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

If you’ve got today off for Indigenous Peoples Day or Columbus Day, I hope you have a chance to enjoy what looks like some fairly decent fall weather! It looks like there are some chilly temperatures on tap this week, but the long-range forecast next weekend looks nice and warm again – kind of like the past two weekend. I’ll take it.

Despite the holiday, there’s no trash or recycling delay this week. Please see the bullet point below for some other Monday schedule updates.

Ted and I usually head to Nantucket to visit his mom for this extended weekend, and this year was no exception. The weather was excellent, and we enjoyed some runs, biking, walking on the beach and hiking in the moors with Millie, and a visit to Cisco Brewers. No West Hartford dining photos from last week, but we did enjoy some yummy pub food on Saturday night in Nantucket, and here’s one of Millie’s favorite moments from the weekend!

Millie doing some beach zoomies at Surfside Beach, Nantucket. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Cisco Brewers beers at Rose & Crown. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Sriracha burger at Rose & Crown. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Fish and chips at Rose & Crown. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

What I do have photos of from last week in West Hartford is the Northern Lights! I hope many of our readers had a chance to see the spectacular display – which was visible even with the naked eye. The moment my phone buzzed with a social media post that the lights were visible, I ran out the door and could not believe my eyes!

Below are a few photos, all of which were taken with my iPhone on night mode, and no editing whatsoever was done to these images. They were taken on my street, with the exception of one or two at Rockledge Golf Course. Even as a child, I was intrigued by the Aurora Borealis and seeing the lights has been a bucket list item for as long as I can remember and I am still so thrilled that I was able to experience it last week right at home. The Northern Lights have been visible a few times this year, and I did see them back in May when we were on Nantucket, but that was nowhere near as incredible as what happened Thursday night.

Northern lights, West Hartford, CT. Oct. 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Northern lights, West Hartford, CT. Oct. 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Northern lights, West Hartford, CT. Oct. 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Northern lights, Rockledge Golf Club, West Hartford, CT. Oct. 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Northern lights, Rockledge Golf Club, West Hartford, CT. Oct. 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Northern lights, West Hartford, CT. Oct. 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Northern lights, West Hartford, CT. Oct. 10, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

One housekeeping note to those who submit press releases to We-Ha.com: Please refrain from sending documents as PDFs. I would guess you are not creating a document as a PDF to start, so just send the Word document, or Google Doc, or even paste the text into an email. When a document is saved as a PDF it often picks up coding that doesn’t copy and paste into WordPress very cleanly at all, and I have to go through the press release in the back end of the site, line-by-line (sometimes word-by-word) to delete all the coding because otherwise the formatting is completely messed up. (Those aren’t very technical terms, I know, and while I have gained some basic html skills by fixing these errors, it’s very labor intensive.) Also, send the photos separately as jpegs, or pngs. If they are embedded in am PDF, or even in the middle of text in a Google Doc or Word, I will email you anyway to ask that you send them separately because they can’t be pulled out, or if they can be or if I screenshot, the resolution will be poor.

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’re looking for news about West Hartford in print please note that many stories from We-Ha.com, as well as other local news, is published in the twice-monthly issues of the West Hartford Press.

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:

