A round-up of openings, closings, and other news about West Hartford businesses.

Business Buzz is sponsored by NBT Bank, and we are very thankful for their support!

By Ronni Newton

Usually the Monday of the week where teachers (on Monday) and students (on Wednesday) go back to school is also the last Monday of August – but Labor Day is the latest it can be this year (not for two more weeks), so although I am already missing my daily beach days, I’ll save my lamenting the end of August until next week.

I don’t have any kids in school so in my book it’s still summer. But while our grandkidlets are in daycare for several days a week year round, now that my son-in-law – who is a teacher – will be going back to the classroom Ted and I look forward to resuming our regular Monday morning grandparenting activities.

I got back from vacation on Monday evening, just in time to catch the end of the Pooch Plunge, and spent a lot of time over the past week catching up on things that had changed during the two weeks I was away. There was so much construction progress that I decided to create a separate “construction and demolition buzz” column for this week rather than including all of those items in Business Buzz.

And my apologies for messing up last Monday’s Business Buzz column leading the newsletter on Monday morning. It was published at the regular time; I just forgot the newsletter tag. In case you missed it, here’s that column.

I met with West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus late last week, and got the scoop on the start of the school year (click here for the details). I’ll be covering convocation today, and the first day of school for students on Wednesday.

As I returned to reality last week I attended the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours at Playhouse on Park’s prop and costume storage facility on Andover Drive. It was probably the most fun I have ever had at an After Hours – and I appreciated a chance to dance and the very talented Rick Fountain allowing me to sing karaoke with him!

I met with Mia Jaworski over coffee from La Pausa at GastroPark on Thursday, and strayed from my usual black coffee and ordered an iced oat milk latte, which was excellent! I’m very excited about Mia’s expanded role with We-Ha.com now that she is back from a year of teaching in Spain.

Ted and I had tickets for Thursday night’s Yard Goats game – which was rained out – but we went on Friday night where I indulged in a beer and some chicken tenders and fries – “perfect” fuel for the 9-mile run I did with the Fleet Feet Half Marathon training group on Saturday morning. The run went great anyway, although I am very sad that I missed seeing a small bear that crossed the road in front of the group just ahead of me!

The “Barbecue Sundae” was Ted’s dinner, procured from the Black Eyed Sally’s booth at the Yard Goats game – and it was delicious! There wasn’t ice cream, but it included mashed potatoes, barbecue, and sauce.

Saturday night’s dinner was at Gveenah, but since that’s the feature story of today’s column, those photos of our fabulous meal are below.

No trolls this past week, and thank you to all who comment with your full names, and avoid making personal attacks! Please note that it has been our policy for several years that full names be used when commenting directly on the site – with the exception of those commenters who were grandfathered when they commented prior to the policy being updated. Please comply or your comment will not be published.

If you are a long term, regular advertiser on We-Ha.com and have a 60 to 75 word submission for a future Business Buzz please send to Bob Carr at [email protected]. You can also contact Bob if you are interested in becoming a sponsor of a section of the site.

If you have information to share about local businesses, please provide details in the comments or email Ronni Newton at [email protected].

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Here’s this week’s Buzz:

• As noted in the intro above, Ted and I had an absolutely fantastic dinner on Saturday night at Gveenah – and not only because we wanted a great meal. It was also an opportunity to get some updated food photos, and a chance to speak with owner Roi Graber about the restaurant’s planned move – within the same building – from 844 Farmington Avenue to the space that was formerly occupied by Tokyo Sushi (which closed in September 2025) at 846 Farmington Avenue. Gveenah, which originally opened in January 2025, is very much still open at its existing space, serving wonderful Mediterranean fusion fare, but the move next door will give them much more seating, and according to Roi they are also in the process of obtaining their liquor license to make use of the existing bar at 846 Farmington. No date set for the move, but there is a “coming soon” sign in the window and Gveenah has mentioned it on Facebook and Instagram. Much more to come once a date is set, but in the meantime I will be returning to the existing space very soon because I could eat that bread and schug every day.

