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

Winter has certainly been quite wintery lately, and it looks like this week will bring multiple chances for snow and other assorted weather that makes me want to curl up inside with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book in front of the fireplace. That’s actually something I rarely ever have a chance to do – but at least I am hopeful that, unlike this past week, I won’t have multiple outdoor events to cover.

Last week included an outdoor press conference regarding the Connecticut Hospitality Fund on Monday and the Wampanoag “topping-out” on Friday. I have Raynaud’s disease, and in cold temperatures I very quickly lose blood flow to my fingers, completely numbing them and turning them yellow-white. It’s hard to take photos when you can’t feel the shutter button on the camera! It’s the standing around part that’s the hardest for me, and I belatedly realized on Friday that the hand warmers I brought to Wampanoag had expired and were completely ineffective.

I was also outside in advance of the Citizen Meeting with Senators Murphy and Blumenthal at Duffy Elementary School on Saturday morning – but I started off much warmer because I walked there from my house as a way to combine work and exercise, plus I opened my hand warmers in advance to make sure they worked.

Pitchers and catchers report this week – always a sign that spring is coming. And locally, the Yard Goats hosted their season preview party on Thursday, introducing this year’s promotions as well as a new temporary team name that will be featured near the end of the season. It was great to catch up with longtime “Voice of the Yard Goats” and West Hartford resident Jeff Dooley (and many others) at the event. More information about the upcoming season, which begins April 4, can be found here.

I’m writing this on Super Bowl Sunday, in advance of heading to a Super Bowl party at the home of our friends who are avid Chiefs fans. I have no skin in the game (although my son’s fiancée, who is from Pennsylvania, is a lifelong Eagles fan), so I’m repping West Hartford in one of my West Hartford sweaters from the Noah Webster House. We actually have some great West Hartford merchandise available on the We-Ha.com site, and had I ordered mine far enough in advance I’d have other options for today as well!

It was a terrible few days for my favorite basketball teams, with both the UConn men, UConn women, and Duke men losing heartbreakers. We were recording and planned to watch the end of the Duke vs. Clemson game after going out to dinner at Smoke Public House, but then a few of the people [non-Duke fans] sitting at the bar insisted on turning on the game and watching despite our protests. Oh well … dinner was great in any case.

I also enjoyed one of my favorite lunches – an ahi tuna “poke your way” bowl from Pokeworks – when I treated the new parents to poke bowls last week. My daughter was quite happy to be able to have raw fish again now that she’s no longer pregnant.

We apologize if you’ve received an error message when trying to access the We-Ha.com site over the past week. We’ve experienced a few downtime episodes, due to an issue with our new VPS host and efforts to control bots that are overloading the system. While that is not something I pretend to understand, our IT guy does and has been assured that the stability team is working on the issue as a top priority. I hope it won’t happen again, and apologize for any inconvenience.

Speaking of inconvenient – PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE (all caps and bold intentional) don’t try to post a comment on a story on this site without using your full name. And don’t try to trick me with a pseudonym either, because I can see the email addresses on the back end of the site, and I’m pretty sure “[email protected]” is not using their real name. I’ve wasted too much time lately emailing anyone who tries to comment without their full name.

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:

• A few weeks ago I provided an update, and there continues to be even more progress on the build-out of The Friendly Toast at 36 LaSalle Road (former Division West space), which is due to open in late spring, and definitely seems to be on track. Since the last update was a few bullet points into the column, I’m not sure everyone saw it – so this week they get top billing! Here’s the update I had received from Eric Goodwin, co-owner: “The Friendly Toast is thrilled to join the West Hartford community. We have had our eyes on Connecticut for a while and feel that we will bring a wonderful addition to the growing West Hartford food scene. Whether you’ll stop in to pick up takeout on your way to work, or join us for a weekend brunch with friends, we cannot wait to meet the community and serve you high quality, delicious, scratch-made meals.” The West Hartford restaurant will b their first foray into Connecticut, and the 14th overall location, The Friendly Toast, according to Director of Marketing Madelyn Dignam, is “a small but mighty independent restaurant group, and I think the West Hartford community is the perfect fit for us. We offer something for everyone, from classic breakfasts to brunch appetizers, signature mimosa flights to rotating mocktail specials. We can’t wait to open our doors and for Connecticut to get to know us!” Farmington-based Construx Co., which has been involved in many other local projects, is doing the build-out, and they have been posting updated photos on their social media, but I took these myself when I popped in last week.