Rendering of Sally’s Apizza at Westfarms. Courtesy of Sally’s Apizza

• Today is Westfarms‘ 50th birthday (see bullet point below for a complete story about that milestone) and while this particular business is not on the West Hartford side of the line, news about the opening of Sally’s Apizza inside Jordan’s Furniture is certainly worthy of a lead in this column. A spokesperson for Sally’s Apizza said last week that the “iconic New-Haven restaurant and bar, founded by Salvatore ‘Sally’ Consiglio in 1938, is tracking to open by the end of the year.” Jordan’s opened last December, and Sally’s will be located on the ground floor, with a full view of the spectacular 80-foot 9K video screen that has the ability to show one giant scene, or as many as 40 different TV images. “We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Jordan’s Furniture and the opportunity to provide our customers with tremendous entertainment capabilities alongside our hand-crafted apizza, entrees, cocktails and more,” said Christian Bonaventura, Sally’s Brand Advisor. “This groundbreaking entertainment and dining venue is going to be a mind-blowing experience, really a travel-worthy destination for pizza lovers throughout the New England area.” The restaurant will feature the trademark nearly-100-year-old Sally’s Apizza recipe with nine different pizzas including the classic Tomato Sauce Pie, Mozzarella and Tomato, and Potato and Rosemary, along with a rotating selection of up to three seasonal pies. (Currently the seasonal pie is potato, leek, and bacon, and the existing Sally’s locations are donating $1 per purchase to the American Red Cross, along with other giveaways highlighted on their social media.) All will be handmade and coal-fired, made to order in various sizes (standard, classic, and extra) with the thin charred crust, tangy tomato sauce, and light touch of mozzarella that New Haven-style pizzas are known for. According to Sally’s the Westfarms location will include more than just pizza, and Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Bret Lunsford has also created “a menu of delightful and noteworthy additions to complement long-standing favorites including new menu items like Chicken Scarpariello and Spaghetti Carbonara.” Also, the The Olive Oil Cake – a menu staple – has been updated and is now dressed with a brown butter maple caramel and a pistachio praline crumble, a spokesperson said. Sally’s will be accessible not only from the entrance to Jordan’s Furniture, but also through an exterior door from the north side of the mall, near the parking garage.

Sally’s Apizza has confirmed plans to open at Westfarms by the end of this year. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Sally’s Apizza has confirmed plans to open at Westfarms by the end of this year. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Sally’s Apizza has confirmed plans to open at Westfarms by the end of this year. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

• The Maui gas station and convenience store opened about three weeks ago at 898 Farmington Avenue – in front of the under construction Camelot development – after an extensive renovation of what was formerly a Sunoco gas station. I finally had a chance to stop by last week and meet owner Mohammed Almaawi, who said this location is part of what he and is planned as a small chain of gas stations and convenience stores, with the first opened in Milford. It’s named “Maui” after his name, and because, “when someone drives by, it reminds them of Hawaii,” Almaawi said. “We have really good coffee, cappuccinos,” he said, along with drinks, snacks, two aisles of groceries, cold cut sandwiches, milk, eggs, cheese, and vehicle-related products – items which future residents of the apartments will find convenient. They also have a humidor with a “great selection of premium cigars,” Almaawi said, which is not something many convenience stores offer. The store also has ice, and will be stocking propane. They have been offering free coffee as part of the grand opening, and that will continue for a bit longer, Almaawi said. The cash price for regular gasoline has been $2.99 per gallon, and that was not just an opening special. Almaawi said they will continue to offer a “fair price for gas.”

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Maui gas station and convenience store is now open at 898 Farmington Avenue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

• I mentioned Dollar Tree‘s plans to open a new store in Elmwood in last week’s column, and subsequently there were also Facebook posts and other news stories about the future store last week, mostly bemoaning the painting of the marquee – one of the remaining fixtures from the location’s former life as the Elm Theater –  in “Dollar Tree green.” The marquee has actually since been completed to include the Dollar Tree name on it in bold white letters as seen in the below photos I took last Thursday. I reached out to Dollar Tree again about their plans for the opening, and the status of the 176 Newington Road store, and have been once again extremely disappointed with “crickets” – no response whatsoever other than an automated response from their media inquiries email that said “if you are a reporter on deadline text …” I texted as requested, and still no response. A few readers had commented on Facebook that the Newington Road store is going to stay open at least until the lease ends next year, so while I have not been able to independently confirm that, it sounds like there will likely be two Dollar Trees within a mile for at least some period of time. I did speak to the general contractor working on the South Quaker Lane space, who said it could be “a couple of months” before the store opens. And while I do not consider myself to be a true investigative journalist, I am very excited to have had a role in facilitating the discovery of the “ELM” letters that were on the theater’s marquee and then on display in the lobby when the building was Walgreens (see photo below). They have been located, and are not lost forever. More to come on this development. And the following is what I posted on Facebook as a comment regarding the legality of Dollar Tree taking over the 940 South Quaker Lane space: “There was extensive debate before Walgreen’s took it over years ago, and this is a legal retail operation replacing a legal retail operation that is not any different from a zoning standpoint. There was no need for hearings, or for anyone from the Town Council or town staff to be involved in what was a private business transaction between the owner of the building and a new tenant. The town does not own the building and has no power over the brand of retailer that can occupy it as long as it doesn’t violate any ordinances (for example, it could not be a liquor store because the number of those are regulated, and it could not be a porn shop because those are not allowed). It has nothing to do with this being in Elmwood. The only involvement of town staff is with approving building permits, and that is transactional and not subjective based on whether or not someone likes a business or thinks it’s good for the neighborhood.”

