Norwich — Big chain stores might appear to dominate the landscape on West Main Street, but as Mayor Deberey Hinchey proved to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Tuesday, it was a perfect spot to celebrate Small Business Week.

Hinchey escorted Blumenthal, who later also visited New London, to four stops along the busy commercial strip, describing the state's plans to restructure the road with six roundabouts and a center dividing line as they walked from Olde Tymes Restaurant to Sign Professionals and Surplus Unlimited.

The group later drove to Grader Jewelers a short distance away.

Car horns honked and drivers waved as they walked along.

A woman walking to work at CVS was surprised at the encounter and offered a quick handshake.

“You just don't expect to meet dignitaries on your way to work,” she said, hurrying along.

At Olde Tymes diners, too, received a surprise greeting.

“I didn't know you come here,” a woman said.

“Yes, I do,” said Blumenthal, who has been to Olde Tymes for chamber of commerce and other functions. “It's a great place, isn't it?”

Owner Rodney Green said his is the only Norwich restaurant that has remained open under the same ownership in the same place since before the region's two casinos opened.

He said the casinos dramatically altered his business, which has survived by adding a successful catering service.

He said Sunday breakfast is his busiest time.

“With the casinos, we don't do the night business like we used to,” Green said.

As the group walked through the restaurant's rustic, wooden interior, Green said people often say he should update the décor, but he resists.

“This room has such a great feel,” Blumenthal said of the upstairs loft dining area. “You couldn't duplicate this.”

West Main Street is not where you would expect to find a neighborhood business feel, but Scott Lawrence and David McDowell, co-owners of Sign Professionals at the corner of Asylum Street, hope they have achieved that.

The two told the senator how they made friends with a group of mischievous youths jumping off their roof and tearing up shingles.

It turned out they were members of a local stunt team, so McDowell and Lawrence invited them in to make T-shirts for their team.

“Now, they look out for the place,” McDowell said.

The tour mainly centered on light discussions of how businesses are faring in the current economy, but McDowell told Blumenthal he was concerned about the proposed $15 per hour minimum wage.

McDowell said he and his partner start their employees — high school and college students — at about $10 an hour, and quickly raise their pay after training, if they remain.

Starting at the higher rate would cost the company during training time, he said.

In New London, Blumenthal visited Thames River Greenery on State Street and applauded the efforts of owner Charlotte Hennegan and partner Fred Argilagos, who just won an economic development award from the city after 42 years in business.

"When small businesses do well, everyone does well," Blumenthal told a small gathering that included Mayor Michael Passero.

Hennegan said she often gets asked how she has survived so long in New London, whose retail scene has been on the wane for years.

She said every day that she drives by the Soldiers & Sailors Monument at the corner of State and Bank streets, she pays heed to the inscription: "Don't give up the ship."

"That's the key to success in New London," she said. "Don't give up."

Blumenthal finished his hour downtown by visiting the Mexican tall ship ARM Cuauhtémoc tied up at City Pier, where onlookers including Rod Cornish, owner of Hot Rod's Cafe, took turns posing for pictures with the senator.

Blumenthal spoke briefly in Spanish to crewmembers, most of whom know only a smattering of English.

"Welcome to Connecticut," Blumenthal told the crew before being ushered below decks for a private tour.

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