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 

I can’t believe it’s already June 29. It seems like it was just Memorial Day, and now suddenly we are finalizing plans for the Fourth of July – and a big heat wave.

Included in the We-Ha.com plans for the July 4th holiday is a newsletter holiday on Friday, July 3. I’ll also be taking some time off later this week, but as of now still plan to have a Business Buzz column next Monday.

Please note that the town has announced schedule changes for the holiday (a separate article will be in our Wednesday newsletter) including that most municipal facilities will be closed on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4. Outdoor pools are the exception, and will be open both days – providing a very needed respite if the the meterologists are correct about how hot this week is supposed to be.

There is NOT any delay in the collection of trash or recycling this week.

One more newsletter-related comment: If you don’t already, please subscribe to our free newsletter, which other than rare holiday breaks is sent out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 6 a.m. Many people read this column once they see it posted on Facebook, but there is plenty of important content that’s included in the newsletter that doesn’t get shared on social media, including press releases and letters to the editor. Click here to subscribe, so you don’t miss anything!

I launched a new column last week! I don’t plan to produce West Hartford “News Bites” on any specific schedule, but I often get cool photos, or an update to a planned event, or other short announcements that don’t necessarily warrant a full story, and the column will be a round-up of those types of items. Click here to read the inaugural edition.

I don’t think I actually had dinner at home more than one night last week – and that was rushed before the Town Council meeting on Tuesday. Monday night’s dinner was the Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting & Spotlight Awards (read story and see photos here), and Ted and I also attended the volunteer thank-you for Celebrate! West Hartford one night, and our monthly Yard Goats game on Thursday. Saturday night we walked to Wabi Sabi where we had an absolutely delicious dinner and some fabulous cocktails.

No trolls last week, and thank you to all who 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:

• Walking through Blue Back Square last week I saw that the sign is now up for Wonder, and the paper is off the windows! Wonder announced last October that they would be opening in the corner portion of the former West Elm space at 91 Memorial Road in 2026, and the response I received to my inquiry last week about an opening date indicated July 27 as the target date! “From poke and pasta to tacos and Thai, Wonder brings you 15+ iconic restaurants with endless ordering options. Everyone gets exactly what they want, in a single order, with $0 delivery fees,” states the message that accompanies the “coming soon” flag on the Wonder website, and based on the signage on the window it appears that the West Hartford location will feature dishes from Bobby Flay Steakhouse, Royal Greens Salad, Tejas Barbecue, Detroit Brick Pizza, Yasas Mediterranean, Limesalt Mexican, Streetbird Mexican, Alanza Italian, and more. Wonder has five locations already open in Connecticut (Stamford, Fairfield, Westport, Milford, and Newington), and West Hartford is one of six slated to open this summer. I looked through the window and the space looks like it’s ready to go, so unless there is a hold-up with permits that July 27 date seems achievable. More to come!

• Also seen in Blue Back Square: the sign is up for Fat Duck Tavern at 63 Memorial Road, in the former Vinted space. Back in April I met owner Anton Berseneva, who will be opening the restaurant along with his wife Tatiana, and at the time he said they were aiming for June opening. The month is about over, but having the sign in place is a good sign – and hopefully the opening will be soon!

• Louie Marko and Sahar Tusia have opened Thousand Sunny Cards & Collectibles in the former Webster Bank location at 75 Park Road. “If you’re into anime, TCG cards, and collectibles, this is your new spot. Whether you collect, trade, or just love the culture, we built this store for YOU,” reads a social media post about the opening. The shop offers a “huge selection of anime & trading card products, rare and high-end singles, and sealed products you won’t find everywhere.” They’re open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Hartford Baking Company (965 Farmington Avenue) has added brunch, and the West Hartford location is now offering cocktails (including Aperol Spritzes. Bloody Marys. Espresso Martinis), pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and more on Saturdays and Sundays.

• The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce and town officials celebrated the grand opening of Spitz Mediterranean Street Food with a ribbon cutting on Wednesday. The restaurant, located in the former Plan b space at 138 Park Road, officially opened on June 12, and is run by the owner/operator team of Nick and Paige Chamberlain, who also live in West Hartford. They now have their license to serve beer and wine, too! Click here to read the full story I wrote about the opening. Below are a few more photos of the interior, the exterior with all of the signage in place, and a few food items that were served on Wednesday.

• I was in the Center a number of times last week, and stopped in at Lil Hope to hear more about their plans to relocate from 18 LaSalle Road to 900 Farmington Avenue. They had shared the plans on social media last week while I was out of town, and I confirmed that there will not be any downtime while the new space (which was the temporary leasing office for One West Hartford) is readied. The retail area will be larger, plus the new store will have storage space that they don’t currently have. There are so many cute things in the current store right now – and of course I could not resist buying a few items for the grand-kidlets.

• Also while I was in the Center, the door to the future Bliss Matcha & Beyond (former Boost Bowls space at 981 Farmington Avenue) was propped open. I peeked inside, and the build-out is definitely well underway. There’s a sign on the door that says they’re hiring, but I don’t have any opening details.

