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 hope everyone is enjoying what should be a quiet week leading up to the Fourth of July! I’m also hopeful that the weather is actually closer to the average temperature – and not averaging out to 80 degrees because it’s halfway between the 100-degree inferno of early last week and the 60-degree chill of the end of the week.

Please note that while we had a newsletter today, and will have one on Wednesday, there will NOT be a We-Ha.com newsletter on Friday this week in celebration of the holiday. There is definitely a lull in business news at this time of the year, and it may end up being such a quiet week that while we will return to our regular schedule and have a newsletter on Monday, July 7, Business Buzz may be vacation – an extension of the vacation I am hoping to be enjoying throughout this coming week!

We’ve made our annual Fourth of July trip to Nantucket where we are spending time with Ted’s mom and other family members and their significant others. Millie is also getting some quality beach time, including a bit of seagull chasing in the fog  after we arrived Saturday afternoon, and a chance to dig a nice hole and hang out behind my chair on Sunday before I forced myself to return to the house to write this column.

I didn’t touch my computer on Saturday other than to remove it from my tote bag – and that was probably my first day off since late February. I’m looking forward to a week with some sunshine, to running the annual Firecracker 5K, and to sitting on the beach and doing lots of reading. Mia Jaworski and Roz Green are very ably holding down the fort in West Hartford and will be prepared to respond to any breaking news.

I wasn’t in town for dinner on Saturday night, but did have a great lunch meeting at The Friendly Toast last week, and on Wednesday night Ted and I went to the Yard Goats game.

Last week I published an article about the plans for Insomnia Cookies to open. The original tip came from a very reliable source in the community, and while I was very excited to break this news, and the permit records were available online, I was aware that the lease had not yet been fully executed. I held off until after I was able to make contact with the building owner, got a quote from the property manager, and spoke directly with someone from Insomnia Cookies before I felt comfortable publishing an article. I just want to be clear that if the business owner was not comfortable with sharing the information, I would not have published my story at that time.

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.

No trolls again this week, and thank you to all who comment with your full names! 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 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:

• All 4 Paws Pet Care has indicated on their website that they are planning to open a facility in West Hartford, and have filed a site plan that is currently under administrative review by town staff for 84 Custer Street. The property used to be Fox Laminating, but it’s been vacant for quite some time. “We have been in business since September 2020 as a mobile in-home veterinary nursing service now expanding our services at 84 Custer Street in West Hartford to include full pet boarding, daycare, training, grooming, and nursing services at our 10,000-square-foot facility,” All 4 Paws Pet Care owner Pat Tramontana said in an email. Tramontana has signed a lease for the space and they are planning to open sometime in August 2025, he said. For more information, visit the All 4 Paws Pet Care website, which states: “Your pets deserve the best, and we’re here to provide it! From day care to luxury boarding, nurse services to full grooming services, our expert pet care services are designed to keep our furry friends happy, healthy, and pampered in our NEW 10,000 sq ft facility.”

• When I first saw the article indicating that West Hartford was ranked among the “Best Small Cities to Live in the U.S.,” I thought it was a repeat of the recent U.S. News & World Report ranking – but this one is different. West Hartford has also just been named the No. 12 “Best Small City to Enjoy Amazing Quality of Life” in the country by Realtor.com. (Technically West Hartford is a town, but this ranking looks at municipalities with population of 100,000 or less.) Here’s what the article said about West Hartford: “Sitting right next to the state capital of Hartford, this suburb is known for its wide-open spaces, charming historical homes, excellent school system, and vibrant cultural scene, including Celebrate! West Hartford, a two-day festival that draws nearly 40,000 visitors with vendors, food, and live music.” As an 11-year member of the Celebrate! West Hartford Festival Committee, I was especially excited for the mention of the just-concluded very successful event. Also, if you look at the full list, note that the median home price in West Hartford ($499,250) is MUCH lower than that of many of the other top-ranked locations.

• WeHa Washes is excited to be back for their sixth summer of making cars shine right in your driveway! I first wrote about WeHa Washes in 2023, and Hall High School graduates Will O’Connell and Mauricio Vega-Estades, two local college students, with a passion for quality, convenience, continue their business serving their West Hartford neighbors. “This year, we’ve made it even easier to book your detail,” said Will. “Thanks to our new self‑scheduling tool powered by Calendly, available right on our website. It’s quick, simple, and designed to fit your busy schedule. Let WeHa Washes help your car look its best all summer long – book your spot today!”

