West Hartford Business Buzz: July 15, 2024 - We-Ha

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

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By Ronni Newton

July 15 already. Summer is going by way too fast for my liking, although we are definitely in the dog days with the weather we have been having.

Speaking of dog days, Millie, who was born in Canada, doesn’t really care for the hot weather, but Sunday was the fifth anniversary of her “gotcha day” so we took her out for some ice cream and to recreate our first walk with her in the Center which was a few days after we brought her home.

Same bench, same dog, five years apart. July 14 was the fifth anniversary of Millie’s “gotcha” day, and we celebrated with a trip to the Center for ice cream and had her pose on the same bench where she sat when she was our new puppy in the summer of 2019. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

There are certainly more serious things going on in the world today, and I was shocked when I learned the news about the shooting of former President Trump and others at the rally on Saturday night. No matter your party affiliation, this was a horrific incident – and rightfully condemned by people from all sides of the political spectrum – and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and all who were impacted. Like many, I watched hours of news coverage on TV as well as on my phone on Saturday and Sunday. I’m definitely dating myself, but I will never forget where I was and how I learned of the assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan – long before the days of the internet or social media. I was in college, working on something in the office of Duke’s newspaper, when the news came got via telex through the AP and/or UPI wire service.

I’ve had a few questions over the past weeks about how to subscribe to the We-Ha.com newsletter, which is distributed via email every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at roughly 6 a.m. There is a blue “Subscribe to E-newsletter” button on the top right of all of our stories, and the home page, and there is also a standard “call to action” with a link to the subscription information at the end of every article. The newsletter is free, as is all of our content, and subscribing is the best way to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Saturday night wasn’t too oppressively hot, and Ted and I walked up to Rockledge Grille where we had a delicious dinner, frosty cold beers, and saw a very cool sunset.

Sip of Sunshine, just before sunset at Rockledge Grille. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Spring rolls at Rockledge Grille. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Tuna melt and sweet potato fries at Rockledge Grille. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Turkey burger with cheddar and roasted red peppers and sweet potato fries at Rockledge Grille. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Sunset from the patio of Rockledge Grille. July 13, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

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Here’s this week’s Buzz:

Murals and new lighting have been added and other renovations. made to the dining room of Park Lane Pizza. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

I know there has been plenty of skepticism, but Park Lane Pizza (337 Park Road) really is planning to reopen, and there really has been an incredible amount of progress – as you can see from the photos. I commented on Facebook last week that I would get an update for this week’s column, and I decided it needed to be the featured item because there has been so much interest in the status of this legacy business. I stopped by a few days ago and spoke to the contractor, who showed me the renovated dining room – that has all new flooring, booths, murals, and lighting. The jukeboxes are pretty much all that remain from the former decor, and he assured me they are not going anywhere. The entire project began after the restaurant’s ceiling was damaged due to the impact of a storm in January, and once a ceiling is opened up, an occupancy must be brought up to current code. (It wasn’t that they were ignoring the code before, but since no renovations had been done, they were grandfathered to continue as is.) Updates have included all new hoods, an ansul system and other fire protection upgrades, new electrical wiring, new floors, walls, and ceilings, and other updates to make the space ADA compliant – including a new restroom. The kitchen and dining room are pretty much done, but when they thought they were getting close to being able to reopen, the contractor said the town made them do some more plumbing work with a drain pipe, and make upgrades to the basement area, and they are also putting on a new roof. There will be new siding installed in the next week, along with the signage on the Park Road and South Quaker Lane sides of the building. “Hopefully by the end of the month this will be all wrapped up,” the contractor told me. There will initially be a soft opening, followed by a larger celebratory event to welcome back customers. “We’re working real hard to get it done by the end of the month,” he said.

Park Lane Pizza is making progress on their renovation, and hopes to reopen by the end of July. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Mural in the renovated dining room of Park Lane Pizza. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Murals have been added and other renovations. made to the dining room of Park Lane Pizza. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The jukeboxes remain in the dining room of Park Lane Pizza. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Park Lane Pizza is making progress on their renovation, and hopes to reopen by the end of July. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Park Lane Pizza is making progress on their renovation, and hopes to reopen by the end of July. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Park Lane Pizza is making progress on their renovation, and hopes to reopen by the end of July. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Park Lane Pizza is making progress on their renovation, and hopes to reopen by the end of July. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Signs are now up in the windows, announcing that the coffee shop Yemerica will be opening soon at 1000 Farmington Avenue. I still haven’t been able to connect with the owner, but I did speak with the general contractor last week who said it would probably be another month or so before the business is ready to open. It appears, from my review of the plans filed online with the town along with the permit applications, as if Yemerica will have seating for 16, but I will definitely continue to pursue getting more details. The space where they will be opening was formerly Lewis Real Estate – which still owns the building, but Scott Lewis has relocated his offices to another building he owns around the corner, at 75 Brace Road.