The Dollar Tree sign is now up on the former Elm Theater marquee, and there is a coming soon banner on the door. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Dollar Tree sign is now up on the former Elm Theater marquee, and there is a coming soon banner on the door. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

A close-up of this image, taken Aug. 21, 2024, of the building being renovated for Dollar Tree’s shows the ELM letters still hanging in the lobby. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

• I’m a longtime customer of Aria Nail Spa, and I got my manicure early last week, before they closed for a few days to relocate a few doors down – from 80 to 72 Memorial Road. I’ll share some interior photos of the new location as soon as possible.

Aria Nail Spa has moved two doors down, to 72 Memorial Road. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

• The West Hartford Senior Center held a ribbon cutting and inaugural ride last week for their new bus, that will transport members between the Elmwood and Bishops Corner locations. There’s much more connection between the two West Hartford Senior Center locations, which are now both managed by Becky Sears, and having transportation between the two spaces will augment that. The bus was purchased with more than $170,000 of ARPA funds the town received from the state’s Department of Aging and Disability Services.

Ribbon cutting for the West Hartford Senior Center bus, Oct. 7, 2024. Courtesy photo

• WHCi – West Hartford Community Interactive – is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. “For the community, By the community” is their tagline, and the contribution that WHCi makes to life in West Hartford is immense. During COVID, they were a lifeline to keeping the activities of local government available to the public, and since then Town Council committee meeting still take place virtually, with viewing available to the public only through the efforts of WHCi. High school sports, parades, graduations – all are streamed by our local station, which is turning 45 this year. “Please consider celebrating this milestone with a birthday gift of $45 or more, $1 for every year of service. All gifts are tax-deductible and may qualify for matching grants,” WHCi said recently in a social media post. WHCi will be holding a celebration and fundraiser at West Hartford Town Hall on Saturday, Nov. 9. Radio personality Ray Hardman will emcee, and producers Bobby P and Rocky Holland will lead an interactive wine tasting followed by dinner by DORO and a special highlight reel celebrating some of the station’s favorite moments past and present. For more information, or to purchase tickets, click here.

Courtesy of WHCi

• The Children’s Museum has applied to West Hartford’s Town Plan and Zoning Commission to maintain their temporary location at the Emanuel Synagogue on Mohegan Drive through 2027. “The Children’s Museum and Preschool’s operation within the synagogue has remained consistent with the original special use proposal in which the museum’s pre-school program occupies space on the upper floor previously used by Emanuel’s Lollipop Tree Nursery School, and its museum program and offices occupy space within the lower floor classrooms and library. Only the museum use required a special use permit as the educational use is simply a substitution of one pre-school operator at this approved location, for another. The Emanuel Synagogue has been a welcoming and supportive partner over the past two years, and collectively our organizations have not identified any concerns, nor a need to alter any established special use or lease agreements from those originally agreed upon in 2022,” the application to TPZ states. “The Children’s Museum has identified a new permanent location site. Given that the planning, execution, and fundraising associated with the new facility will be significant, The Children’s Museum anticipates remaining at its temporary home into 2027, as supported by extension options identified in our lease agreement with Emanuel Synagogue and the term of the original special use permit approval,” Missy DiNunno, executive director of The Children’s Museum, confirmed that while a new site has been identified, the details cannot be shared until the contracts are signed.

