Shop Owners Hope To Brighten Park Street's Luster

Modern Silver, 490 Park St., Hartford, 860-548-1501

January 11, 2007
By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer

What's Selling: The key for the three Colombian twenty-somethings who opened Modern Silver in August was to innovate, to bring something to Park Street that Park Street didn't already have. That meant silver jewelry, Colombian-made lingerie, a few handbags and, while it lasts, vintage stuff.

Who Goes There? Mostly Hispanic women, said employee Zuly Franco. But the goal is to bring in non-Hispanic people, too. "We want to bring new people to Park Street," she said. "We want to have maybe college girls coming over, people who can spend money on Park Street."

Who Works There? David Montoya and Franco's sister, Adriana Franco, own the store. Zuly Franco works there.

Cool Fact: The store first opened as Modern Vintage, but changed its name when the owners realized that vintage goods weren't in the shop's long-term business plan anymore. The future, Zuly Franco said, is silver. "And underwear," she said. And maybe handbags.