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. Today is actually the last day of August. Sigh …

Ted presented me with this colorful leaf a few mornings ago when we went outside to enjoy coffee on the patio.

There was some beautiful weather last week, and the weather on Saturday was pretty much a perfect 10 – and the weather was also beautiful for Center Streets on Sunday morning – but we have definitely reached the end of the “lazy days” of summer. Schools reopened this past week, traffic is much heavier, and I covered the West Hartford Public Schools Convocation ceremony on Monday and the first day of school on Wednesday (this year at Morley, which is one of the schools with a new principal). The Board of Education will resume meetings this week, and the Town Council will return to its regular twice monthly meeting schedule next week.

More lamenting the end of summer next week when it’s Labor Day.

On Wednesday evening, Ted and I attended “Play It Forward,” the second annual 2-4-1 Sports fundraiser at the Pond House. We had a great time playing games, celebrating Steph Blozy’s award, and helping the organization exceed its fundraising goals. Thanks to Mary Crean for the write-up (click here) – and here are some of my photos below (including my favorite food item of the evening – mashed potatoes!

Ted and I grabbed some takeout from Quick Bites on Park Road on Friday night. See the featured item below for some more info about why we wanted to make sure to stop by there.

It was great to see newlyweds Sam and Kate over the weekend – along with a friend who came to town for Friday night’s Pitbull concert at the Meadows – and we had a great dinner with them on Saturday night at Salt + Lime!

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 Please comply or your comment will not be published.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].

**************************************************

Here’s this week’s Buzz:

• I learned from a reader that Quick Bites, which had opened nearly three years ago at 280 Park Road, was planning to close after this weekend. Ted and I stopped by for one last serving of owner Clover Marsh‘s curry goat with rice and peas, and a Jamaican beef and vegetable patty, and to get the details about her plans. Usually closings are not the feature story in this column, but in this case it’s not really a sad story. Clover is keeping her food truck (also called Quick Bites) in operation, and will continue to park it on Elm Street in Hartford and at major events during the spring, summer, and fall months. “I’ll miss my customers, but it wasn’t feeling fun anymore,” she said regarding running the restaurant – along with her “regular” job working nights at a nursing home. She has sold the business – and by Thursday or Friday of this week, the doors will reopen as Cheff’s Kitchen! I spoke with owner Justin Buchanan, who confirmed that the restaurant will continue to be Jamaican-American, and will have many of the same menu items and will maintain the same price point as Quick Bites had. Buchanan has been running a successful catering business for the past three or four years, mainly based out of his East Hartford home, and is very excited about opening his own restaurant space. The menu will also include his own personal touches – dishes that have been popular with his existing customers – including wings, jerk salmon, jerk eggrolls, and jerk or fried shrimp, as well as mac and cheese. I’m looking forward to trying it out!

• Leasing is underway at Greyson West, the 108-unit apartment development at the former Hoffman Summerwood property at 160 Simsbury Road. I haven’t had a chance to see any of the units yet, but started seeing notifications about the property on social media and grabbed a few exterior photos over the weekend. The website indicates that move-ins started in August, and floorplans and other details can be found here.

• The Phillips 66 gas station at the northwest corner of Albany Avenue and North Main Street in Bishops Corner looked about ready to reopen with its expanded convenience store on Friday afternoon when I stopped by. The station and store have been closed for about 9 months for façade updates as well as the conversion of the former store space and the mechanical bays into a larger retail area.

• The Brownstone had its soft opening at the end of July, and on Thursday celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting with the Chamber of Commerce and town officials. Owner Matt Rusconi said things have been going really well, with a steady increase in customers as word gets out and people return from vacation. They are now fully open – lunch, happy hour, dinner, and late night – and have a full bar and music!

• I still don’t have an opening date yet, but there’s more progress on the build-out of Blu Olive (60 LaSalle Road). I had reached out via social media to find out more about the opening plans (they have been teasing “coming soon”), and got a message back that they’re “so excited to see everything coming together” with more updates to be shared soon. Blu Olive 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.”

• Renovations have been completed at the Farmington Avenue Stop & Shop store – and thankfully they are passing out directories of where items are now located because it’s definitely different – and a confusing disruption for those who (like our family) create their shopping list in proper order based on knowing where to find most things. A grand opening is planned for the last weekend of September.

