changes that would give people more reasons to spend time there.
Royce and Brumberg created a nonprofit, the Round Hill Preservation Society, to purchase the property. Their plans bring questions about food, gathering space, road safety and the future of the Round Hill service station into the same conversation.
Coffee figured in residents’ wishes, along with high-quality food and café surroundings. Those preferences sit alongside another priority: keeping food affordable for the local working patrons who use the store.
The survey responses reflected interest in some upscale offerings as well. The challenge for the owners is to accommodate those tastes while retaining options for customers looking for an affordable meal.
That range of expectations gives the discussion a practical focus. Residents are asking for improvements to what the store serves and how it feels, with attention to the different people who come through its doors. Price is part of that conversation, alongside quality and comfort.
The wish for café surroundings also connects to Royce and Brumberg’s broader vision. A place where people can meet, mingle and chat would make gathering an explicit part of the property’s future. Their description puts the conversations that might happen there alongside the purchases customers might make.
