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

I find myself writing the same thing at this time every year: It’s the last week of August. Sigh …

We had a few chilly days last week (I found myself searching for a fleece and wearing my fuzzy slippers on Wednesday night), and even though it warmed up again by the end of the week the light is different and I already see a few leaves turning on the large tree in my backyard.

Sunday’s weather was again perfect for Center Streets, and there was a great crowd at the “block party on wheels” in the Center!

The town was still rather quiet this past week as many families stretched out their vacation time until the very end. Teachers return to their classrooms today, and West Hartford Public Schools begin on Wednesday. I met with Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus on Friday to discuss what to expect in the new school year, and you can read that story here.

I want to wish the best of luck for the upcoming semester to Roz Green and Bridget Bronsdon. I very much appreciate the great work they did with We-Ha.com this summer. Roz is back at the University of Hartford, and Bridget, who spent last semester in Italy, is back at UConn and serving as the sports editor of the UConn Daily Campus. I’m very thankful that Mia Jaworski is still in town!

Ted started his first true week of retirement that didn’t involve being on vacation, and so far he has kept very busy doing several volunteer projects, including volunteering with a food distribution project and for Journey Home. He also accompanied me to the Pooch Plunge on Monday – and watched Millie while I took photos. She didn’t leap into the pool this year, but rather took on the role of canine lifeguard and patrolled the edge while barking orders to the other dogs.

I drove around a lot last week to check on the progress made on construction projects during the two weeks that I was away (see bullet points below), and I also visited several West Hartford restaurants. Not surprisingly, Pokeworks was one of my stops. I also enjoyed lunch at Hartford Baking Company, and on Saturday night Ted and I had some amazing pizzas at Zephyr’s Street Pizza. They now offer the Yard Bird (our favorite) in a smaller size, so even though it was just the two of us, we were able to try another pizza without feeling too gluttonous (also I burned off a lot of calories because I ran 10 miles on Saturday morning with the Fleet Feet group since *somehow* I am again training for a half marathon). We sampled the Papas Bravas – and will definitely order that again!

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.

Two trolls this week – including “Concerned Citizen” – but thank you to all who comment with your full names! 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 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:

• Gold Dumpling (278 Park Road) had a soft opening on Aug. 11, while I was on vacation, and especially after I saw some great reviews on Facebook, I was very eager to try it! I stopped by last week and was lucky enough to meet owner Craig Li, who (with the assistance of Jerry, a very knowledgeable store employee who also served as translator for some of the conversation) provided details about the new Chinese restaurant that – as the name implies – specializes in dumplings and also has an extensive gluten-free menu that has roughly the same number of items as the non-gluten-free menu. The gluten-free items are prepared on separate equipment and are safe for those who have celiac disease. This is the second location for Gold Dumpling, which also has a restaurant in Groton, Li said. Both regular and gluten-free dumplings and bao buns come in various flavors – and can be pan-fried or steamed and the dumplings can also be in soup – and you can tell what the filling is inside by the color of the outside. The natural colorings (no preservatives – and also they DO NOT use MSG) include blue for beef, yellow for pork, white for chicken, green for veggie, and red for bean. They also feature handmade noodles, a variety of appetizers, and Asian salads, and while most of the items are very reasonably priced, there are specialty “expensive” dumplings on the menu ($19.99 each) that are filled with items such as caviar, lobster, foie gras, or truffle morel. They also offer fresh carrot, celery, and apple juice. Li, who moved to the U.S. from China in 2013 and lives in Farmington, follows a gluten-free diet, and said he spent a lot of time perfecting a gluten-free version of the dumplings and bao buns. “Across all China, there are a lot of flour or wheat-based foods,” he said, but he spent years studying how to replicate the taste for those who cannot consume gluten. “It was very difficult to make, but now we’ve got it,” he said. “I want to let the people who are gluten-free experience the deliciousness of Chinese cuisine,” he said, adding that many people are shocked – in a good way – that they can eat dumplings and bao buns. I sampled only the gluten-free versions (of all five flavors) so I can’t compare them, but I will say that they were indeed delicious, flavorful, and the texture was excellent. “My dream is to manufacture and mass produce these products,” Li said, and investors are welcome. Dumplings have a long history in China, and the following information is found on Gold Dumpling’s website: “Dumplings originated in China during the Eastern Han Dynasty, traditionally credited to Zhang Zhongjing, giving them a heritage of over 1,800 years.(http://m.cntgol.com/pcarticle/254959).” Gold Dumpling is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant seats 16-20 people, but they also do a lot of take-out. Click here to view the menu.

• I’m not able to share many details yet, but I have verified that West Hartford Center will soon have a new toy store! I was initially keeping tabs on a rumor, but then I happened to be walking down an alley from the Farmington Avenue parking lot and spotted the small sign (see photo below) in the window. After some more research, I was able to speak with one of the owners over the weekend and have confirmed that the Toy Chest – which will be an independent toy store offering high quality products – is being built out in the former Ten Thousand Villages space at 967 Farmington Avenue. Much more to come, but I am very, very excited to share this news and look forward to the opening!

