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

Today is Martin Luther King Day and although it’s a federal holiday and many people have the day off, please note that there is no trash/recycling delay this week due to the holiday.

Today the town will host the 30th annual town-wide celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I always report on this event and will of course be there but also urge anyone who can to attend what is always an inspiring program with a keynote speaker, music, and perspectives shared by students from Conard and Hall. This year’s event will also include the presentation of the second Early Exum Servant Leader award. The celebration begins at 10 a.m. at West Hartford Town Hall, and complete details can be found here. West Hartford Community Interactive will also air the event live on Comcast Channel 5, Frontier 6098, and on YouTube.

We are smack dab in the middle of winter, and now that I have put away the holiday decor the doldrums are really setting in, especially when it has been snowing for 48 hours and I look at the weather forecast for this week and next week. Thankfully the days are getting visibly longer, particularly in the afternoons. And all of my favorite basketball teams (UConn men and women and Duke men) won this weekend, as did the Patriots.

Also, I do like snowmen, and thanks for the mood-lifter provided by Nick Lombardo who sent me the below photo, with the message: “Happy Winter from our creation during our Rockledge walk.”

I featured the new Crêpes Choupette in this column last week, but although I had photos of the sweet crepes I had not sampled them personally. When planning a coffee meeting last week I jumped at the chance to go back and this time tried the Classique – which was very yummy! I also loved the cute presentation of the check.

Saturday night dinner was at Frida – and I purposely looked to try a dish I had never had before. Kahlo’s Octopus Tacos were so  delicious!! Ted said the same of the Pollo Chipotle. We also enjoyed our margaritas, and the Carajillo (espresso and Licor 43) that our server, Miguel, brought as a nightcap.

We had one troll-ish comment again this past week – clearly from someone not using a real name – but my email message was bounced back as undeliverable. That led to an automatic deletion of the comment from the queue. Thank you to all who do 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].

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Here’s this week’s Buzz:

• In last week’s column I provided some updates about plans for the new Big Y at Westfarms, but this week Big Y returns to Business Buzz as the featured item after the store announced in a news release Thursday that they are officially celebrating the grand reopening of their Bishops Corner store. The release notes that “from the redesigned entrance to the modern décor and fresh graphics throughout, shoppers will immediately notice a warm, updated look along with a brand-new café and digital menu boards that highlight daily offerings.” I toured the renovated space (if you haven”t been there, it still has the “slope” but it seems to be less pronounced) with Store Director Roberto Bonaparte on Friday, and he pointed out the expanded offerings in the “Kitchen” department, that include a salad bar, hot foods like pizza, a wing bar, and many more grab and go options. “Big Y remains deeply committed to serving the Jewish community by maintaining a wide assortment of Kosher offerings throughout the store. The Bakery remains Pas Yisroel and HKC (Hartford Kashrut Commission) supervised, ensuring continued access to items that meet important dietary needs and traditions,” the press release states. The store maintains its relationships with local businesses as well, and there are bagels from Between Rounds, Yosi Kitchen hummus (Windsor), and Bloomfield’s Grote & Weigel hot dogs, among others. “The remodel reflects our ongoing commitment to enhancing the shopping experience for the West Hartford community we proudly serve. The updates highlight our focus on quality, variety and creating a more enjoyable place to shop and work,” said Bonaparte, noting that there will be special pricing beginning on the official grand opening day, Thursday, Jan. 22, as well as the following week. “As shoppers’ expectations continue to evolve, we remain focused on offering an experience built on quality, value and innovation,” said Nicole D’Amour Schneider, senior vice president of retail operations and customer experience. “We also prioritize a clean, safe work environment with the tools and technology our employees need to serve our customers well.” Big Y is a family-owned, locally-focused supermarket chain based in the northeast, founded in 1936 by brothers Paul and Gerald D’Amour, and named for the “Y” formed by two roads that converge in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Big Y Foods purchased the entire Crossroads Plaza shopping center in 2022 (for $22.4 million), and Matt D’Amour, Vice President of Real Estate for Big Y, said the company made a roughly $10 million investment in the updates to the store, as well as the overall façade renovations to the Crossroads Plaza. It’s a full-circle moment for me reporting on the grand reopening, sinc the opening of Big Y in November 2010 was one of the first stories I wrote when I started working for West Hartford Patch.