• Lil Hope completed their move from 18 LaSalle Road to 990 Farmington Avenue last Saturday, and while there are still some finishing touches to be made at the new space (that’s what they said, but it looked beautiful to me when I stopped by on Wednesday), and more merchandise to be added, the new store is fully operational. They are now just a few doors down from their sister retail store, Hope & Stetson – which now has a new sign with the updated logo. I will be back to shop (at both stores) very soon!

• West Hartford’s Economic Development Department shared a post from Dime Pizza‘s social media last week, announcing that Dave, Dennis, and Camille Noad – the owners of Camille’s Wood Fired Pizza in Tolland and Oakland Pizza in South Windsor – plan to open a new restaurant in West Hartford. Dime posted on their social media (@dime.pizza) that they plan to bring their “detroit pies”and “‘roni cups” to West Hartford, opening sometime in 2026 in the former Salsa Fresca space at 345 Main Street in Bishops Corner. I did find a prototype menu on the social media site of the company that is creating Dime Pizza’s brand identity, but will wait to share further details until I can connect with the owners – which I hope will be soon! The space has been vacant since Salsa Fresca closed in September 2024.

• While I was grabbing a photo of the future Dime Pizza space in Bishops Corner on Thursday, I took a walk around and happened to find an open door at the soon-to-open Mattress Warehouse store! It’s in the space that was formerly Mattress Firm (address is 8 Sims Road), but is a completely unrelated company that’s based in Frederick, Maryland. Maryann Zachara, the district manager for the Northeast, told me that the merchandise had just been delivered the day before. “We carry all the major brands,” she said, noting that the company is excited to open in such a great West Hartford location. Regional Manager Tom Garrett told me that what differentiates Mattress Warehouse is, “We use technology; we sell ‘sleep’ vs. just selling mattresses.” They indicated that the opening would be in the next week or two, but from the website it appears that the store may well be in soft-opening mode already.

• Also spotted in Bishops Corner – work is underway at Little Wanderers, an indoor play studio that also includes a cafe, soon to open in the former Yoga Shop space.

• Across town at The Corbin Collection, signs are now up on the building, as well as the monument signs, for Level99 and Two Roads Kitchen & Tap. I have been in touch with the PR team, and will have more updates about the opening plans very soon. Level99, an experiential business that combines dining with other activities, will offer more than 50 “mental and physical challenges set in immersive artistic environments” in the 41,426 square foot space that can accommodate up to 600 players plus 250 diners in the Two Roads Kitchen & Tap restaurant. Level99 currently has four other locations – Natick, MA; Providence, RI; Tysons Corner, VA; and Disney Springs, FL. More information about Level99 can be found here.

• A number of new stores are now open or opening soon at Westfarms, including Pop Mart, a market-leading character-based entertainment company located on the lower level near Center Court. I happened to be doing a few errands at Westfarms on Friday afternoon, and saw the store open! The manager, Ashley, told me they had just opened a few hours earlier – at 1 p.m. on Friday – and the store was already quite busy. “This is the first in this area of Connecticut,” she told me, with existing stores in the state in Danbury and at SONO in Norwalk.

• Other Westfarms updates include the opening on Wednesday of the Avocado’s Food in Center Court. According to the Westfarms website: “Founded in the summer of 2018, Avocados Food offers a healthy food option from delicious Avocado Toasts, Guacamole and Wraps to fresh pressed juices and fruit smoothies. Made-to-order and free of additives, Avocado Food’s organic menu surprises and satisfies with fresh ingredients, plant based products that look amazing and taste even better We happily cater to individual dietary restrictions including vegetarian, paleo, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.” There’s a wrap on the windows and sign on the future Indochino, on the lower level of the Nordstrom wing, indicating that the store offering made-to-measure menswear will open in “Fall 2026.” Also very exciting is the plan for Toys R Us to open in the former North Face space on the upper level of the Nordstrom wing (North Face moved to a new space, still on the second level, now closer to Macy’s) and there is a very small sign in the window that says “coming soon.” No sign yet for Peloton, but the Westfarms website indicates that it’s also coming soon to the lower level of Center Court.

