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

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.

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.

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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:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• A few recent property sales of note: 12 Arapahoe sold to Arapahoe Group LLC for $1.3 million on July 3, 2024. This property, which currently contains a residence that had been converted to commercial use, will be demolished and the land will become part of the Center Park Place development. The property was formerly the office of Nick Stamboulis, a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual, but he has relocated his office to 29 South Main Street. Also, on June 26, 175-177 Park Road (the building where Second Chance Shop is located) was sold by Park-Oak Associates to SARJAC Partners LLC for $1.3 million.

• Click here to listen to the latest installment of the “On the Scene” podcast, where Tom Hickey and Bob Carr talk with Andreas Kapetanopoulos and Victor Gonzalez of NBT Bank about being active in the community and the future of community banking.

• I saw “The Prom” at Playhouse on Park on Friday night. It was one of the best shows I have seen there, and I thought the casting was fabulous. Click here for the details about the show.

• It’s been announced that Santander is closing its branch at 1040 Boulevard as of Sept. 19, 2024. CT Insider reported that they would be keeping an ATM at that location in the Boulevard Shops, but I have not been able to independently confirm that information.

• ICYMI, this will be the final year for the Park Road Parade, with the Park Road Association planning to organize multiple smaller events throughout the year rather than counting on one large, weather-dependent event to engage area businesses and the community. Click here for the full story.
• Also ICYMI, the Chamber of Commerce honored the winner of the Noah Webster Award, the Elizabeth Basil Gustin Women’s Leadership Award, and Spotlight award winners at its annual meeting. Read the complete story here.
• Photographer Sara Huber of Paw Print Studio specializes in pet photography, but she also does pro bono work taking photos of rescue dogs to help them find forever homes. Click here to read a story about her business written by Grayson Rivers.

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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