The building at 978 Farmington Avenue sold this week to MHG West Hartford Limited Liability Company.

The building formerly occupied by CVS and still occupied by Max Zeller Furs has been sold to MHG West Hartford LLC. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

Roughly a year after the CVS store at 978 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center closed its doors, the 9,100 square foot building has been sold for $5,250,000 and will become an “upscale restaurant” according to a news release.

The deed was filed Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024 at West Hartford Town Hall, indicating that Center Equities, LLC sold the building to the entity MHG West Hartford Limited Liability Company. In a news release issued Thursday, New England Retail Properties, Inc., which represented the seller, announced the transaction and noted that “Market Hospitality Group plans to transform the former CVS site into a new upscale restaurant, adding to their portfolio of eight unique dining concepts.”

Market Hospitality Group’s owners have not yet responded to a request for further information about their specific plans for the West Hartford space, or their timeline for renovation and opening. The Market Hospitality Group website indicates that their eight existing concepts, located mostly in Connecticut but also in New York and Florida, include Marketplace Kitchen and Bar (Avon, Newtown, Shelton, Danbury, and Woodbury); Mercato (Canton and Southbury, and opening soon in Glastonbury, Cheshire, and Danbury); Marketplace Tavern (Brookfield and Litchfield); Blu Pointe (Newburgh, NY); Beso Taco Bar (Newburgh, NY); The Wheel (Stamford); Key Largo Fisheries (Key Largo, FL); and MP Events.

Last fall, CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault said in a statement: “We’ve made the difficult decision to close our store at 978 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford on September 20. … Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions. Other factors include local market dynamics, population shifts, a community’s store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community.” She noted that CVS had six other locations in West Hartford as well as home delivery service.

CVS had occupied the 978 Farmington Avenue location for roughly 35 years, and prior to that the space was an Ann Taylor store and before that was Hammerlund’s dime store, according to town historical records.

Also located in the same building, with an address of 976 Farmington Avenue, is longtime West Hartford retailer Max Zeller Furs. We-Ha.com has reached out to the business and is awaiting a response regarding their future plans for the store.

The single-story building was constructed in 1933 and occupies 0.44 acres, according to town records.

The building formerly occupied by CVS and still occupied by Max Zeller Furs has been sold to MHG West Hartford LLC. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

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