This is a continuation of an article posted earlier this year. Before reading this article please read part one here. Main Street has been a commercial desert in the past decade, only to rebound in recent years with the addition of many new amenities. Main Street has added Silk City Coffee, an independent coffee shop, many new boutique clothing stores, and now something exciting is brewing. Across the vista we see a new horizon; a brewery has opened up the street, and now a brewery will open right off Main Street. Labyrinth Brewing Company opened 1/4 mile from Main Street on Forest Street on August 25th in a former Cheney Mill. Labyrinth is know for their own small batch brewing. On opening day, there was a food truck and a line out the door. The brick interior is beautifully complimented by rustic furniture, dark wood, and live edge wood counter-top. White Porch Brewing will open a taproom on Purcell Place in the long vacant Jock and Jam Cafe. The previously abandoned space will be transformed into a brewery. The location is perfect for grabbing a bite to eat at one of the many great restaurants on Main Street, then going to grab a drink. Another highlight to Main Street is the new Walia Ethiopian Cuisine, located in the former Ronak space. Walia joins Sol De Borinquen Bakery Jr, T Mobile, Terriyaki Box, Smoke Zone, along with the massive Accra Mall, which anchors the block of stores. Johnson's Seafood Company has also been added to the smorgasbord of flavors on Main Street. Johnson's opened in the former Smoke Not Just BBQ space near the top of Main Street. Johnson's joins neighbor Center Perk, and flanks the block with the now-vacant Catsup and Mustard. Some new clothing stores have opened recently, Found Company opened their artisan-made clothing shop in the former Young-At-Art space across from White Porch's future home. Eleganza Moda opened their lingere/underwear store, and after much consideration by the town, has put their sign on the building. Another recent addition is Upstyle, a make-up bar which took over half of Silk City Antiques, who downsized but remain open. The Bistro On Main has added experimental dining to their Main Street restaurant. The concept is currently in the parking against Main Street, separated from the street by concrete planters, cloth half walls, and the asphalt has been cover by a collage of multi-colored teak tiles. The concept is a collaboration between the town and the Bistro On Main, and will last through the first week of October. If the concept is deemed a success and other restaurants show interest in hosting the dining, it will be expanded in the spring. Read more about it here. Main Street recently lost a few businesses as well. 41 Closets, a consignment store, closed this summer after a lengthy store closing. The storefront is now under construction. Touch By J By Jeicoby Salon will expand into the space and add a day spa to their extensive list of services. Another recent loss was the legendary Catsup And Mustard. Castup and Mustard was the last remaining Corey Wry restaurant, it closed on September 3rd, a sign on the door announces a new owner, but as of September 27th, no work appears to be done, and a 'Gold Coast Business Realty' sign hangs in the window. Read more about Catsup and Mustard's closure here. East-West Bridal has also recently closed, the store was empty late last week. The former East-West space will be remodeled in the coming weeks. The former Arthur Drug/Lion's Heart Fitness building will soon be painted. Many exciting things happening on Main Street, keep your eye out for further development. Jean-Luc DubeFounder of The Manchester Scoop and a full-time Architecture student at UHart with an affinity for business news.
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Go Health, a chain of Urgent Care Centers in the U.S., will open a new urgent care center in Manchester. Go Health launched an expansion into Connecticut in 2017, and are quickly adding locations this year and into 2019. Go Health will open an urgent care center in the Shop-Rite Plaza on Spencer Street, a representative from Go Health confirmed to The Manchester Scoop in an email today. The center will open in the former Blockbuster/Dollar Dream location located at the end of the plaza. If construction goes to schedule, the center will open in mid-December. According to Kimberli Effner, a representative for Go Health, marketing for the grand opening will begin soon in local ads and on Facebook. The location will occupy the space of Blockbuster, which closed this location in 2010. The store was briefly a dollar store named 'Dollar Dream' before returning to vacancy. The spot was sub-divided in 2016 to accommodate Doctor Dental, a chain of Dental offices, and now the remaining space is being outfitted for Go Health. Go Health formed a partnership with Hartford Healthcare in January 2017 to open 15 Urgent Care center that would receive co-branding of both companies. The first location opened in Avon in May 2017. Go Health now has over 90 locations in the US, with Connecticut locations including Vernon, South Windsor, Glastonbury, West Hartford (Bishop's Corner), Enfield, Wethersfield, Windsor, Newington, Southington, Bristol, New London, Norwich, Meriden, and Avon. Another location recently announced is at 'The Corbin's Collection' a redevelopment of Sears on the West Hartford/Farmington line. Images Courtesy of Go Health Urgent Care, Google images, JLD Photos Jean-Luc DubeFounder of The Manchester Scoop and a full-time Architecture student at UHart with an affinity for business news. LEGO has officially opened their