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

By Ronni Newton

I hope there weren’t too many people searching for Business Buzz on Monday! Although I was still working – covering the West Hartford Memorial Day ceremony – and I would have covered the parade if the weather had cooperated, we generally give the column a day off when there’s a Monday holiday.

Speaking of weather, I promise [maybe] that I will stop talking about it when it gets back to normal. I have been resisting the urge to turn the heat on and that should not be the case now that the “summer” season has officially arrived. The sun did peek out a bit over the weekend, and although it might not have been ideal for outdoor barbecues or swimming, it was perfect for gardening which is what I did all day Saturday. Now my flowers really could use a bit of sun!

My daughter started her Doctor of Physical Therapy program at UConn last week. That didn’t leave much time off between graduation and the start of grad school, but at least she graduated early (May 6) compared to many other colleges and universities. Some of her new classmates had only a few days off in between! Katie said that if I wrote about her this week I needed to mention what she was doing today in her lab: working on cadavers. Yes, the girl who was repulsed when I suggested that she go to the “Bodies Revealed” exhibit with me years ago was actually looking forward to learning about muscles and tendons “hands on.” Things do change!

Lots of business news to get to …

If you have tips about businesses opening or closing, or doing something worth sharing, please provide that information in the comments or email Ronni Newton at [email protected].

Here’s this week’s Buzz:

• If you’ve been wondering what is going on at 29 South Main St., where a good portion of the first floor has been papered over, it’s the expansion of Bank of America/U.S. Trust. According to West Hartford Economic Development Specialist Kristen Gorski, U.S. Trust will be taking over an additional 7,000 square feet of space in the part of the building that fronts South Main Street. A portion of that space was formerly occupied by Capilo Hair Styling Salon, which moved to an interior space in the same building.
• Milkcraft is open! The “small batch, chef-driven, all-natural” ice cream shop opened at 967A Farmington Ave. in West Hartford Center on Tuesday. Click here for the full story!
  

  Laurie Nilsen has been named design team manager for John Boyle Decorating Centers. Courtesy photo

• West Hartford resident Laurie Nilsen, who formerly ran her own business, Nilsen Design, has just been named design team manager for John Boyle Decorating Centers. Known to many as “the place to go for Benjamin Moore paint” (our entire house has paint from the Farmington Avenue location on the walls), Nilsen said that John Boyle Decorating Center, a family-owned company since 1878, does so much more than sell paint, and her job will include spreading the word about what other services they offer. The stores – there are seven of them in the area, including two in West Hartford – also carry blinds, shades, flooring, and carpeting. Nilsen, through her existing relationships in the industry, will also be bringing fabrics in to the mix. Every store has or will have someone on staff to provide assistance to any customer who walks in with questions, and can also (for a fee) make house calls. “No one is now doing the extent of design service that I will do,” Nilsen, and it won’t be just limited to one product line. Installation is done by contractors, and Nilsen said that there is a well-vetted list of names that can be recommended. Click here for more information about the company, or call Nilsen at 860-233-4455.
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  Sally & Bob’s ribbon was cut by: (from left): Chamber members Rob Bouvier, Dave Calibey, Deputy Mayor Leon Davidoff, owners Cesar Contreras, Helen Brower and their son, Town Councilor Beth Kerrigan, Kevin Kickery, Matt Cuddy, Matt Dallas Gordon, Ramona Gudelska, John Paindiris, Chris Lundberg, and Kristin Gorski. Submitted photo

  The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Thursday to officially welcome the new owners of Sally & Bob’s Eatery, Helen Brower and Cesar Contreras, who purchased the business from longtime owners Rhonda and Ronnie Zieky in late 2016. The Chamber noted the following in a news release Tuesday: “Sally & Bob’s has been a favorite place for breakfast and lunch for over 40 years. When Rhonda and Ron decided to retire they found the perfect couple to take over the kitchen. Helen Brower and her husband and chef Cesar who had many years of restaurant experience working for others now have their own place. It has been a wonderful transition with customers old and new enjoying Cesar’s cooking. The ribbon cutting was a great opportunity for them to show off some of their favorite dishes.”

• Do you have your West Hartford Wine & Food Festival tickets yet? Kevin Cowan of Pure Marketing provided the following update: “We’ve added, and will be adding, about 50 wines to our list for the festival (new wines in red bold font): https://www.westhartfordwineandfood.com/wines-sampled. New restaurants added to the list of participants include 4 Eat Drink, Shu, Savoy, and Chango Rosa (see more on that one below), and additional sponsors include WFSB, Tainted, Heartland Payment Services, and AMA Waterways. Click here for more information about West Hartford’s inaugural event, which will be held on June 17 from 1-6 p.m. on the grounds of Kingswood Oxford School.
• West Hartford resident Danielle Ivens has recently opened up a new and different type of physical therapy business based in West Hartford but that comes to the patient – at home or at work. Ivens, who has a B.S. and M.S. in physical therapy from Simmons College, is the owner of Innovo Physical Therapy, LLC, and will visit clients in West Hartford as well as Bloomfield, Avon, Farmington, Simsbury, Canton, and Glastonbury – and other places within 30 minutes of West Hartford, she said. Although her service cannot be paid for by insurance, she does take HSA and FSA cards. For more information, click here for Innovo Physical Therapy’s website.
• Another new business from a West Hartford resident is Face Forward Headshots! Entrepreneur Cara Paiuk, who is also a storyteller and infographic designer, describes her new business on her website: “First impressions matter in the digital age. Whether it’s your LinkedIn profile, corporate web page, executive headshot, or other social media, your photo is the first thing people see. A confident and approachable headshot helps determine whether someone clicks to learn more about your skills and experience.” Click here for more details.
  

  Donut Crazy should open in West Hartford Center later this summer. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

• While walking through the Center I noticed that the former Kellie Burke Interiors space at 993A Farmington Ave., right next to Zohara, has been gutted, and the “Donut Crazy coming soon” sign is up in the window! According to the company website, Donut Crazy is planning to open “late summer.”
• Jamie McDonald – a partner in the soon-to-open (late June) Cook & the Bear in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square has been busy! Along with his wife, Cheryl, McDonald will open Chango Rosa in the former Hot Tomato’s space adjacent to Union Station in Hartford later this week. The restaurant will feature Latin American comfort food. For more information, click here for a story by Leeanne Griffin at the Hartford Courant.
• The University of Hartford will host “CT Business Matchmaker” on Thursday, June 1, from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. According to a news release: “CT Business Matchmaker is among Connecticut’s largest events designed to meet that need by pairing small, established businesses with ‘Primes’ –large and medium-sized companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and municipalities who are actively interested in increasing and diversifying their supplier lists. The eighth annual event, managed by the Entrepreneurial Center, will be held on the campus of the University of Hartford in June, and registration is now open.” Visit http://www.hartford.edu/matchmaker for more information or to register. Fred Wergeles, director of the University of Hartford’s Entrepreneurial Center said in the release, “Bringing together large companies and agencies with small businesses in the fast-paced Matchmaker environment creates the spark for emerging relationships that will fuel the state’s economy. The Entrepreneurial Center provides pre-event training for both the large and small businesses to maximize the value of their participation in the program … Through our Women’s Business Center, we also focus on recruiting women-owned and minority-owned businesses. These businesses traditionally receive fewer contracts, so we strive to provide more opportunities for them through this event.”
• Click on the Business tab above (or right here) to keep track of all the business stories on We-Ha.com!

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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