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

Until I looked back at my column from Labor Day last year, I had totally forgotten that it was the anniversary of Jimmy Buffett’s passing. Now I’ll be again singing “Come Monday,” along with Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer,” as I mourn the beginning of the end of my favorite season and make my usual toast to wearing white pants, shunning pumpkin spice, and holding onto summer until the very last moment (Sept. 22, 8:43 a.m.).

Thanks to our readers for their patience on Thursday as we updated the site to We-Ha.com 3.0! There are a few punch list items we are working on, but we hope you like the new format, launched just in time for another very important milestone that I would like to note here – the 10th anniversary of We-Ha.com!

While I spent the summer of 2014 covering events and loading content into the website, that was a “soft open” phase and we didn’t officially launch the We-Ha.com site until exactly 10 years ago today – Sept. 2, 2014. Four of the five original team members remain involved (and I still see Joy Taylor, who works for Essential Health and owns the business Joy’s Essential Oils), and our mission that we stated at the time remains unchanged: We-Ha.com is the place to go for the latest information about West Hartford – a town that “has it all”! We-Ha.com is part of and proud of our community, and we bring a hyperlocal focus to news and features about the people, schools, businesses, real estate, sports, restaurants, charitable events, arts, and more. 

In the first year we had about 600,000 page views, and I was very proud of that. In 2023, we had nearly 3.4 million page views from roughly 1.1 million unique visitors, and I’m extraordinary proud of that! (Because of changes to Google analytics, I wasn’t able to determine the total number of page views since day one, but because I am a statistics nerd please know that I did try.)

We will be holding a celebration of our 10th anniversary in early November, in conjunction with the Best of West Hartford, and more information about that will follow soon.

Thank you to the support of all of our readers, and our advertisers and sponsors, for your loyalty over the past decade! And thank you also to our reporters, interns, columnists, and those who regularly submit information (and news tips!) about topics important to this community. There are other news sources covering West Hartford, but I like to think that our approach is uniquely “by West Hartford, for West Hartford” – as opposed to trying to attract a broader audience. We’re still a small team, and we can’t be everywhere (although I do try!), but we remain dedicated to telling the stories, as objectively as possible, that are important to this community.

We do attract readers from outside West Hartford, and that includes Erina Ito, a reporter with The Asahi Shimnun in Iwate, Japan. She’s working on an in-depth article about bears and their interaction with humans, and how the bear populations are managed by state agencies. She’s traveling around the area speaking with representatives from DEEP and similar agencies in other states, as well as residents of various communities who have had interesting experiences with bears. She found some of my bear articles online, and I met her for coffee last week to share some West Hartford bear stories!

I do occasionally venture outside of West Hartford, including for a few of this week’s meals! Early in the week I had a delicious lunch at Sparrow, but also enjoyed a not-quite-so-healthy dinner and beer at the Yard Goats game on Thursday. For Saturday night’s dinner we went to Rooster Co. in Newington. It’s owned by West Hartford residents KC and Jamie Ward, and our trip there was also related to some news you’ll find in the bullet points below.

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].

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:

• I actually took a photo a few weeks ago of the sign announcing that Z Bowls would be opening in what was the Zaytoon’s Bistro at 165 Park Road, but I didn’t want to write about it until owner Zainab Hayajneh was able to share some details about the opening and the menu at the transformed eatery. When we spoke a few days ago, she said she had been thinking about selling Zaytoon’s Bistro because after operating both that restaurant and Zaytoon Mediterranean Kitchen, which opened in April 2023 at 1126 New Britain Avenue, it became apparent that they were splitting their customers between the two spots and weren’t attracting enough new diners to make both work. Bistro customers are now being directed to the New Britain Avenue location, which is seeing an uptick in customers, but the Park Road space won’t remain empty or change hands. “I didn’t want to give up my location, didn’t want to give it away,” Zainab said of the Park Road space where she and her husband, Omar, opened Zaytoon’s Bistro in August 2017. So rather than selling, she decided to change the concept a bit, slimming down both the menu and the prices. True to its name, Z Bowls will feature bowls, as well as salads, sandwiches, and even burgers, salmon, and falafel – and her special meatballs. They’re keeping the tables inside and outside, but the concept will operate like a fast casual restaurant without table service, and with everything served in a to-go container so diners can easily take the food with them, or decide to sit there and eat. “I’m going to cook it fresh,” Zainab said, with each item prepared when it’s ordered rather than using an assembly line approach of pre-prepared items. She said she’ll use freshly-grilled chicken breasts for the bowls, salads, and sandwiches. They will also offer an oven-baked half chicken with rice. Other key dishes will include the Balela salad – a Mediterranean favorite that includes chickpeas, black beans, and a dressing with lemon juice and herbs. A plant-based staple will be oven-baked (not fried) eggplant with chopped vegetables. “My dishes will stay healthy,” Zainab said. “Hopefully people will love it,” she said. Z Bowls will open sometime in September, and I look forward to trying it as soon as possible!