new pop-up location in The Shoppes at Buckland Hill's! The store will be open through the holiday season! LEGO opened a pop-up store in Manchester! The store is part of a new concept being rolled-out by LEGO to serve communities that generally wouldn't have a LEGO store (the closest LEGO store is located in West Hartford, a 20 minute drive.) Manchester is the first of six locations to open in the United States. The new store is set-up very differently than the usual LEGO store, it contains the usual spaces to test the product, but the store is organized by age and by price point. The store breaks up toys by pricing points of under $20, $30, $50, $100, and Big Builds. The store will not have the Brick Wall like usual stores have, but will have many new ideas exclusive to the pop-up stores. Some of the notable changes from the usual LEGO stores are denoted as:
The store will not be a permanent fixture of the mall, LEGO opened in the former Belden's Jewelers location on the first floor near JC Penney. LEGO notes that the stores are not full build-outs, the stores are formerly vacant retailers with minor improvements made to fit LEGO. A countdown to the store's closure is posted in front of the door, as of 9/22/18 there are only 111 days left to shop at the pop-up. The store will revert back to vacant after this date; however LEGO notes that if feedback is good, the concept could be expanded. Images courtesy of LEGO: Notable changes listed above are courtesy of LEGO Jean-Luc DubeFounder of The Manchester Scoop and a full-time Architecture student at UHart with an affinity for business news. The Bistro on Main has added an experimental form of dining. In addition to their existing dining room; the Main Street restaurant has added curbside dining. A new outdoor dining area has been added on Main Street, encompassing parking for the restaurant. Over the last week concrete planters have been added to provide coverage and protection from vehicles. Screens have also been added to further separate the street from the new dining atmosphere. Flooring has been added to the space; a variety of different color teak tiles has been added to create a unique design. The idea was brought up at a meeting of local restaurants with town officials; Bistro On Main was very supportive of the idea, so naturally they were picked to test the concept. The concept will last a few weeks. The dining was supposed to last through September; but because of inclement weather the concept will now run through the first week of October. If deemed successful and other restaurants show interest, the concept will be expanded in the spring. Images Courtesy of Bistro On Main, JLD Photos Jean-Luc DubeFounder of The Manchester Scoop and a full-time Architecture student at UHart with an affinity for business news. Corey's Catsup and Mustard has met the same fate as their sister restaurants, Chops N Catch and Pastrami on Wry. Corey's Catsup and Mustard closed their doors on September 3rd after years of serving Manchester. Catsup and Mustard was located on Main Street, in the former home of Coach's Corner. A sign on the door states that the restaurant had been sold to Dave and Fred; although as of September 17th, a business realty sign can be seen in the window. The sign, seen in slideshow above, is for Gold Coast Business and Commercial Realty. The agent in charge of the listing is Joe Granato with Gold Coast; he is also listed as an agent for ABC 4 Restaurants. An email placed with ABC 4 Restaurants, the broker firm in charge of Catsup and Mustard along with Pastrami on Wry listings, has been unanswered. A statement from Corey Wry on August 1st reads: "Hey all, there has been a lot of talk that Catsup and Mustard is closed. I (Corey) wanted to personally send out a blast to discredit those rumors. Sadly, I will no longer be the owner in a couple months. I have decided to take some time away from the restaurant business and focus on myself. However, Corey's Catsup and Mustard will remain the same after this change. Our current employees will still be here to make sure things run smoothly. I want to thank all those that have supported me over the years. You have filled my life with so much joy and many great memories." Pastrami on Wry closed in July, a sign on the door stated the restaurant had been sold; but like Catsup and Mustard, a for lease sign has been placed in the restaurant's window. The both restaurant are still listed on BizBuySell. The space is for lease with Litsky Associates. To see Pastrami on Wry's listing click here; to see Catsup and Mustard's listing click here. Corey Wry started his career with his first restaurant in Manchester, Pastrami on Wry, before expanding to open Corey's Catsup and Mustard on Main Street; then opening CW's Chops N Catch on Hartford Road. Pastrami on Wry moved to a new location in 2013; moving from Middle Turnpike to East Center Street. CW's Chops N Catch was sold in November 2016; and opened as Trattoria Toscano in 2017. An earlier version of this article stated there was a for lease sign placed in the window; in reality the sign was for Gold Coast Business and Commercial Realty sign. Images from Living in Glastonbury, JLD Photos, Pastrami on Wry Jean-Luc DubeFounder of The Manchester Scoop and a full-time Architecture student at UHart with an affinity for business news. A round-up of store openings and closings in Manchester! This month we have many new and exciting stores opening and coming soon! A Manchester landmark closes, another to be featured on TV show, and many toy stores come to Buckland! Without further ado, Let's get right to the news!