• I don’t have an opening date yet, but the plywood is off the façade and from what I could see from the sidewalk, and the teases of “coming soon” in their Instagram stories, it looks like the build-out of Blu Olive is getting close to being complete. Blu Olive will be located at 60 LaSalle Road (former H&R Block space, before they moved a few doors up the street), and is the sister restaurant to Harvest, right next door. The restaurants are part of JS Restaurant Group and the Blu Olive concept is “Mediterranean, leaning toward Italian,” co-owner Vicente Siguenza previously told me. Blu Olive already has locations in Westport and Greenwich, and the menu will be similar, and will include fresh seasonal salads, antipasto, wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, pastas, and beef and chicken dishes, as well as “fresh seafood prepared with Mediterranean techniques.”

• The sign is now up for Sweatfluence, which has announced plans to open the new yoga studio at 87 Memorial Road in Blue Back Square on Sept. 26.

• There has been some shuffling of businesses on either side of Sally & Bob’s on North Main Street, including the relocation of Rich Rochlin Family Law & Mediation to the other end of the building at 10 North Main Street, where Rochlin said he will have much more space because it’s a combination of his former conference room and the offices of Atomic Mortgage (rebrand of the business formerly known as Rize Mortgage), which owner Jonathan Esposito recently relocated to 75 Brace Road. Also, the sign for Sonder Wealth Advisors is up at the now-former Rochlin space, and the firm will officially be moving their main office from Main Street in Farmington to 12 North Main Street as of Sept. 1.

• There’s a sign for Dominican Blowout on the window of 1049 New Britain Avenue, where the plans for a candy store to open didn’t work out. I don’t see any permit applications on file, and don’t have any other details to share other than the photo of the sign.

• From a news release: The Park Road Association‘s Community Happy Hour Series “Park After Dark” continues with a fun-filled evening at Salt + Lime (179 Park Road) today, Monday, Aug. 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. Anyone who supports Park Road is welcome.  Stop in for a few moments or stay the entire evening. We strongly encourage Park Road business leaders/employees and residential neighbors to attend. This is a great chance to meet and/or catch up with friends, neighbors, and colleagues; talk to members of the Park Road Association, and hear updates about what’s going on in the neighborhood. This may be especially helpful for those who can’t make the Association’s 8:30 a.m. monthly meetings. Salt + Lime Mexican Cantina offers a menu that blends coastal freshness with Latin-inspired flavor in every dish. From shareable bites to satisfying mains, each plate is crafted with simple ingredients and bold character. The evening will include giveaways, happy hour menu and pricing through closing, and a new specialty cocktail & sharing menu.The Park Road Association’s mission is to improve the quality of life for the Park Road neighborhood by maintaining the aesthetics and safety of the community, bringing people together through events, and improving business promotion on Park Road and the surrounding streets. To learn more or to join the newsletter visit  www.ParkRoadCT.com.

• Tricia Raiti, owner of Jazzercise West Hartford (132 Shield Street) shared that the studio recently did a community fundraiser to purchase an AED, and partnered with the West Hartford Fire Department to provide training last Monday morning. “We called it JWH Heart Health Day and it’s been awesome,” she said, adding that Andrew Eccles, the community relations officer with the West Hartford Fire Department, was “great”!

• Congratulations to Global Medical Virtual Assistants (GMVA), headquartered in West Hartford, which has just been named to the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies for the second consecutive year. GMVA ranked No. 971 nationally, driven by 355% three-year revenue growth. “As a healthcare workforce infrastructure partner for hospitals and health systems, our continued growth is deeply tied to our West Hartford roots. We currently employ 9 people locally and are bringing on a Vice President of Operations, Amy Chmielewski, who previously served as the Director of Ambulatory Operations at UConn Health,” a company spokesperson shared. “Being recognized by Inc. for a second time is incredibly meaningful,” said Beth Raboin, CEO and Founder of Global Medical Virtual Assistants. “Our growth has been built on helping healthcare organizations solve workforce challenges with exceptional people. Now, as healthcare leaders increasingly look to AI and automation for greater efficiency, we believe there is an opportunity to solve for both. Our human-in-the-loop approach brings technology and people together, allowing organizations to automate where it makes sense while preserving human judgment, empathy, and oversight where it matters most.”
  

• Click here to read the “Construction and Demolition Buzz“!

• ICYMI, voting is now live for the 2026 Best of West Hartford. Click here to vote!

• Did you know …

Remember, if you have any business news to share, add it in the comments section below or email Ronni Newton at [email protected].

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