Kraftwich CT is closing their restaurant and food truck. The restaurant is located at 367 West High Street in the Cobalt section of East Hampton.

The restaurant's last day will be January 10th or until food runs out; while their last food truck event will also be on January 10th.

We covered the opening of their restaurant back in September. The restaurant is described as a family owned and operated take out restaurant offering fresh artisanal sandwiches, shareable appetizers, vibrant salads along with rotating specials and desserts. The menu features a pork cutlet stacker, a chicken mac wrap, picklewich, burgers, hush puppies, loaded spuds, salads, and much more.

The restaurant said in a farewell post:
"It is with our deepest sadness and frustration that we have to announce that we will be closing our restaurant and food truck due to circumstances beyond our control.

We are so appreciative of those who made the effort to support us. When we found this location we were eager to join the East Hampton community and thought the building had tremendous promise. Unfortunately the condition of the building is deteriorating and repairs are not being made. Our last day of operation will be Friday, January 10th unless we sell out of everything before that. On January 10th, we will be closing early for our last food truck event.

For those who purchased or received our gift cards, if you are able to, we ask that you use them before we close on the 10th. If you are not able to, we ask that you reach out to us asap so we are able to reimburse you. You can reach us at 860-267-7700, through our social media accounts or at [email protected].

We want to thank everyone who gave us a try and hope that 2025 will be a better year for everyone. Happy New Year - Kelly and James"

Suffield Pickleball will officially open its new facility this weekend! JOin them for their grand opening weekend, January 3rd-5th.

The facility will offer free open play all weekend long. Players will need to register through https://www.suffieldpickleball.com/ or the court reservation app, CourtReserve. Suffield Pickleball will be raffling off a free membership and a Joola 3s Paddle.
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The new indoor pickleball facility is located at 15 Kenny Roberts Memorial Drive in Suffield! The facility has 5 indoor courts with a large pro shop. The facility will offer open play, leagues, tournaments, and private parties / functions.

Micro Creamery of CT will open its newest location in Cheshire, CT on January 3rd!

The ice cream shop will be located at 830 South Main Street in Cheshire, the former Sweet Claude's Ice Cream Shop. Sweet Claude's still has a location at 483 West Main Street in Cheshire.

The micro-creamery features ice cream from many of Connecticut's best ice cream makers including The Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlour in Prospect; Pralines Own Made Ice Cream in Wallingford; Salem Valley Farms Ice Cream in Salem; Arethusa Farm in Litchfield; Buck's Ice Cream in Milford and Cold Fusion Gelato in Westport.

​The menu includes sundaes, ice cream flights, ice cream nachos, affogato, shakes, smoothies, pies, and much more!

The ice cream shop will be the third location for the brand. They have existing locations in Woodbridge (1652 Litchfield Turnpike) and Milford (1201 Boston Post Road at Connecticut Post Mall).
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Make sure you check them out on January 3rd!

A new restaurant is planned for the former Pizza Hut in Groton!

A new Italian restaurant, 'Garlic Knot' according to building documents, is planned for the long-vacant building at 681 Long Hill Road in Groton. The building will undergo a large-scale renovation that will see the glass sun room removed and a new gabled storefront constructed in its place.

The restaurant's exact name is unclear, building permit documents show the name 'Garlic Knot', while an LLC on the property's town documents shows 'TyMark Pizza'. We just hope the food is as delicious as the owner's other restaurants!

The restaurant will be part of the TyMark Restaurant Group, a Rhode Island-based group with restaurants in Westerly, Groton, and Charlestown. The group owns The Fisherman at Long Point and Paul's Pasta Shop in Groton.

A timeline for the restaurant's opening was not immediately available. Ideal Development LLC applied for a building permit for the project on December 18th. The property was sold to TyMark Real Estate Holding, a subsidiary of the TyMark Restaurant Group on December 20th according to a deed filed with the Town.
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The building was once home to Season's Restaurant in the 1980s. The building then became a Pizza Hut in the 1990s. The pizza chain closed sometime in the late 2000s.


​SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:

Saults, LLC Eclectic Cuisine will be opening their first brick & mortar restaurant in Windsor, CT!

Saults Eclectic Cuisine is coming soon to Dudleytown Brewing Company at 1001 Day hill Road in Windsor! The food truck-turned restaurant will be located inside the brewery, serving up their delicious food alongside some amazing beers.

