Would You Protect Your Livelihood, If It Were Being Run Over?

Ever notice the abundance of people who walk, run and bike Hillspoint in the Compo Beach area and the lucky furry friends that accompany them? What do a good number of them have in common? They go to Elvira's, at 222 Hillspoint Road, across the street from the quaint, pink house that sits on the water and at the corner of Compo Hill Avenue. Its a deli with hot food, and somewhat of a convenience store. They take phone orders. For your canine pal, Elvira's has a water bowl readily available for them next to the benches in front. For those who would enjoy a picnic style meal, snack or drink, there are picnic tables on either side of their store. When the winds are ample enough, you can hear the waves crashing.

The service is friendly and they do their best to accommodate special requests with food, such as food allergies or dietary restrictions. They are planning a future gluten free menu which means foods that do not include wheat, barley and rye. If you have a special dietary need, just specify it to Elvira's and they will do what they are able for you.

Elvira's has been present in Westport since 1997. The family owned business has worked hard over the years, not only to make tasty food and give great service, but what it takes to keep a business running. Back in 2003, their building was for sale and since they didn't qualify for an A paper loan (something of yesteryear), customers readily gave a loan to make certain their local haunt wouldn't close their doors. These lending customers opened private house accounts and had their purchases deducted from their loans.

Today, Elvira's has another concern. Its about catering trucks who are not properly licensed to operate in Westport taking a bite out of sales. They are violating town regulations having a negative outcome on an established business. Elvira's already has hundreds of petitioner's signatures to keep companies that are not following guidelines from operating locally, but its not enough, they need many more.

If you would like to show your support for Elvira's, you can stop by and make it known by putting your signature to the petition while they are open seven days a week from 7a.m. to 8 p.m.

R.J. Grand is a local author and artist.