• As of Jan. 15, Fine Fettle has converted all nine of its dispensaries in Connecticut – including the location at 1232 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford – to hybrid facilities, serving not only adult recreational cannabis users but also medical patients. Recent changes in the state’s cannabis regulations and legislation allowed for the transformation, which increases opportunities for operational efficiency as well as provide new opportunity for patient access, Fine Fettle said in a news release. “This change allows us to continue fulfilling our mission of accessible, compassionate care while strengthening the state’s medical program,” Benjamin Zachs, COO of Fine Fettle, said in a statement. “By bringing all of our locations under a hybrid model, we can serve patients and customers alike – without sacrificing the quality, expertise, and personal touch that define Fine Fettle. In many regions where we operate, there have not been options for medical patients to increase access. We’re changing that.” According to Zachs, each location will offer both remote and in-person consultations with licensed pharmacists – a cornerstone of Connecticut’s medical cannabis program. “This is about efficiency and equity,” added Zachs. “Patients shouldn’t have to travel far for care or be stuck with limited options. With this model, we can responsibly serve both patients and customers while keeping Connecticut’s medical community strong. We thank the legislature and DCP for helping us make this happen. Fine Fettle’s expansion underscores its commitment to safe, regulated, and community-focused cannabis access,” Zachs added. “With this milestone, the company continues to lead Connecticut’s evolution into a mature, inclusive cannabis market that prioritizes patient well-being, education, and affordability.” For more information, visit finefettle.com or contact [email protected].

• Roger Desmond, University of Hartford Professor Emeritus and West Hartford resident, will be a moderator of an online discussion titled “Voices From The Future of Democracy” on Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 7-8 p.m. Along with two other moderators, a panel of high school students from across the U.S. will discuss how they view their future as participants in democracy. Sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School, admission is free but requires registration by clicking here.

• Massage Envy shared in a news release that it will begin a “new chapter in wellness and recovery” with the introduction of Aescape robotic massage at its franchise location at in the West Farm Shopping Center, just over the West Hartford line at 1600 Southeast Road in Farmington. This location, owned by Anthony Vidal, who is also the franchisee for the Massage Envy in Bishops Corner, will become the exclusive local destination for Aescape robotic massage, an advanced, fully automated massage experience powered by artificial intelligence. According to the news release, “Aescape represents a new category of massage technology, designed to deliver consistent, personalized, and data-driven massage sessions using state-of-the-art robotics and AI. Unlike traditional massage, Aescape combines precision hardware with intelligent software to tailor each session to the individual’s body and preferences.” Aescape will be available as an alternative, and traditional massage services will remain available. “The introduction of Aescape at the West Farm location reflects growing consumer interest in wellness solutions that blend technology, personalization, and convenience. The service is designed to appeal to a broad audience, including wellness enthusiasts, performance-minded individuals, and those seeking reliable solutions for stress or muscle tension,” the release states. Appointments will be available beginning Jan. 26, 2026. Interested guests are encouraged to call 860-677-4477 now to learn more or reserve a session.

• Thanks to Kaoud Rugs for hosting a great West Hartford Chamber of Commerce After Hours last Thursday. It was great to reconnect with my former soccer coach, Scott Conover of Century 21 All Points Realty (he was the West Hartford Women’s Soccer League Sky Blue coach for many years) as well as many other Chamber members. Sadly my business card wasn’t chosen to win the beautiful rug the Kaoud’s donated as the door prize.

• I published an article on Jan. 9 about the commencement of the next phase of the West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan, with work beginning on Farmington Avenue. Last week the contractor was installing soil cells for the future new street trees on the north side of Farmington Avenue between Walden Street and Dale Street, and also completing some electrical work on LaSalle Road which will continue this week. Weather permitting, there will be continued sidewalk demolition and soil cell installation on the north side of Farmington Avenue between Walden and Dale, impacting the availability of roughly five parking spaces. Installation of new storm drains on Walden and Dale is planned. In an email update, the construction manager also announced that business owners are encouraged to attend a stakeholder meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 9 a.m., in Council Chambers (Room 314) of West Hartford Town Hall. “Town staff and the project team will be available to answer questions and discuss what to expect as work continues. Your input is valued, and we hope you can join us,” the email stated.