Future Yemerica Coffee at 1000 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Staying with the coffee theme … Starbucks in Bishops Corner reopened on July 3 following a renovation of the entire space. The renovation, which began May 12, was completed on schedule (they said July, and it was the very beginning of July), and the dining room looks exactly like the sketches – shared in this column on May 6 – that were submitted to the town with the permit applications. I did see a bunch of comments on Facebook about people being disappointed that there is not more seating, but the space is definitely more efficient for both customers and baristas. There’s also a lengthy Facebook post in the Neighbors & Friends group, from Shuli Elisheva who is a barista with Starbucks (she usually works at Kane Street but has worked at the Bishops Corner location as well as many other area stores), and she shared why, from an employee’s perspective, the renovated space is great. I was there on Wednesday around 10 a.m., and there were plenty of open seats and when I stopped to chat with a few people I knew, it was nice to have the extra space and not to be standing in anyone’s way.

Starbucks is back open following renovation at 2475 Albany Avenue in Bishops Corner. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Starbucks is back open following renovation at 2475 Albany Avenue in Bishops Corner. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Starbucks is back open following renovation at 2475 Albany Avenue in Bishops Corner. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Starbucks is back open following renovation at 2475 Albany Avenue in Bishops Corner. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Starbucks is back open following renovation at 2475 Albany Avenue in Bishops Corner. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Starbucks is back open following renovation at 2475 Albany Avenue in Bishops Corner. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

There was an electrical fire at Arugula (953 Farmington Avenue) during lunchtime on Saturday, and while everyone was evacuated safely without injury, the restaurant is going to be closed until further notice, owner Christiane Gehami told me. She’s hoping the closing won’t be more than a few days, and very thankful that it happened when it did (while people were there to respond quickly when they smelled something burning) and that no one was hurt – but they did lose a substantial quantity of wine and food inventory.

Arugula (953 Farmington Avenue) is closed temporarily for repairs due to an electrical fire on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

We’ve got a bunch of Westfarms updates, including the exciting news that lululemon is expanding and relocating into a much larger space on the second floor in the Center Court area. Also now open at Westfarms is Sweet Galaxy, a candy shop that features 250 varieties of candies and chocolates. Thanks to Connecticut Scoop for the scoop on the candy shop, and for providing us with the sad news about the closing at Westfarms of the emerging brand shops The Frenchie Company and Biberon, as well as Level 1 Video Games.

lululemon is relocating within Westfarms to a larger space on the upper level near Center Court this fall. Photo credit: Amanda Sirica

lululemon is relocating within Westfarms to a larger space on the upper level near Center Court this fall. Photo credit: Amanda Sirica

Sweet Galaxy is now open on the lower level of Westfarms, near Jordan’s Furniture. Photo courtesy of Jean-Luc Dube, Connecticut Scoop

There is some other very exciting and fun Westfarms news – the return of FL!P Circus, which debuted its show in the Hartford area last September and has returned for 10 days, from July 12-23, and which has brought an all-new performance to their distinctive red and white, air-conditioned, 800-seat tent that was set up Friday in the parking lot outside of JCPenney. I had a sneak peek at the interior of the big top courtesy of Alexa Vazquez, who is part of the fourth-generation family that owns FL!P Circus. “The crowd was really happy,” she said regarding last year’s performance. “You get to be so close to the artists and the perfumers, and the live orchestra just ties everything together.” It’s a traditional circus – with clowns, jugglers, aerial feats, and hula hooping (that’s what she does), and each year they create a new show. “It’s been a tradition for our family for generations, on both sides,” said Vazquez, who is from Mexico City. “When you’re born into the circus industry, it’s in your blood. You’re used to seeing your mom and dad flipping around.” There is plenty of free parking, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the show this week! For all of the details about FL!P Circus, including how to buy tickets, click here.