• I also peeked into another open door and ran into Matt Rusconi, owner of The Brownstone, which will be opening next month at 7 South Main Street (former Sam’s Gyros). It’s looking good – and fairly close to complete.

• I peeked into Blu Olive (60 LaSalle Road) as well (that door was also open!), and work is underway, but it looks to me like there is quite a bit more to be done before the opening.

• Congrats to Tagliarini Chiropractic (836 Farmington Avenue) on their 20th anniversary celebrated last week! “We are so proud to be going strong serving our community and improving their health drug-free 20 years later,” owner Jessica Tagliarini said.

• The sign for Angel Land is now on the side of the building where the indoor playground opened recently in The Corbin Collection. The side of the building where the entrance for Level99 will be located has also been repainted, and according to the town’s website they’ve applied for sign permits for Level99 as well as Two Roads, which will be operating a kitchen and tap room to accompany the more than 50 immersive experiences that are part of Level99. Last I was told by a company spokesperson, the opening is planned for late this year.

• Work is now underway on the façade renovation at the Hartford HealthCare building at the corner of South Main Street and New Britain Avenue. The Town Council recently approved an amendment to the Special Development District for that property, to allow the updates to take place. My primary care provider is in that office and has temporarily relocated to the Hartford HealthCare building at South Main and Park, and said they would be there for at least a year.

• Nearly every week I check out the progress of the construction of the new Animal Control facility on Brixton Street, and it’s at that stage where every week it looks remarkably different!

• I also have a weekly photo gallery of the progress of construction taking place as part of the West Hartford Center Infrastructure Master Plan. I am also including photos of the outdoor dining patios that have reopened as the sidewalk replacement has progressed. The south side of Farmington Avenue between Music & Arts and Jenny Andre Hair & Skin Spa is where the majority of the impact on businesses is taking place right now – but please note that all businesses remain open and accessible!

• I took some photos of the Center Park Place construction as well. It looks like they’ve made a lot of progress over the past few weeks.

• Another items I noticed in my travels, just over the town line (actually with an address in Farmington, but in that area just past Westfarms where you never know if you’re in West Hartford, Farmington, New Britain, or Newington), is that construction is getting underway at the former Barnes & Noble property. Hannoush Jewelers is now the owner of the building and will be the flagship tenant as they relocate from their longtime space at Westfarms, and also opening in the building will be KidStrong, Goldfish Swim School, and, according to the sign, Cold Stone Creamery. Barnes & Noble’s new space at Westfarms is currently being built out (it’s technically on the West Hartford part of the mall), and last I heard they planned to open this summer.

• NBT Bank has announces that Ryan White has joined the bank as a Senior Treasury Management Sales Officer based in the West Hartford office, at 68 South Main Street. In his role, White will partner with commercial customers to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and security with tailored cash management and fraud prevention solutions that streamline operations and support growth. “With extensive experience across treasury management sales, client relationship development, and product implementation, Ryan has built a strong record of performance and leadership within the financial services industry,” said Andreas Kapetanopoulos, Regional President of Connecticut and Massachusetts for NBT Bank. “His background reflects a comprehensive understanding of cash management solutions and a long-standing commitment to delivering value to all clients.” Prior to joining NBT, White served in a variety of sales roles at Webster Bank, including as a Regional Manager of Cash Management Sales for business and commercial clients. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and management from Southern Connecticut State University. For more information about NBT Bank, visit www.nbtbank.com.

• Congratulations to West Hartford resident Lauren Komrosky, who has been appointed President and CEO of Connecticut Public as of June 29. She has been with Connecticut Public since 2015, most recently as Chief Digital Officer (Read the full story here (on ctpublic.org).
• Verogy, a distributed energy developer based in West Hartford that is “committed to delivering innovative, best-in-class energy solutions,” announced in a news release that construction is underway on solar energy installations at four municipal landfill sites in the towns of Mansfield, Morris, Somers, and Suffield, CT. The projects are all participating in Connecticut’s Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (NRES) program, represent a growing model for transforming closed landfills into productive clean energy assets that benefit host communities. Connecticut’s NRES program compensates non-residential solar project owners for the clean power their systems deliver to the grid. Under NRES, projects sited on capped landfills and brownfields receive a 20 percent bid price preference in the state’s procurement process, making landfill sites an attractive development opportunity for municipalities and developers alike. According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), 14 projects totaling more than 17 megawatts of power have been sited on landfills under the NRES program to date.
• ICYMI, at an event last Monday, the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce elected new Board members and presented Spotlight and Beacon awards to businesses and individuals that have had a major impact on the community. Click here for the complete story and photos.
• Click here to listen to the latest episode of On The Scene featuring hosts Tom Hickey and Bob Carr who welcome longtime West Hartford Magazine photographer Todd Fairchild for a warm, funny, and insightful conversation about the art of capturing life’s biggest moments. All “On the Scene” podcasts can be found on the bottom of the We-Ha.com homepage.

• Did you know …

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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