• Congratulations to the West Hartford restaurants that have been recognized by Wine Spectator for 2025. They include Barcelona (five locations in Connecticut, including West Hartford) which received a “Best of Award of Excellence” and Award and sister restaurants Union Kitchen and Crush Wine Bar (which are both dealing with the LaSalle Road construction – Phase 1 of which unfortunately stopped in the middle of Crush’s location so they have to deal with Phase 2 as well) – which have received “Award of Excellence” designations for 2025.

• A very belated – but still just as heartfelt – congratulations to West Hartford native Casey D’Annolfo! The 2024 National D3 Lacrosse Coach of the Year, D’Annolfo, a 2001 graduate of Conard High School (who captained not only the lacrosse team but also football and basketball), led the Tufts men’s lacrosse team to a back-to-back championship. Tufts has the longest undefeated record among mens lacrosse teams across all NCAA divisions (27-0, dating back to the 2024 season) following their 25-8 win over Dickinson on May 25 at Gillette Stadium. The 25 goals scored by the Jumbos was also a new NCAA record for the most goals scored in a lacrosse national championship game across all three divisions – with 11 different team members scoring and every member of the team playing in the game). In his nine seasons coaching at Tufts – which is also his alma mater – D’Annolfo has a record of 144-18. In addition to the repeat national championship, D’Annolfo’s 2021, 2022, and 2023 teams also reached the Final Four, and in 2023 played for the championship, losing to Salisbury in the final. He has also won six NESCAC championships, and has produced numerous All-Americans and National Players of the Year. The Conard boys lacrosse team advanced to the semifinals of the CIAC Class L tournament this year, and Jules Capone, one of the co-captains, will play for Tufts next year. Capone attended the National Championship game with his family.

• As the West Hartford Center Infrastructure reconstruction progresses, I’ll continue to provide regular updates, including photos, in this column. And I am also trying to frequent our Center businesses as often as possible. … It’s now been about 13 weeks since the project commenced, and according to a newsletter from the town last week, the work remains on schedule and about one-third of the way complete for what is planned for this construction season. The following is from an update published by the construction manager last week: “Exciting progress is happening! Concrete work in Phases 1A and 1B is now complete, and lighting has been installed. The project remains on schedule. Meanwhile, curb installation continues in Phase 2B, and demolition in front of Webster Bank is expected to begin this Wednesday [which did happen – see photo below]. Nearly all major drainage work has been wrapped up, with only a few remaining areas in Phases 2A and 3A/3B still to be completed. We appreciate the community’s ongoing patience as we work to bring long-term improvements to the heart of West Hartford Center.” The sidewalk on the northeast corner of LaSalle and Ellsworth is now open to pedestrians. Phase 2B (west side of LaSalle between Webster Bank at the corner of Arapahoe Road and Union Kitchen – and partially in front of Crush Wine Bar) is now underway and Phase 2A (from Bluemercury to Friendly Toast (including Iris Photography, Bridgewater Chocolate, Green Tails Market, Lil’ Hope, Penzey’s, Savoy, Jos. A Bank, and Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan) will also begin shortly. Phase 2A and 2B are scheduled to be completed around Aug. 19, with the third and final phase beginning right after that. Below are some photos I took on Friday afternoon.

• Click here to listen to an important installment of the “On the Scene” podcast, where On The Scene hosts Tom Hickey and Bob Carr are joined by Hillary Sarrasin of 2020 Media to talk about marketing your business and the importance of building awareness and customer service. Podcasts can also be found at the bottom of the home page on the revamped We-Ha.com website!

• ICYMI, I learned last week that Insomnia Cookies plans to open at 70 LaSalle Road in the Center, in the former Exclusive Furs space which has temporarily been the Tags thrift store pop-up. Read the full story here.
• The West Hartford Town Council on Tuesday approved the plans to transform the Hoffman SummerWood senior living facility into 108 units of multifamily housing, with minor façade changes and mostly interior updates. Complete details can be found here.
• Congratulations to the award winners recognized by the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce at their annual meeting and awards ceremony last week. Click here for the full story.
• For information about Fourth of July closings, etc., click here.

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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