The restaurant serves a variety of food including soups, salads, appetizers, tacos, bao buns (flavors like Korean BBQ, Port Belly, Nashville Hot Chicken), wood fired pizzas, and much much more. Gluten Free and Dairy Free options are available to customers with those restrictions.

The new restaurant is expected to open this spring. Until then, their food truck will be parked outside Dudleytown to provide food for hungry brewery guests. Please note that, starting January 1, 2025, the brewery will no longer permit outside food and drinks as part of this exciting new collaboration.
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Stay tuned for an opening announcement!

Big Lots announced it has struck a deal to sell the company to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners.

The deal is still subject to court approval, would see Gordon Brothers buy the entire company. Gordon Brothers would then sell the company’s name and 200-400 leases to the parent company of Roses Department Store, the remainder of the company’s assets would be liquidated/sold off by Gordon Brothers. Most of the leases (not purchased by Roses) would be sold to other retailers.

The 200-400 stores to be bought by Roses have not been identified. Roses plans to operate these stores under the Big Lots banner. It’s unclear if any of the Connecticut locations would remain open under this deal.

The deal comes after Big Lots began fully liquidating the company last week. The retailer had previously announced a deal with Nexus Capital Management; though they were unable to close the deal resulting in the liquidation.

Big Lots currently has 6 CT stores in:
-Bristol, 1235 Farmington Ave
-East Hartford, 940 Silver Ln
-North Haven, 380 Universal Drive N
-Middletown, 820 Washington St
-Derby, 600 New Haven Ave
-Wallingford, 968 N Colony Rd

Chiwa Bistro is NOW OPEN at The SoNo Collection in Norwalk! The restaurant is located on the street level of the mall, next to Jacob’s Pickles.

Chiwa Bistro is a modern Japanese eatery serving sushi, ramen, udon, stir fry, rice, katsu, and much more. Check out their full menu here: https://chiwabistrosono.com/menu

The restaurant is located in the mall’s restaurant row, the street level retail space home to Yard House, Jacob’s Pickles, Chiwa Bistro, and Sally’s Apizza coming soon!

The mall had a good year. The mall welcomed a number of new national retailers including Starbucks, Haagen Dazs, Carter’s, Hot Topic, Game Stop, Miniso, Charlotte Russe, Koluxe Jewelry, and more coming next year. Pop Mart and Mango will be opening in 2025; Pop Mart is a pop-culture figurine shop while Mango is a luxury clothing store.

McDonald's has permanently closed their Montville location after many years of service.

The McDonald's restaurant at 538 Norwich New London Turnpike has permanently closed their doors after decades of serving customers in Montville.

The eateries last day was December 15th, 2024 according to a banner on the former restaurant's sign. The sign directs customers to the restaurant's other location up the road at 1951 Norwich New London Turnpike in the Uncasville section of Montville, roughly 2.5 miles away.
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No reason was given for the closure. The restaurant was heavily renovated to McDonald's newest prototype in 2017.

Oakville Kitchen will have their grand opening tomorrow, December 28th at 206 Main Street in Oakville, a small village of Watertown, Connecticut! The eatery replaces Underground Records Cafe.

The new eatery will serve hot coffee and fresh food. I’ve attached pictures of the new restaurant menu to this post. Make sure you check it out. The new restaurant is brought to you by the same folks that started Johnny’s Breakfast & Lunch in Waterbury.
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Undergrounds Record Café closed their doors in October after nearly 2 years of business. Their last day was Sunday 10/6. The coffee and record shop opened in December of 2022. The menu features typical espresso drinks, coffee and more; the food menu featured favorites like pancakes, sandwiches, waffles, and much more.

Westbrook Outlets will be losing at least two more tenants; both being national brands. While two more tenants have closed ahead of redevelopment plans.

-William Sonoma Outlet is closing its store at the outlet mall. The store has been located at the outlet mall for over 12 years. Their last day has not been announced yet; though the store is emptying out quickly.

-Old Navy Outlet will close its store at the outlet once the new location at Guilford Commons opens in 2025. Old Navy Outlet has been a longtime tenant of the outlet mall.

-Tapville has closed their self-pour eatery at the outlet mall. This was Tapville’s lone standalone location in Connecticut. The brand has a Tapville truck that can be hired for parties in Western CT.