• Construction update photos of Center Park Place are below. I ran into Luna Pizza owner Alex MacDonald last week and he invited me to check out the view of the construction from the rear of his restaurant. That’s a very big hole that will be the below-ground parking for the luxury condominium development at 2 Arapahoe Road. Center Park Place will include four residential floors as well as three levels of garage parking (some of which will be below grade) to accommodate the future residents as well as lost spaces in the lot.

• Now for the closings, and sadly there are a number of them to report this week. As of 4 p.m. Sunday, Cookshop Plus closed its doors for good at 58-60 LaSalle Road, after announcing in December that they planned to close by the end of January. I’ve stopped by a few times (and purchased multiple items that I absolutely *needed* each time) hoping to connect in person with owner Jimmy Hines to not only say goodbye but also to find out more details. I’ve followed and written about Cookshop Plus on its entire journey in West Hartford, first meeting owners Jimmy and Samantha Hines when I learned of and wrote about their initial plans to open the Cookshop Plus store at 977 Farmington Avenue back in the fall of 2015, and covered their move as well – and have purchased countless items for my own home as well as gifts, always appreciating the opportunity to support a local business. “It’s bittersweet,” Jimmy said Saturday afternoon. “It was the end of a 10-year lease, and it was time. It’s been a wonderful 10 years and been wonderful having so many customers come in,” he said of the stories that have been shared in the past six weeks since they announced the closing. There are no firm plans for the next chapter, he said, although they still live in West Hartford and will remain here at least in the near term. The immediate priority had been to complete the process of liquidating the store inventory, which went better than expected. At one point they had stocked more than 12,000 items, Jimmy said, but “people really helped empty the shelves. I wasn’t expecting having as little here now,” he said. Samantha Hines‘ parents have owned and operated the original Cookshop in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia, for more than two decades, and that store remains open – and they plan to ship the small amount of inventory that remained at the end of the day Sunday to the store in Australia. No news on what will take the space – a prime location on LaSalle Road.

• While walking on Farmington Avenue on Saturday on the way to Cookshop Plus, I sadly stumbled upon another closing when I saw the ominous-looking “Everything Must Go!” signs in the window of Francesca’s (985 Farmington Avenue). This one is not just a West Hartford closing. I immediately stopped in and a store employee told me they had just learned of the plans for the 25-year-old business to shut down nationwide. Today.com reported on the news on Friday, citing a report in Women’s Wear Daily (that is behind a paywall) “that the retailer has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and intends to liquidate all their assets that have not been paid for yet.” The West Hartford employee seemed to think it would probably be a few weeks before the actual closing, and everything is on sale already. Locally, Francesca’s also has a location at Westfarms and at the Shoppes at Farmington Valley – all of which appear to also be impacted. There’s a “warehouse sale” on the Francesca’s website, too.

• Center Framing & Art owner Lori Chozick posted on Facebook in late December that she was planning to retire, but I didn’t realize it was happening right away. Best of luck to Lori in her next chapter!

• Also noticed on one of my recent walks through the Center: the sign is down at the former Play It Again Sports (15 South Main Street) and the “for lease” poster is still in the window. Play It Again Sports did not close – but moved to a much larger space at 635 New Park Avenue in the fall.

• I personally didn’t see this sign in the window, but Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chris Conway sent me a photo of the sign on the door of Sam’s Gyro (7 South Main Street) early last week that said they are closed and changing locations. I tried to find out more, but there’s no information available online or on their Facebook page, and the phone number listed doesn’t work, so I have not been able to find out any details. Anyone have the scoop??

• Click here to listen to the latest episode of On The Scene which delivers a thoughtful, community-first conversation focused on West Hartford’s present and future. Hosts Tom Hickey and Bob Carr welcome West Hartford Town Councilor John Lyons for an open discussion on growth, development, and what it truly means to serve a community.

• ICYMI, the Town of West Hartford has denied a site plan application submitted by Vessel Technologies for a multifamily residential development at 29 Highland Street. Complete details can be found here.
• Did you know …

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