Children’s Museum at Emanuel Synagogue. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

• Among the upcoming openings at Westfarms is MINISO, which has scheduled its grand opening for Nov. 2, 2024, according to Westfarms spokesperson Amanda Sirica. According to its website, “MINISO has collaborated with world-famous brands including Coca Cola, Marvel, Hello Kitty, Sesame Street, Mickey and Minnie, Pink Panther, We Bare Bears and Beijing’s Palace Museum, releasing playful crossover products that have been hugely popular with our young shoppers.” There are two MINISO stores in Connecticut – Norwalk and Milford – and stores in the Boston area and in New York, but none in the Hartford area. Visit their website for more information.

Miniso will have its grand opening at Westfarms on Nov 2, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

• As noted above, there is no trash or recycling delay this week. While schools are closed on Monday, Oct. 14 for the Indigenous Peoples Holiday, and so is West Hartford Town Hall and the senior centers, there is no trash delay this week. The Yard Waste and Recycling Center on Brixton Street is open from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. (last vehicle at 2:45 p.m.) If you’re looking for some activities on Monday, Veterans Memorial Skating Rink will have public skating from 12:40 p.m.-1:40 p.m. and adult skating 9:15-11:15 a.m., Cornerstone Aquatics Center is open (view the pool schedule or call the front desk at 860-561-8270), and Westmoor Park farm hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with trails and grounds open from 8 a.m. to dusk.

West Hartford Town Hall. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

• Two West Hartford residents, attorneys Michael Curley and Trent LaLima have joined Brown Paindiris & Scott as partners in  the full-service law firm that is located in Glastonbury. According to a news release, Curley earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint Michael’s College and his law degree with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law.  Attorney Curley, formerly with Murtha Cullina, brings to the firm significant knowledge in comprehensive estate planning services including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advanced directive documents, as well as probate law administration and litigation. Attorney Curley is a member of several Connecticut legal organizations, including the Hartford County Bar Association and the Connecticut Bar Association, where he serves on the Estates and Probates Section and previously served as a Senior Advisor of the Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee. Michael was born and raised in West Hartford, and now resides there with his wife and two children. He has volunteered as a coach for numerous West Hartford youth sports. LaLima is joining the Hartford office as a partner. Attorney LaLima obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and his law degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law. Attorney LaLima began his career at The Law Offices of Hubert J. Santos in 2013 and was a partner at Santos & LaLima from 2019 to 2024. Through his time in practice, Attorney LaLima has experience in criminal defense matters ranging from white collar crimes, murder, other serious felonies and domestic assaults. He has handled high profile cases and successfully argued in front of Connecticut’s Appellate Court and Supreme Court. Attorney LaLima has served in numerous leadership positions of several Connecticut legal organizations, including the Connecticut Bar Association, the Hartford County Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, and the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He won the Judge Maxwell Heiman Award from the Hartford County Bar Association in 2022, awarded to an outstanding attorney in his first ten years of practice. Attorney LaLima has held leadership and coaching positions in the Mandell JCC, West Hartford Little League, and West Hartford Youth Basketball League, where he was named the organization’s Man of the Year in 2019.

Michael Curley. Courtesy photo

Trent LaLima. Courtesy photo

• It’s definitely fundraising season for nonprofits throughout the area, and organizations are welcome to post their fundraisers to our online calendar (Submit Event). Here’s information about one fundraiser that’s coming up on Saturday sent to me by a reader.

• ICYMI, today is the 50th anniversary of Westfarms‘ grand opening! Click here to read the complete story, which includes memories of some area residents.
• Gov. Ned Lamont visited El Santo in West Hartford to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month. Click here for the full story.
• Last week I had a tour of The Camelot, the development that will bring 44 units of affordable housing to a property just outside of West Hartford Center. Click here to read the story and see photos from my hardhat tour.

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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