On a bright afternoon in downtown Stamford, car horns bounced off concrete and glass as drivers slowed and pedestrians stopped to watch. A power washer roared against the algae-stained façade of Macy’s at Stamford Town Center. At the center of the scene stood Mike Squires, phone in hand, filming what began as a personal goal and turned into a citywide moment.
“I still can’t fully wrap my head around the impact the Macy’s cleaning had,” Squires says. “It showed me how much the Stamford community genuinely cares, and how real change becomes possible when people rally together.”
The video, posted to social media last spring, struck a nerve. Squires had asked for help cleaning the green-streaked exterior that thousands of residents pass every day, and the response came quickly. Stamford Town Center and Stamford Downtown Special Services District each stepped in to cover half the cost. B3 Power Washing showed up. So did the city. As the work unfolded, the crowd reacted in real time.
“Cars were honking nonstop in support,” Squires says. “A little kid leaned out of a car window and yelled, ‘Thank you for cleaning Macy’s.’ That moment really stuck with me.”
For many Stamford residents, the video marked the first time they noticed Squires. For the city, it became something else. A shared win. A reminder that pride in place often begins with someone willing to pick up the hose. Squires has long had an instinct to step in. He grew up in Glenbrook and moved to North Stamford after his sister was born. “That’s really where my journey as a creator began,” he says. “I was always making something—videos of my pet reptiles, soccer clips and comedy skits with friends.”
Mike Squires of Stamford first caught the city’s attention when he rallied the community to clean the stained facade of Macy’s.
Then, in 2011, everything changed. While attending the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering, the Squires family lost their home in a fire. “It was one of the hardest periods of our lives,” he says. “My parents are my heroes for how they handled it, and I’ll always be grateful for my community.” Stamford showed up. His school organized a bake sale. Neighbors donated clothes. One teacher, Mr. Brice, bought him a wardrobe. “Which came from Macy’s,” Squires adds.
At 15, Squires rebuilt through work, spending a summer landscaping to buy used camera gear. He started shooting music videos for friends, then for anyone who asked. “At one point, it felt like I had shot a music video for almost every artist in Stamford,” he says. Word spread and artists from outside the city reached out. His videos garnered millions of views and travel followed. In 2016, Squires left for his first nationwide tour. Flying to Los Angeles, he cried quietly against the airplane window.
In 2017, a song he produced, “Come Home,” drew a lot of attention. “It showed me how music can connect people far beyond Stamford,” he says. Still, his hometown stayed central. “What drives me is my love for this community,” Squires says. “I want to be a part of a city we can all be proud of.”
After the Macy’s cleanup, messages poured in. Residents sent ideas, locations and frustrations. Squires listened, researched and stepped in where gaps existed, making sure to spotlight groups already doing the work. “With the citywide cleanup, my goal wasn’t just to clean,” he says. “It was to highlight those groups and amplify the work they’re already doing.”
What surprised him most came next. Kids noticed. “Visiting Rippowam Middle School for their beautification program, I was amazed by how excited and eager the students were to help their community,” he says.
His creative work continues to stretch outward. The 50 States Project, for instance, pairs Squires with an artist from every state. “You don’t have to leave where you’re from to do something on a national scale,” he says. “You can build it right where you stand.” Stamford prepared him for that scope through collaboration, follow-through and trust. The same skills he learned working locally now carry across state lines.
Today, Squires stands at a crossroads that he welcomes. “I don’t fully know what’s next, and that’s what makes it exciting,” he says. What he does know feels clear. He will keep creating. He will keep showing up. He will keep answering the questions and concerns many cities wait for someone else to handle.
“Why not me?” he asks. As Stamford learned, sometimes one person picking up a power washer can remind an entire city how much it cares.