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

Welcome to the first Monday of August! This is one of my favorite months and for me a chance to really appreciate summer.

I especially love this time of year – which features our annual family vacation to Nantucket – and this year we are so lucky to be spending time over the next few weeks with not only Ted’s mom but also both of our kids, their significant others, our grandchildren, and Ted’s brother and his family!

The first two days have featured spectacular weather, and the forecast looks amazing (fingers crossed …)! In addition to family time and creating memories with our grandchildren in our favorite place, I also hope to get plenty of time to read on the beach, run, and bike – along with watching Millie chase seagulls and enjoying some great food and drink.

The news never stops, but I’m hoping that West Hartford remains relatively quiet for the next two weeks. And thanks in advance to Mia Jaworski, Roz Green, Bridget Bronsdon, Paul Palmer, and other collaborators for holding down the fort!

August tends to be a quiet month for business news, and barring anything I am not yet aware of that materializes, next week will one of those rare weeks when Business Buzz does not appear. I’m planning to save the news that would appear next Monday for the Aug. 18 edition.

And while I hope to be taking a brief break, Ted is taking a permanent break from work. Aug. 1 was his last day as he retired from a 27.5-year career in compliance at MassMutual – and more than 40 years overall working in financial services. I am so proud of all he has achieved, and it was wonderful to hear the comments and good wishes from his (now-former) co-workers at his retirement party last week. He estimated he spent at least 7,500 hours of his life commuting to Springfield over the years, so he will definitely have much less time in the car, along with free time during the days! Plans for the future include mentoring through West Hartford Public Schools, more volunteering with Journey Home, pickleball, golf, and more opportunity to focus on being a grandpa. He’s getting a good start with the latter this week!

We had a few retirement celebrations – including at Max Tavern in Springfield last week, and at GastroPark following Ted’s official sign-off on Friday afternoon.

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.

We had a few trolls last week – one who did not provide a full name and used a fake email address (my email asking for their name bounced right back), and another person who didn’t provide their name and also used profanity. With some political news coming out in the last few weeks we have been getting quite a few comments on articles, and 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:

• The historic building at 91 South Main Street, constructed in 1897, is now the home to the main office of law firm RisCassi & Davis – and before relocating from Hartford this spring they completed a top-to-bottom renovation. “We are currently celebrating our 70th anniversary and are one of the oldest personal injury law firms in Connecticut,” shared Christopher Houlihan, the partner who oversaw the renovation and move. “The firm was founded in 1955 by former State Senate Majority Leader Leon RisCassi and Bill Davis. Bill and Leon went on to mentor generations of trial lawyers both inside and outside of our firm,” he said. The firm was originally located at 75 Lafayette Street in Hartford on the site of what is now G.A. 14 Hartford Superior Court, and in 1982 relocated the main office to 131 Oak Street in Hartford where they remained for more than 42 years before the move to West Hartford. The firm currently has 25 employees, including 9 attorneys. “Our move was made in conjunction with the opening of our Glastonbury office in 2024. We represent individuals and families throughout Connecticut and nationally, however, the core of our client base has typically been in Connecticut’s suburbs and rural areas. With our new West Hartford headquarters and our Glastonbury office, we’re able to more conveniently cater to clients east and west of the Connecticut River. The transformation of West Hartford Center over the past several decades into a vibrant business and entertainment district made our new location a natural choice. Additionally, several of our attorneys and staff members live in West Hartford and I grew up in town,” Houlihan said. The 91 South Main Street property required extensive renovations that took place over the course of more than a year and at a cost in excess of $1 million, according to Houlihan. “Hardly anything was left untouched. The roof, siding, and front porch were replaced and mechanical systems upgraded. The interior of the building was completely stripped and rebuilt. We’ve installed state-of-the-art conference facilities, two separate kitchen areas, and office space necessary to accommodate the majority of our employees. The grounds were completely overhauled with a new parking lot and landscaping. Our goal was to create a space that could serve as a home for the firm for decades to come,” Houlihan said. “The firm and our attorneys have been involved in the West Hartford community even before opening the new office. For many years, we’ve donated time and money to West Hartford schools, houses of worship, and community organizations. Several of our attorneys volunteer their time coaching youth athletics and the firm has been a team sponsor many times in the past,” he said. They have recently joined the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce, which will host an official ribbon cutting on Aug. 15, and will continue to look for opportunities to make a difference in the community, Houlihan said. “Since our founding, the firm has maintained significant involvement with national and statewide advocacy and community organizations with financial support and volunteering time. Leon RisCassi and Bill Davis were founding members of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and many of our attorneys have testified in front of the legislature on issues that impact our clients and the law. Each of our attorneys commits a portion of their time toward pro bono representation and teaching appointments.” In addition to the West Hartford office, RisCassi & Davis also has an office in Glastonbury that is staffed full-time, as well as office space in Avon and Middletown available for use. Thanks to Office Manager AnnMarie Messier for the tour of the beautiful new space!

