West Hartford Business Buzz: January 12, 2015

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

Pfau’s Hardware. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

There’s lots of business news this week, including some news that’s news because there’s no news. And after reading this column you will probably feel motivated to work out.

Intrigued? Then read this week’s buzz!

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].

The news that’s not really news is about Pfau’s Hardware. Earlier this week I heard a rumor from a trusted source that Pfau’s was closing. I put feelers out to several other good sources and no one could confirm or deny for sure, but I kept thinking about how awful it would be for West Hartford Center to lose another iconic business after the news about Plimpton’s (now closed for good). And since owner Russell Hunter passed away in October 2014, the news would not have come as a complete surprise. I knew the only way to find out for sure would be to tactfully go right to the primary source. “Everbody thinks I’m moving to California because one of my kids lives there,” Debbie Hunter, Russell’s widow and owner of Pfau’s said Friday. She said that one customer who had heard the rumor recently came to her in tears. “The store is not closing. As long as [the landlord] allows me to stay here, the store will be here,” Hunter said. Let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief and dispel that nasty rumor.
January is a big month in the fitness industry, and although not directly related to New Year’s resolutions, we have several pieces of fitness news to report. The first is about The Playground, West Hartford’s play-based fitness center, which has added Parkour to its already playful collection of program offerings at its 635 New Park Ave. facilitiy. What is Parkour? I had no idea either until I watched this video. My own conclusion is that it is a combination of gymnastics, bootcamp, break dancing, and an obstacle course all rolled into an activity at which my daughter (a former all state gymnast) would excel. It also looks to be a fun and awesome way to build strength and burn mega-calories. For even more details, click here, and look for a full feature story coming soon.
Also in the fitness department, West Hartford-based Work in Progress Fitness at 485 New Park Ave. will be opening a second location at 369 West Main St. in Avon. WIP specializes in boot camp-style classes.

One more piece of fitness news is about a program for kids. West Hartford-based Soccer Shots, which is owned by West Hartford resident Shannon Perry, has been named the no. 1 fitness franchise for children in America by Entrepreneur Magazine. “The award is a source of great pride to our entire organization and shows our dedication to creating the best possible soccer experience to children ages 2-8. We think of our work as impacting children and our vehicle happens to be soccer. We aren’t about creating great soccer players, but playing a small part in creating great kids,” Perry said in a news release. Soccer Shots CT serves approximately 1,500 kids per year.
It wouldn’t be a business buzz without some mention of food, especially since we’ve been talking about all these opportunities to burn categories. This new restaurant isn’t in West Hartford, but it is owned by a West Hartford resident and is just a stone’s throw away at 36B Fenn Rd. Keep driving down South Main Street into Newington, and right in the plaza with Super Stop & Shop is Tung Pho’s new Vietnamese Restaurant, Phở Viet. Not surprisingly, Pho’s specialty is Phở – a traditional Vietnamese broth soup served with herbs and meat. Pho is new to the role of restaurant owner, but he spent years selling specialized china to Vietnamese restaurants throughout the country, so he’s gotten some great ideas about what does and doesn’t work in the business. Look for a feature in the near future.