• I’ve got a couple of pieces of Starbucks news – one of which is just a photo (see below) of the progress being made on the Starbucks with a drive-through being constructed in front of the Corporate Center West building at 433 South Main Street. Plans for that Starbucks were approved by the Town Council in 2022, and while the work didn’t begin until earlier this year, it seems to be progressing rather rapidly now. When the fence was still up it said the Starbucks would be coming in the fall of 2024. I know there is fear of major traffic issues with a Starbucks drive-through, but since entrance and exit is at a light, I honestly think this one is not going to have much impact on traffic flow.

• Starbucks is also opening a new location at Westfarms, inside the Macy’s store. Plans were filed with the Town of West Hartford (this part of Westfarms is actually in West Hartford) in the spring, and according to what it says on the barrier and on the sign in front of the now-closed kiosk in Center Court (thanks to Connecticut Scoop for the tip on that closing), the store is opening this fall. There will also be a few tables outside the north entrance to Macy’s. Neither Starbucks nor Macy’s spokespeople responded to my requests for additional details.

• Thanks so much to Mike Mahoney of RLM Co. for these up-to-date drone photos that he took early last week of several developments. I shared a photo last week that I had taken from the ground of 950 Trout Brook Drive, but the aerial view shows that much more work has been done than I realized. He also shared photos of the The Byline which looks to be nearly complete at 920-924 Farmington Avenue, and the work on The Camelot taking place at 900 Farmington Avenue.

• Also visible in the aerial view that shows The Camelot is the Maui gas station and convenience store that has been under construction at 898 Farmington Avenue. I took this photo last week, and it looks pretty ready to open. I saw a post a few days later about the store now being stocked, and a photo on Facebook on Sunday that shows they were working on the electronic sign that shows the gas prices, so maybe it will open this week.

• “Get Your Hands Dirty at JunkPot’s New Pottery Studio Open House!” the business announced in a flyer shared with We-Ha.com. The open house is planned for Saturday, Sept. 7, from 3-5 p.m., at the new studio at 604 New Park Avenue. There is parking on site (and next door), and no cost to attend. In addition to tours of the vibrant new space, there will be hands-on fun, including live demos and opportunities to try the wheel or hand-build a festive holiday ornament. “Discover the range of classes we offer, meet our amazing group of potters, and explore unique artisan goods for sale from local vendors. Don’t miss your chance to win fabulous raffle prizes –just show up and grab your ticket! Come for the clay, stay for the fun, and find out how our studio can spark your creativity. We can’t wait to see you there!” they said.

• I drove by Prospect Plaza last week to check on the progress of the new standalone building that will soon become a Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s, and Teriyaki Madness. It’s coming along!

• I stopped by the future Stride Physical Therapy Center last week, which has taken over the space at 261 Park Road that was formerly WeHa Fit (and for many years Degras) because I noticed that the sign had been installed. Physical therapist Bonne Wilder – who is a partner in Boulevard Chiropractic & Wellness Center owned by Dr. Daniel Scaringe, a chiropractic physician based in West Hartford for 22 years and who is also owner of Stride Physical Therapy – was there and said while it’s not officially open yet, she is using the space currently to treat patients. Another PT will be hired soon, she said.

• I’ve continued to try to find out more information about the opening of Caffé Nero (aka Nero Kitchen depending on whether you see the sign on the front or the back of the space), and while I didn’t hear back from anyone with the business, I was able to speak with one of the people working on the space who said it should be just another two to three weeks before opening. It looks great inside!