-Pepperidge Farms recently closed their location at the outlet center. It appears that they still operate an outlet at the Bloomfield bakery and distribution center. Check out our post on their closure here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BDuQVSBHm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The outlet mall is expected to be demolished and replaced with a new mixed use development with apartments, stores, and entertainment. The development is proposed by Lexington Partners. The current mall management promises new pop-up stores in March and many fun events before construction starts. They hope to break ground in Fall of 2025 pending all approvals.
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The mall’s remaining tenants in Kaleidoscope, Eddie Bauer, Hanes Brands, H&M, The ReBorn House, Old Tyme Toys, J Crew Factory, Loft, Loren’s Corner, and Westbrook Cinemas.

We have a number of new updates for Rocky Hill! A new gas station is preparing to open; a new Dunkin, a new Indian restaurant, and a longtime frozen dessert shop building is on the market!

-Mylz Gas Station is opening soon to 1761 Silas Deane Highway. The gas station is a new building on the site of a florist and liquor store. The gas station has long been speculated to be a Cumberland Farms; though we are now certain it will be a new brand with a similar concept.

-Dunkin will be opening a new location inside of Mylz! According to building permits, the donut shop will open inside the new store including a drive thru and interior lobby inside the convenience store. Stay tuned for an opening date.
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-Abhiruchi Indian Cuisine is coming soon to the old Town Line Diner at 80 Town Line Road. The new restaurant has started construction including a refresh of the interior. No opening timeline has been announced.

-Rita’s longtime home at 1783 Silas Deane Highway is up for sale. Only the building is up for sale, the business is not. Rita’s still plans to reopen in the spring according to a sign on the building. Check out the listing here: https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/.../178.../pid_61980091/

Tanger Outlets, Foxwoods has welcomed 2 new eateries at their outlet mall inside Foxwoods casino!

-Seoul Alley has opened in Foxwoods; they sell Korean street food, drinks, and more. The new contemporary space features a 60+ seat restaurant, a street food market, and bar for seating up to 40 guests. The restaurant will be located in Suite 100 at the entrance of Tanger Outlets in the Fox Tower; the restaurant replaces Armani Exchange. The diverse menu features both popular Korean street food, traditional Korean cuisine as well as Korean dishes inspired by American classics. Check out their soft open menu in the attached pictures.

-Yummy Bites is NOW OPEN in the mall’s concourse! The new small business sells baked goods, desserts, ice cream, coffees, and snacks! The store is run by a lovely woman. Check them out across from Eddie Bauer.
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Look for more additions coming soon to the outlet mall! We will be keeping an eye out for their future announcements to share with you!

KPot Korean BBQ and Hot Pot is coming soon to Hartford, CT!

The new KPot restaurant will be located at the Charter Oak Marketplace at 475 Flatbush Avenue. The restaurant is shown to replace PCX, a streetwear clothing store.

KPot is a chain with over 170 locations throughout the United States. This will be their third Connecticut location behind Hamden and Orange.

KPOT is a unique, hands-on all-you-can-eat dining experience that merges traditional Asian Hot Pot with Korean BBQ flavors – but modernized with a full bar and a nightlife-like atmosphere.
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No timeline has been announced for the chain's opening in Hartford. No building permits have been issued for the renovation. This location will be owned by Xiang Jiang, the franchisee for the Hamden location.

More tenants have been revealed for The Shoppes at Village Square, the new development across from Target in New Britain. The plaza will be located at 488 Hartford Road. The new additions include a new Veterinarian Clinic, a dental office, mattress store, a coffee shop, and a popular chicken restaurant.

-UrgentVet, a chain of vet clinics, is coming soon to the plaza. The vet offers walk-in appointments, after hours urgent care, and emergency vetr care for minor injuries or illnesses. This will be their first CT location. No timeline for their opening has been announced.

-Aspen Dental will be relocating its current office from the Westfarms Shopping Center in Farmington (just across the highway) to the new plaza. The signage has already been installed on the building. No timeline for their opening has been announced.

-Starbucks will be opening a new location at the shopping center. The location will feature a drive thru, interior dining room, and patio. Look for them to open in 2025.

-BIRDCODE is coming soon to the plaza. This will be their 4th location in the chain, with many more in the works. Birdcode sells Nashville-hot chicken sandwiches. The chain has new location coming soon in Cheshire, Avon, and Brookfield.

-Mattress Firm is coming soon! The mattress store will occupy roughly 4,000 square feet in the plaza. Mattress Firm is America's #1 Mattress Retailer with over 2,500 stores across the country.

The plaza has a single space left for lease. The vacant space is between UrgentVet and Mattress Firm, with 3,143 square feet available. Check out the listing here: https://charterrealty.com/.../Shoppes-at-Village-Square...