Closing: -Iceberg Thai Ice Cream Rolls has closed their Buckland Hills location. -Juicy J Juice Bar will no longer open their Buckland Hills location. Opening: -LEGO will open a temporary store at Buckland Hill's Mall later this month, the store will open in the former Belden Jeweler. -Curly Star has opened their beauty supply store at Buckland Hill's, the store is located in the former Foot Locker. -BJ's Brewhouse has received the approvals to build a new restaurant across from Red Robin. -Trader Joe's has officially opened their Manchester location! -OrangeTheory Fitness will open a fitness studio in the former home of Alfred Angelo. Building permits have been filed and construction should begin soon. -Jersey Mike's will join OrangeTheory in the former home of Alfred Angelo. -Go Calendar and Games opened their seasonal location at the mall. -The Goofy Turtle will open a toy store in the former FYE location at the mall. -208 Foot Spa has opened in the former Best Buy Mobile location in the mall. -Halloween City and Toy City have taken over the former Toys R Us location at The Plaza at Buckland Hills. -Spirit Halloween has opened their store in the former Babies R Us. -Vionic has opened their first regional location at The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk. Other Buckland News: -Buckland Hill's Mall owner GGP has officially merged with Brookfield Properties! Brookfield promises to bring new and exciting tenants to GGP properties across the nation. -Bed Bath and Beyond has completed their store renovations. -LL Bean has also completed their store renovations. -Tomato Joe's has reverted back to their former name, Shea's. The pizzeria and sports bar has been rebranded. -Hannoush Jewelers will construct a new jewelry store near Farmington Bank in South Windsor. No news yet on whether the mall location will close upon completion of the new store. -The Mattress Firm location in the Edge Fitness Plaza, part of The Manchester Collection, is now listed for lease. There is no word on if the location will close before a new tenant is signed. -Munson's Chocolate recently completed a renovation of their Evergreen Walk location. Other Manchester News: -Corey's Catsup and Mustard has officially closed their Main Street restaurant. This was the last remaining of Corey Wry's three restaurants; Pastrami on Wry, Chop N Catch, and Catsup and Mustard. -Touch by J Hair By Jeicoby Salon Spa will be expanding their Main Street salon into the former 41 Closets space. The combined space will function as a day spa, in addition to, the existing hair salon. -Found Company officially opened the Purcell Place store; Found moved to Main Street from their location at Evergreen Walk. -Labyrinth Brewing has officially opened their Manchester brewery! They are located on Forest Street in a former Cheney Mill. -White Porch Brewing has officially signed their lease to open a taproom on Purcell Place. White Porch will take over the long vacant Jock and Jam Cafe. -CVS on Main Street is now well under construction. The store is being built on the site of the former Carter Chevy. -Silk City Coffee will be adding a covered patio off the back of their Main Street coffee shop. This will provide additional seating in the warmer months. -Manchester landmark, Shady Glen, will be featured on 'Burgerland' a TV show from Travel Channel. Vernon News: -Wendy's construction is now well underway, and site work is being prepped for the addition of a self storage facility located behind Taco Bell. If you see an opening or a closing let me know! Use my email Buckland.Business.Brief@gmail.com Check out our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Images from The Shoppes at Buckland Hill's FB, The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk, JLD Photos. Trader Joe’s will open their Manchester location later this week, on September 6th at 9:00! Trader Joe’s will be located in the former EMS in the Plaza at Buckland Hill’s The arrival of the first Trader Joe’s east of the river also brings new tenants into the Plaza.
The Fresh Monkee will open a smoothie shop in the former home of Fast Signs! The Fresh Monkee serves a variety of smoothies, from protein to savory. They have locations in Southington, Glastonbury, Berlin, and Wethersfield. Jersey Mike’s will open a sub-shop in the former home of Alfred Angelo! Alfredo Angelo closed suddenly last year when the company file for bankruptcy. All stores closed immediately,leaving brides scrambling to find new dresses. Jersey Mike’s is similar to a Firehouse Subs or an upscale Subway. Jersey Mike’s recently opened a new location in Glastonbury. Orange Theory will also open a fitness studio in the former home of Alfred Angelo! Orange Theory is a chain of fitness studios with locations throughout the country, local locations include Glastonbury and West Hartford. Orange Theory will subdivide the space with Jersey Mike’s. Halloween City and Toy City have opened in the former Toys R Us. Toys R Us closed earlier this year when the chain filed for bankruptcy. Both Toy and Halloween City stores are owned by Party City; which is also located in the Plaza at Buckland Hills. Halloween City will be open until Halloween, while Toy City will continue to operate through the Christmas season. |
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