West Hartford Business Buzz: February 9, 2015

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

Royal Indian Grocery Store recently opened at 560 New Park Ave. in West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

Welcome to another Monday snow day! That’s an attempt to be cheerful from someone who is anxious to write about topics other than snow-covered roads, school closings, and parking bans.

Thank goodness there is still business news to report!

If you have tips about businesses opening or closing, or doing something worth sharing, please provide that information in the comments or email Ronni Newton at [email protected].

Here’s this week’s buzz:

There’s a new grocery store open in West Hartford. Royal Indian Grocery Store opened on Jan. 13, at 560 New Park Ave., in the space where Tool Consignment was formerly located. In addition to offering authentic Indian food, the store specializes in Asian food products. They stock an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, rices and other grains, frozen foods, and prepared ready-to-eat items. The manager said that prices are “really good” and that he hopes to appeal not only to an Indian and Asian customer base, but to anyone looking to branch out and try foods from other cultures.

Electronics retailer RadioShack has filed for bankruptcy, and this week issued a list of stores targeted for potential closure. According to the Wall Street Journal, roughly 4,000 stores may close, and those 1,750 that remain open will likely become co-branded Sprint stores. There are two RadioShacks in West Hartford: 39 South Main St. and 1481 New Britain Ave. (Corbins Corner). Both were still open as of last Friday, and an employee reached at the South Main store said that neither would be closing. However, the Corbins Corner store appears on this list of stores targeted for closure. We’ll let you know if we find out additional details.

Qdoba has a Valentine’s Day special that can earn customers a free burrito – as long as they “share a smooch.” According to a news release, “All that is required of guests is this slightly cheesy, but certainly saucy task: order one Smothered Burrito and share a smooch with a loved one, friend or even a willing stranger and you can dig into a second Smothered Burrito on the same visit for free.” West Hartford’s Qdoba is located at 345 North Main St. in Bishops Corner. “We’ve been serving up free burritos on Valentine’s Day for the past few years and are amped to celebrate the day with our fans by bringing back this annual offer,” David Craven, vice president of Brand Marketing said in the release. “Smothered for a Smooch is meant to be fun and a bit over-the-top, and both our guests and our team members have a lot of fun sharing the love at this event.” The offer is good on Feb. 14.

BK&Co. is making its first foray into e-commerce. Co-owner Barbara Karsky said that the store will begin to offer the option of online purchasing beginning April 15. “You will be able to shop for looks by body type,” Karsky said. Some merchandise will be offered online only, while other pieces will only be available in the 64 LaSalle Rd. store. More details to come!

Ribbon-cutting at Jared the Galleria of Jewelry. Submitted photo

Jared the Galleria of Jewelry officially opened last week, just in time for Valentine’s Day shopping, and already held a ribbbon-cutting with town leaders. The new West Hartford business did more than just cut the ceremonial ribbon; they also donated a check for $1,000 to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in honor of the new store. Jared is a separate building in the front portion of the Corbins Corner Shopping Center on New Britain Ave.