• Exciting news shared by the Seniors Job Bank – which for the second year in a row has been selected as a 2026 Age Well Across Connecticut site. The statewide initiative recognizes places and. programs that demonstrate age inclusivity and in a news release the Seniors Job Bank notes that the recognition reflects its longstanding commitment to ensuring that adults age 50 and older have opportunities to remain active, engaged, financially secure, and connected to their communities. “The Seniors Job Bank is honored to be recognized for a second year as an Age Well Across Connecticut site,” said Robin H. Clare, Executive Director of Seniors Job Bank. “Age inclusion means recognizing that experience, knowledge, reliability, and a willingness to contribute do not have an expiration date. We are proud to help employers see the value of mature workers while connecting people over 50 with opportunities that fit their skills, interests, and lives.” Founded in 1974, the nonprofit connects experienced workers ages 50 and up with employers across the region. “An age-inclusive workforce benefits everyone,” Co-President, Jeffrey Ferketic added. “Employers gain access to a tremendous pool of experienced talent, while older adults have opportunities to continue contributing their skills and experience in ways that are meaningful to them. That is at the heart of what we do.”

• The West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan continues to move ahead, and the greatest area of sidewalk work is now on the south side of Farmington Avenue, and while the work didn’t seem to have a negative impact at all on Center Streets on Sunday, there is still significant disruption to the sidewalk area between the Toy Shop and Bruegger’s. The concurrent paving/restriping/bike lane construction on Farmington Avenue just east of Main Street is complete (look for more details in a Vision Zero/road construction story this week). I purposely took the below photos early Saturday morning during a long walk, so that’s why there aren’t many people around.

• While at Center Streets on Sunday, I also checked out some of the progress on the construction of Center Park Place.

• Much of the forthcoming construction of the new Animal Control facility on Brixton Street will be taking place on the interior, so I will probably stop sharing photos on a weekly basis. Here’s the latest though!

• Hartford Baking Co. is turning Sweet 16, the business announced in a press release, and will celebrate its 16th anniversary on Tuesday, Sept. 1, marking more than a decade and a half of artisan baking, local partnerships and serving the Connecticut community. To celebrate the milestone, Hartford Baking Co. will offer two sandwiches for $16 on Sept. 1, along with a festive Birthday Cake Latte created especially for the occasion. “Hartford Baking Co.’s story began in 2010 with just one baker, four baristas and a mission: to give its hometown a great bakery while creating products the community could be proud to call its own. ‘We wanted to attach Hartford’s name to something superlative and create something the community would be proud of,’ said the Hartford Baking Co. team. ‘Sixteen years later, we’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and so grateful to the customers and community who have supported us along the way.’ What started as a small neighborhood bakery has since grown to a team of more than 50 employees, with Hartford Baking Co. breads and baked goods now delivered to restaurants and grocery stores throughout Connecticut.”

• Congrats to West Hartford native Sophia Cornicello, who graduated from Hall and studied music privately as well as through the Hartt Community Division and majored in Music at Bard Conservatory, on her prestigious position as the Duke University Chapel Organ scholar! According to the Duke Chapel newsletter, “As this year’s Organ Scholar, Cornicello will perform, rehearse, and accompany choirs and congregations on Duke Chapel’s organs. That includes playing during the Chapel’s Sunday morning services, Choral Evensong services, choir rehearsals, and concerts. Throughout her time at Duke, she will receive coaching and instruction from Chapel Music staff, including Chapel Organist Chad Fothergill, Chapel Music Director Dr. Zebulon Highben, and Dr. Philip Cave, the Chapel’s conductor-in-residence.” As a Duke graduate, sharing this news makes me extra happy!

• ICYMI, before she returned to the University of Hartford for the fall semester, intern Roz Green visited the new Wonder location in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square and had a chance to speak with New England Market Operations Director Patrick Cartier about the company’s business model, and also got some details on how they prepare all of the different types of foods in one space (NOT all microwaved). Read her complete story here.
• ICYMI, the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce has formed a charitable foundation. Click here for details.
• Click here to listen to the latest episode of On The Scene featuring hosts Tom Hickey and Bob Carr who welcome former longtime Bartlett Brainard owner Cathy Davis and new owner Scott Miller for a conversation about business, community, and what it means to carry a local legacy forward. Listeners hear how Scott plans to preserve the company’s commitment to craftsmanship and personal service while introducing new technology, digital tools, and safer, more efficient ways of working. All “On the Scene” podcasts can be found on the bottom of the We-Ha.com homepage.

• 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].

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.