Insomnia Cookies will officially open its Hartford location on January 4th!

The cookie shop will open its doors at 247 Asylum Street in Hartford, CT. The restaurant will occupy a 1,613 square foot space formerly home to Ticket World. The shop serves cookie, baked goods, and ice cream.

Insomnia is a fast-growing chain of cookie shops throughout the country. The chain has 2 other locations in Connecticut; including New Haven and Storrs.
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The chain is known for their creative flavors, cookies baked fresh, and delivered until after midnight everyday! Insomnia Cookies include the Classic Chocolate Chunk cookie, the Snickerdoodle and Confetti Deluxe. The bakery serves brownies, brookies, vegan options and a limited-edition menu.

The shop’s hours will be:
Sunday 12pm to 1am
Monday through Wednesday 11am to 1am
Thursday and Friday 11am to 3am
Saturday 12pm to 3am
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A grand opening with free samples and a late-night celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 4, from 12 p.m. to 3 a.m. Customers can receive free delivery with the code “HARTFORD” from Jan. 4 to Jan. 18. Delivery will be available in downtown Hartford and surrounding neighborhoods.

Ross Dress for Less is now under construction in Trumbull! The first CT location for the discount retailer will be located at the Hawley Lane Mall.

The store will occupy the 25,331 square foot former Homegoods store at 100 Hawley Lane. Ross plans to spend on $835,000 on the tenant fit out of the store. Work is now underway on the build out including the installation of new ‘coming soon’ banners on the exterior.

The store was originally expected to open this fall, then Ross said it would open before the end of the year. It now looks like they will open later this winter or early spring.

We are also tracking a possible second Ross location coming to Connecticut. We are working to confirm the location and opening timeline.
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Stay tuned!

A number of stores at Meriden Mall are closing their doors; though the mall will soon add a new coffee shop and a children’s play center.

-Rainbow will be closing itsdoors at the Meriden Mall. The women’s clothing store is located on the mall’s second floor. Rainbow has another area location in New Britain.

-FYE is currently closing its store at the mall. The pop-culture and physical media store is located on the mall’s first level near the former Sears store. This store is closing alongside their Brass Mill Center and Danbury Fair Mall stores.

-Claire’s recently closed their store at the mall. The ear piercing and accessory store was located on the mall’s first floor.

-Zaida’s Braiding recently closed their store at the mall. The hair salon and store was located on the mall’s second floor.

-On the flip side, a new coffee retailer is coming soon to the Meriden Mall! Abuelo’s Exclusive Coffee is coming soon to the mall. It’s unclear where they will occupy in the mall.

-Kiddo Land, a children’s play center, is planned for the mall according to business filings with the State. They currently have a location at Stamford Town Center in Stamford.

The mall is currently home to a number of stores including TJ Maxx, Finshline, Spencer’s, Bath & Body Works, Boscov’s, Imperial Gaming, Custom Print, Pretzel Maker, Kay Jewelers, Michael’s Jewelers, Windsor, T Mobile, Diva Nails, Charley’s, Ruby Tuesday, Nail Box, Torrid, Studio Brow, Meriden Mall Dental, Shoe Dept Encore, AT&T, and Bye Stress.
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The mall has seen a number of other closures this year including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hot Topic, Forever 21, Bloodline’s Tattoo, Harry’s Eatery, Praline’s, Ramani’s Clothiers (moved), Foot Locker, and others. The mall is currently owned by Namdar.

Got the chance to check out Flock & Herd in Rocky Hill. The new gastropub opened in October at 945 Cromwell Avenue Unit B!

First we tried the Bavarian pretzel, a delightful fluffy giant pretzel with cheese sauce. Next I got the Herd Double Smash Burger, a double smash cheeseburger served with caramelized onions and herd sauce (like Big Mac sauce). I washed the food down with a Toki Ginger Punch, a cocktail with ginger, orange, pineapple, and Japanese whiskey.

The food and drinks were delicious, the staff was friendly, space was clean. I highly recommend you check them out if you are ever in the Rocky Hill or Cromwell area. Check out their website here: https://flockandherdgastropub.com/

The new gastropub features typical pub fare including burgers, salads, fish n chips, fried chicken, wings. The restaurant also features more creative items like Pork Belly Banh Mi, Pork Belly Burnt Ends, and Roasted Golden Beets. The cocktail menu features traditional offerings like Paloma, Espresso Martini, Spritsz, Margaritas, a variety of wines & beers, craft draft beers, and more.