• Jenny Andre, who already owns a salon in Staten Island, has opened her second location, Jenny Andre Hair & Skin Spa, at 997 Farmington Avenue in the former G.W. Crane Hair Designs space. She shared the following: “Our salon specializes in haircuts for all types of hair including curly hair, kids haircuts. Coloring services all done with organic product includes Highlights, Lowlights, Ombre, Balayage, Color Gloss and corrective color. (Wella Professional, Germany & L’oreal Professional, France , USA and Japan) Up-do hair styles for events, Bridal Up-do & Make-up, Hair Extensions and Wigs in Remy Hair. Healthy Hair and Scalp Treatments, hair loss treatment, Keratin Smoothing Therapy, Reconstruction Therapy from Japan(Milbon USA,Gold line) Our full Skin Spa Service includes Facial, hydrating skin care, Deep poor Facial, Glycolic Peel, Lift Mask, Brazilian wax, all over body waxing, The HydraFacial MD resurfacing procedure thoroughly cares for your skin, providing cleansing, exfoliation, extractions, and hydration, including Vortex-Fusion of antioxidants, peptides, and hyaluronic acid. The HydraFacial MD is a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure that delivers instant results with no discomfort or downtime. The procedure is immediately effective for: Building Collagen Offering antioxidant infusion Tightening skin Improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles Minimizing enlarged pores Extracting impurities Treating oily or acne-prone skin Removing hyperpigmentation & brown spots Cleansing, toning and hydrating Removing dead skin.” Andre’s New York clients include Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Huston. A grand opening celebration will be planned for the spring, she said in a Facebook post. G.W. Crane closed at the end of June 2024, when owner Glen Crane retired.

• Just Salad opened its doors at 2538 Albany Avenue on Jan. 23 (see the feature in the Jan. 27 Business Buzz here) and will be holding their official grand opening celebration all this week. Specifics are listed on the flyers below, and at the end of the column you can also find a PDF version flyer that will ensure that each in-store purchase of a salad today – Giveback Day – will result in a donation of $1 to the Children’s Museum’s Wildlife Sanctuary. And as an aside, the Children’s Museum’s cute new groundhog has a name – and you can read all about it in this article Melissa Cole wrote for us last week.

• There seems to be rapid progress now on One West Hartford, the 172-unit apartment development on the site of the former Children’s Museum at 950 Trout Brook Drive. Continental Properties, the developer, indicated that they hope to be welcoming residents by late 2025 or early 2026. Much more to come!

• The Seniors Job Bank said in a press release that the organization is excited to announce the launch of its new podcast, “Seniors Rule: Age Like A Warrior,” in partnership with the West Hartford Senior Center. This dynamic and empowering podcast aims to provide seniors with practical advice, inspiring stories, and the tools they need to thrive in their later years. Seniors Rule: Age Like A Warrior features a diverse range of topics like maintaining vitality, health, financial stability, career reinvention, and living purposefully in retirement. The podcast’s goal is to foster a sense of community, resilience, and empowerment among seniors, showing that age is not a barrier but an opportunity for personal growth and fulfillment. “We are thrilled to partner with the West Hartford Senior Center to bring this exciting new resource to our community,” said Robin Clare, Executive Director of Seniors Job Bank. “We believe that seniors have so much wisdom and life experience to share, and through Seniors Rule: Age Like A Warrior, we hope to inspire others to live their lives with purpose, courage, and confidence.” West Hartford Senior Center’s Director, Rebecca Sears, added, “We are so proud to be part of this innovative project. Our seniors are eager to stay engaged and continue learning, and Seniors Rule: Age Like A Warrior offers them a fun and informative way to stay connected, healthy, and motivated.” The first episode (click here) launched on Jan. 9, 2025, and focuses on all of the ways vitality can be a part of life as you age.