• My apologies for providing some misleading information in a previous column regarding the location of the future Little Caesar’s pizza. Now that the sign is up, I realized that it will be opening at 1032 Boulevard, in the Boulevard Shops (northwest corner of Boulevard and Prospect), but not in the space that was formerly Santander Bank. That space appears to still be for lease, and Little Caesar’s will be on the other side of CVS, in a space that had previously been vacant.

• Some updates are being made to the former Z-Bowls location at 165 Park Road, which will be opening – very soon from what I have heard – as Burger Squad. More information to come!

• The sign is now up for Sugar Gen, a hair removal spa which Manira Truong opened in May in what was a State Farm office at 1123-1125 New Britain Avenue. And the windows are now papered over in the space next door that had been previously leased to Cake Gypsy, where build-out is underway for Beloved Companions and Pawz for Peace – sister businesses owned by Dave Olson. Beloved Companions (belovedcompanions.com) offers pet funeral and cremation services (the cremation is done elsewhere), while Pawz at Peace (pawzatpeace.com) provides gentle and compassionate in-home euthanasia.

• Tyler Anderson, West Hartford resident and chef extraordinaire, was just one point away from earning the title “Master of ‘Cue” in the latest Food Network reality show “BBQ Brawl.” Anderson came in second to Kyle Brenner in the final episode – a 26-hour marathon cook-off – which aired last Sunday. Brenner, who is from Appalachia, already owns a BBQ restaurant, and Anderson told me in a recent interview that he’s hoping to open one in our area soon, preferably in West Hartford if he can find the right space that can accommodate a wood smoker. If you missed the finale, or any of the previous episodes, the season should be available for viewing on MAX.

• Congratulations to Budr, which celebrated the two-year anniversary of the opening of West Hartford’s first cannabis retailer at 1037 Boulevard – and Budr’s first store – last Thursday.

• There wasn’t an official update last week regarding progress of the Center Infrastructure Master Plan, but every time I’ve gone to the Center more has been accomplished. Phase 2B, which is the west side of LaSalle between Union Kitchen and Arapahoe Road, appears to be nearly complete, and work continues to ramp upon Phase 2A, which is the east side from the intersection of Farmington Avenue through The Friendly Toast. Phase 2A will include continued sidewalk and curb demolition, curb installation, and sidewalk pours. While it’s been stated that driveway to the Farmington Avenue parking lot that’s on LaSalle will be temporarily closed to install the new sidewalk, it’s still been open every time I have driven by. See photos of the progress below, that were taken on Wednesday, July 30.

• There’s also more activity and progress – including excavation – on the site that will be the new Animal Control facility on Brixton Street!

• FYI, registration (for residents) for the the fall and winter programs through West Hartford Leisure Services begins on Aug. 6, but the printed brochure has been delayed and will likely not be available until after that date. The brochure can be viewed online on the Leisure Services webpage on the town’s website.
• From Connecticut Scoop about a business opening just over the West Hartford line: “Tous Les Jours is coming soon to 585 Hartford Road in New Britain, the former Hair Cuttery/UbreakIfix space at Brittany West Plaza. They serve freshly baked goods including pastries, cakes, hand-crafted beverages, coffee, espresso, and much more. Tous Les Jours is French for ‘Everyday’ meaning everything they sell is made fresh each morning! Some of their signature items include cloud bread, macarons, pies, milk bread, and croissants. This will be their second locations behind their New Haven location that opened in 2022.”
• ICYMI, congratulations to Greg Confessore and Cricket Press on being honored last week as the SBA’s Family-Owned Small Business of the Year. The complete story can be found here.
• Some additional construction updates of interest – Rockledge driving range, Eisenhower Park pool, and more – can be found in this story!

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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