Gillian Osnato keeps father’s spirit alive on Main Street

MILLERTON — It’s impossible to step inside Candy-O’s in downtown Millerton without feeling the influence of Sal Osnato, the late owner of the T-Shirt Farm just down the block. After Sal died this past April at age 85, his daughter, Gillian Osnato, stepped in to carry on not just one beloved Main Street business — but two.

Gillian, who opened Candy-O’s nearly five years ago, credits her father as the inspiration behind her retro-style brand — not just in spirit, but in style.

“My dad was such a ’70s kind of person, and rock ’n’ roll was his thing,” she said. “I wanted the store to feel like a vintage candy shop — like you just walked into a cool, colorful place.”

Sal OsnatoPhoto provided

And she’s succeeded. Nearly five years in, Candy-O’s has become a sweet staple in town, drawing a steady stream of regulars and seasonal visitors — not just for the nostalgic treats, but for the store’s one-of-a-kind personality and charm.

“I’ve watched local kids grow up,” she said. “They come into the shop and I know their orders.”

Despite the daily grind of running a small business, Gillian says she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“I find even when I’m mentally exhausted or in a bad space, I can have a positive interaction with a customer, and it changes my whole day,” she said. “I thrive on communication and connecting with people — and making people feel happy in my space.”

That connection to customers is something she learned from her dad.

“Dad could connect with somebody and find them a shirt in five minutes, just from getting to know what they liked,” she said. “He would always say, ‘Connect with your people, connect with the customer.’”

With storefronts just steps apart, the father-daughter duo often traded business tips, customers — and even swapped products.

“My dad would send one of his employees up every day for three pieces of chocolate,” Gillian said with a smile. “No more, no less.” She added that the Italian cookies now displayed at Candy-O’s were actually his idea. “He was pushing for cookies for a long time,” she laughed.

Gillian Osnato, left, with her father, Sal.Photo provided

Born and raised in the Bronx, Sal Osnato led a colorful life before relocating to the region with his family in the late 1990s.

“Everybody knew he was from the Bronx,” Gillian said. “He connected with every person that came into his store — and if you were from New York, he’d sense it right away and strike up a conversation.”

Sal’s strong work ethic and deep roots in a big Italian family shaped his approach to business. He left high school as a teenager to start working, learning early on what it meant to earn an honest wage. His first job was at his uncle’s deli, where he made fresh mozzarella and processed shipments of sheep’s heads around cultural and religious holidays.

“He loved it,” Gillian said, recalling his stories fondly. “I always told him he should write a book with all of the wild experiences he had.”

In the 1970s, Sal worked as a cab driver — one of many chapters in a life filled with hard work and adventure. It was during that time that his T-shirt business began. He would drive into the city, buy rock ’n’ roll T-shirts and sell them out of a van. Soon after, he opened his first store in Yonkers, naming it Denim Heaven.

While the T-Shirt Farm has been a fixture in Millerton for the past decade, its original location was in Canaan, Connecticut, next to the hardware store. But no matter the address — from Yonkers to Canaan to Millerton — people often came as much to see Sal as to buy shirts — drawn by his warmth, humor and unmistakable presence behind the counter.

Today, when Gillian isn’t managing every detail of Candy-O’s, she’s also running the T-Shirt Farm, keeping both businesses and her father’s memory alive on the street they once shared.

Sal Osnato showing off one of the many t-shirts on the racks at the T-Shirt Farm on Main Street in Millerton.Photo provided

On any given day, she can be seen walking between the two shops, serving customers and practicing what her father taught her; connect with people, find joy, and always keep the spirit of childhood alive.

“I think for my dad, this was his life force — working and being in the community,” she said. “He was also a kid at heart. He embodied that in his life.”

That energy still lives on. A quick stroll through the T-Shirt Farm reveals that unmistakable sense of adventure and play.

Some sharp-eyed customers have noticed the “For Sale” sign on the building that houses Candy-O’s, but Gillian is quick to reassure the community that she doesn’t plan on going anywhere.

“I’m hoping that if the building does sell, the new owner will see this store as a staple in the town and won’t want to change things.”

As for the T-Shirt Farm, she says she feels a deep responsibility.

“I’m trying to fill those big shoes,” she said of the business and community her father built over a lifetime. “He didn’t go to college or finish high school, but through hard work and personality, he created something lasting. I think he just wanted that to continue.”

Looking back, Gillian says she can see just how proud her father was of her — even if he didn’t always say it outright. “He told every customer to go visit my store,” she said. “I’m not kidding — everywhere we went, he mentioned it.” That didn’t change during his illness. Whether it was doctors, nurses, or anyone he met, Sal made sure they knew about the T-Shirt Farm and Candy-O’s. “That was his way,” Gillian said. “And looking back, I know he was proud.”