• Town Manager Rick Ledwith announced at the last Town Council meeting that Fire Chief Greg Priest, Deputy Director of Emergency Management Bob McCue, and Emergency Management Specialist Michael Perruccio were notified on Jan. 27 that they successfully passed the testing and professional experience requirements to receive the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) credential! “The CEM designation is the highest honor of professional achievement available from the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), which has in its membership more than 6,000 emergency managers whose goals are saving lives and protecting property and the environment during emergencies and disasters.
  emergency management awards,” he said. Congratulations!!
• Also from the Town Manger’s Report, the Spring/Summer 2025 Leisure Services Program Guide is now posted on the Leisure Services webpage and registration is open for hundreds of programs for all ages, from babies to senior citizens. Copies of the catalog are also available at Town Hall, libraries, and recreation facilities. Registration is open now for residents (opens Wednesday for non-residents) to sign up for summer programs.

• Also note that one camp that got left out of the brochure is the Project 1 Lacrosse Camp, which is founded and run by West Hartford resident Kyle Jackson, whose background includes The Hill Academy ‘12 Team Captain, University of Michigan ‘16 Team Captain, San Diego Seals (NLL), Carolina Chaos (PLL) 2x Champion, and Haudenosaunee Nationals 2x Bronze Medalist – 1x Silver Medalist. Here’s the description of the camp: “We aim at providing value to the local community with professional lacrosse players, incredible fun, an impact on the fundamental development. With our wealth of knowledge in the youth, high school, prep school, collegiate & professional game it is hard to find a camp that will be comparable. There will also be epic giveaways including pro players gear.” Registration for all camps is available through RecDesk.

 

• West Hartford-based solar energy developer Verogy has announced the addition of two seasoned professionals to its team. Carolyn Humphreys and Ben Frank have joined Verogy as Vice Presidents of Solar Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC), bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to advance the company’s commercial and utility scale solar EPC services nationwide, the company announced need in a news release. Humphreys joins the team with nearly two decades committed to the growth of the solar energy industry.  In her leadership positions for national and global design, installation, finance, and manufacturing companies, she built installer channels, consistently exceeding revenue targets, and improving the employee and client experience.  Humphreys earned global awards for sales, training & mentoring and helped the industry deploy more than 1GW of solar projects.  Her proven business expertise, along with a stellar track record in developing and implementing creative business solutions, makes her an exceptional addition to the Verogy team. Frank is a seasoned senior executive with over 25 years of experience in renewables and technology, having excelled in leadership roles across start-ups, small companies, and Fortune 500 firms, with a focus on solar energy, energy efficiency, manufacturing, and power electronics. He has a proven track record of driving revenue growth and building high-performing sales teams, while also successfully raising capital and managing strategic business development initiatives. “Welcoming Carolyn and Ben to Verogy is a significant milestone for our company,” said Will Herchel, CEO of Verogy.  “Their combined expertise in EPC will enhance our ability to deliver comprehensive solar solutions to our clients. Strong EPC leadership is crucial for efficiently deploying solar energy projects across the country, and Carolyn and Ben’s considerable experience underscores our continued commitment to excellence in the solar industry.” The addition of these two established industry players to the Verogy team reinforces the company’s strength in the EPC as a service market. Through their proven track records, Frank and Humphreys will bring a new depth to Verogy’s current initiatives. The solar EPC model employed by Verogy represents an efficient, effective approach to solar energy deployment. The continued growth of the Verogy team reaffirms the company’s commitment to bringing sustainable solutions to C&I customers nationwide.

• ICYMI, Sally’s Apizza has announced the opening date of their newest location inside the Jordan’s Furniture store at Westfarms will be this Thursday. Click here for the complete story.
• As noted in the intro above, Wampanoag Country Club celebrated the topping-out of its new clubhouse, with placement of a signed beam adorned with a pine tree and an American and club flag on Friday. Read the full story here.
• Last Monday, at Zohara in West Hartford Center, the Connecticut Restaurant Association held a press conference to highlight legislation that they hope will lead to the establishment of the Connecticut Hospitality Fund. Complete details can be found here.

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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