• Sichuan Alley (635 New Park Avenue) is in soft-opening phase now, and owner Michael Jiang told me that a grand opening is planned for Sept. 10. I’ve seen a few social media posts from people who have already visited, and the food looks amazing. The restaurant itself looks very different from its previous iterations as G-Monkey, Citizen Chicken & Donuts, and Hartford Baking Company, and I very much look forward to eating there as soon as possible!

• I shared some photos in the intro above from the dinner that Ted and I enjoyed at Rooster Co. in Newington on Saturday night, and that visit was prompted by a phone conversation I had last week with the restaurant’s owner, KC Ward, who confirmed that his other restaurant, Birdie Lounge, has closed for good at 45 Raymond Road. It was just a year ago – in the 2023 Labor Day edition of this column – that we announced plans for Flora to be transformed into Birdie Lounge by Rooster Co., and Birdie opened in October 2023. Ward confirmed last week that Birdie closed a few weeks ago and will not be reopening. “It just wasn’t meant to be,” he said. “Everybody who came in seemed to be nicely surprised, but it didn’t add up to enough to keep the doors open. … This has been not as much a shock to me as to other people.” Ward said he believed the staff was great, the product was great, and the service was great, “but obviously we were missing something.” Ward and his wife, Jamie – who are also West Hartford residents – previously operated the mostly-vegan restaurant Flora in the same space, and it had a good following as a niche restaurant, but not enough to survive. “I still don’t regret having shifted gears,” he said. “Now I get to really focus on Rooster,” he said, which had just hit its stride when they opened Flora, and which they kept open successfully throughout the pandemic. Rooster has been doing well – but not as well as it can with more attention, Ward said. “Now I am able to get Rooster back to the best it can be,” he said. Ward is back as head chef, and Jamie has joined him back at Rooster Co. as well. Gift cards for Birdie Lounge will be honored at Rooster Co. (1076 Main Street, Newington), he said. “Another door has opened,” Ward said. I had not been to Rooster Co. for several years, and our dinner there on Saturday night was great. And as for the 45 Raymond Road space, Ward said the landlord – the American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 – has been great. There are multiple apartments under construction on Farmington Avenue and Trout Brook Drive that will be a very easy walk to the space, and he predicts that whatever takes the space – no news to share yet – will have a good chance at success.

• There was a ribbon cutting back in January for Norcom Mortgage’s new office at 998 Farmington Avenue, but I recently noticed a new sign for CMG – which I have since learned bought Norcom.

• I’ll share more information as the plans are finalized, but I am excited to reprise my role as a judge for the Blue Back Burger Bash, planned for Thursday, Sept. 26 (rain date Friday, Sept. 27), from 5-7 p.m., on Isham Road. Participants (as well as judges) will get to vote for the best burger, and all proceeds for the event go to Connecticut Foodshare. The most up-to-date details can be found here, and the first 100 to register can attend for FREE.

• I included the link last week to the article I had written about Vessel‘s plans to submit an application to develop a multifamily residential property on the former Hughes Health & Rehabilitation property at 29 Highland Street. I actually attended the Design Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) meeting last week to hear more about this project. DRAC members praised the proposal, not only for the design and Scandinavian look of the architecture but also the sustainability of not only the development process – eight months from site-clearing to completion, with no waste on site as the assembled components are combined – but also the solar-powered, non-combustible, energy efficient nature of the property itself. Josh Levy, executive vice president of Vessel, told me that a formal submission would likely be forthcoming in September.

• Black Bamboo had its last day at 844 Farmington Avenue on Wednesday and reopened at 11 a.m. Friday at the brand new space at 766 Farmington Avenue. I’ve seen lots of social media posts praising the new location, which I will visit as soon as possible. Here’s the info the new space featured in this column two weeks ago.
• ICYMI, this was probably the most well-read article on We-Ha.com in quite a while – when we broke the news that Chick-fil-A has signed a lease to open at the former McDonald’s space in Bishops Corner. Click here for the details.
• The Chamber of Commerce’s annual golf tournament is Sept. 10 at Wampanoag. Read the complete story 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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