• Play It Again Sports is still planning on their move to the former Wagging Tails doggy day care and indoor dog park space at 635 New Park Avenue, but an employee told me a few weeks ago that the build-out of the space is taking longer than they initially anticipated. I saw the sign below on Sunday when I was at Center Streets. Manager Steven Gerwick had told me in June that the move will provide them with roughly three times more space, and easy access to the Trout Brook Trail which would be perfect for expanding their bike-related operations, with perhaps bike rental coming in the future.

• Laguna Beach, California-based jewelry brand gorjana has opened their 821-square-foot store on the upper level of Westfarms in Center Court. The brand is best known for its accessible and interchangeable jewelry pieces that go with everything. This is the brand’s first store in the Hartford market and third in the state, with the other locations in Western and Greenwich. For more information, visit the website.

• Also at Westfarms, Jamba is close to opening, and they’ve installed some new vending machines offering luxury products.

• Congratulations to RisCassi & Davis on their official ribbon cutting with the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 15 at their new location at 91 South Main Street. I featured the firm in this column a few weeks ago and thank you to Kate Kobs at the Chamber for providing photos since I was out of town for the celebration.

• I had a chance to check on the progress of several major construction projects this past week, including the new Animal Control facility being built on Brixton Street. When I stopped by on Wednesday, I was fortunate to meet Project Manager Keith Guibeault from G. Donovan Associates, who said the project is full steam ahead with the digging of the foundation underway.

• I also caught up on the progress of the West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan construction project, where there has also been plenty of progress over the past few weeks. I actually walked through and took photos on three separate days! The sidewalk that extends south of Max Burger is now open all the way to Arapahoe, and they have divided some of the work into smaller increments to directly impact fewer businesses at once. There are some new crosswalks, some of which appear to be temporary but others which follow new bump outs so those will likely be permanent locations. In an email update sent out by the town last Tuesday, the construction manager said that Phase 2A (east side of LaSalle Road closest to Farmington Avenue) is nearly complete, and soil cells are being installed for the planting of trees for Phase 3B – in front of William Raveis on the west side of LaSalle Road – along with concrete work near the post office. All electrical work has been completed, according to the construction manager. “The contractor will complete work in approximately 100-150 foot increments during Phase 3 in order to minimize disruptions. Project updates will include notice of when the work zone is scheduled to extend, and our team will ensure impacted businesses are kept informed in advance,” the email states. They’ve been working on the sidewalks in front of Savoy and Friendly Toast, primarily during hours when those businesses are closed. This week, as part of Phase 3A, they plan to extend south to the alley just past Lux Bond & Green, preparing and pouring sidewalks in that area as well as on the west side of the street between Arapahoe and Ellsworth. The businesses included in Phase 3A – which is the final phase – include The Friendly Toast, Lux Bond & Green, Store 52, More Italian Pasta Lab, Cookshop Plus, Block Advisors, Harvest Wine Bar, Matthew Phillips, Song, Qais Convenience Shop, NY Deli & Grill, and Restaurant Bricco. As noted previously, the 52 new street trees (replacing the 36 trees that were removed) will be planted this fall.

• Amid the construction, The Friendly Toast is launching weekly specials starting this week at all locations, including West Hartford. This week’s special is the “Out-N-In Burger Combo, in honor of #NationalBurgerDay on 8.28,” an email from the company states. It will be available from Aug. 25-31, dine-in only, and for $20 includes a “double smash patty burger grilled with honey mustard & sautéed onions, American cheese, shredded lettuce, Grillo’s pickle & Toast secret sauce. Served with West Coast style waffle fries topped with house cheese sauce, Toast secret sauce, sautéed onions & pepperoncini.” Upcoming Test Kitchen specials can be found HERE.

• We reported that both the West Hartford (50 Memorial Road) and Hartford locations of The Place 2 Be were closed on Aug. 5, 2025 due to a suspension of their sales and use tax, but the downtown location reopened on Aug. 13 according to social media, and as of Tuesday, Aug. 19, the West Hartford reopened – which I confirmed in person. No other details have been shared, but according to the most recent legal action, there is a Final Stay of Execution through March 31, 2026 in place – which, if rent is paid on time, is the latest possible date TP2B will have to vacate the Blue Back Square location.

• Vinted Wine Bar & Kitchen closed their Blue Back Square location for good at the end of last weekend, announcing on Tuesday morning, Aug. 19, that they would not be reopening. By Thursday, they had removed the sign on the building and on Friday they emptied out the contents of the restaurant, including the wine collection. I’ll report back as soon as I hear what the new concept will be.

• Click here to listen to the most recent episode of the On The Scene podcast, where hosts Tom Hickey and Bob Carr sit down with Mike Roy of Roy Web Design to uncover what really makes a website work for your business. Mike shares his journey from working at multiple agencies to building his own successful firm, where he specializes in web design, hosting, and search engine optimization (SEO).

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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