Flock & Herd Gastropub is owned by Executive Chef Michael Beers. The restaurant replaces Bar Baja in the Cold Spring Plaza. Chef Michael Beers also owns Trattoria Toscana in Manchester.

The restaurant is open:
Monday thru Thursday 12pm-9pm
Friday thru Saturday 12pm-10pm
Sunday 12pm-8pm

Mighty Quinn’s BBQ is NOW OPEN in Norwalk! Here is an update to the story we broke in June.


Mighty Quinn's Barbeque is located at 11 Merwin Street in Norwalk, in the former Bobby Q's Cue and short-lived Lechon Smokehouse.

The menu consists of Smoked BBQ, Steak, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and starters. Check out their website here: https://www.mightyquinnsbbq.com/
and check out their menu for Norwalk here:
https://media-cdn.getbento.com/.../ap5WnkfzTsmUGgdbBqWX...

The chain currently has 13 locations total located throughout NY, NJ, MD, and FL. Bobby Q's opened in 2017 and closed in 2021 after the owner Bob LeRose passed away. Lechon Smokehouse opened in early August 2023 and closed in late August or early September of 2023.
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Their hours are:
Saturday, December 21st 4 PM–12 AM
Sunday, December 22nd 4PM–11 PM
Monday-Thursday 11:30 AM–10 PM
Tuesday 11:30 AM–10 PM
Friday-Saturday 11:30 AM–12 AM
Sunday 11:30AM-11PM

The Crystal Mall is losing more tenants as the holiday season comes to a close.

Ice Imports will be closing their doors; the store is currently located on the mall's first level in the former Aerie space. The store will begin a store closing sale on December 26th, with everything in the store marked down 50%. The store sells swords, stones, crystals, decor, jewelry, and much more. The store's locations at Tanger Outlets, Foxwoods, Olde Mistick Village, and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands will remain open to continue serving their customers. You can also find them on their website here: https://iceimports.com/

Bounce World has closed their bounce house facility in the mall. The center was located on the mall's first level near the now-closed Old Navy. They opened in 2022.
Zales Jewelers has also closed their store at the mall. This might be old news by now, but the store closed this fall after many years in the mall. Their sister store Kay Jewelers remains open.

The Crystal Mall has been struggling in recent years. The mall has lost numerous tenants this past year including their last anchor JC Penney, Pizza Hut, Charley's Sub, Subway, Rue21, Carnival Craze, Cohen's Fashion Optician, Dairy Queen, Zales, Shoe Dept Encore, Bath & Body Works (relocated to Waterford Commons), and others.

The mall is now showing its neglect. The escalators and elevators are now all out-of-order. The only way to access the second floor from the first is using the stairs in the middle of the mall.

The remaining tenants include: H&R Block, Mr.Fix It, Kay Jewelers, Toy Vault, This N That, Dollar N Things, Men's Wearhouse, Enzo Clothier, T-Mobile, Pretzelmaker, JBS Barber, Claires, East Side Games, A New You Day Spa, T-Shirt World, Lids, Memories Ink, Sarku Japan, Wok Express, FYE, Forever 21, Spencers, Hot Topic, Froyo World, Instyle Fragrance, Ebony & Ivory, Talbots, Finish Line, Special Occasions, Victoria Secret, AT&T, Lenscrafters, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

​Party City will be winding down operations including all of its US stores including the 12 Connecticut locations according to report from CNN.
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According to a report from CNN, the CEO of the company broke the news to employees in a call today. Corporate employee's last day will be today, just 5 days before Christmas. See CNN's full report here: https://www.cnn.com/.../party-city-shut-down/index.html

Party City CEO Barry Litwin said in a statement to employees: "That is without question the most difficult message that I've ever had to deliver...[Party City's] very best efforts have not been enough to overcome."

The 12 Connecticut locations that will be closing are:
-Enfield, 90 Elm Street (Enfield Square)
-East Hartford, 17 Main Street
-Fairfield, 2009 Black Rock Turnpike
-Hamden, 2100 Dixwell Avenue
-Manchester, 1444 Pleasant Valley Road
-Newington, 3087 Berlin Turnpike
-Norwalk, 500 Connecticut Avenue
-Orange, 292 Boston Post Road
-Simsbury, 530 Bushy Hill Road
-Stamford, 2275 Summer Street (Recently Reopened)
-Waterbury, 910 Wolcott Street
-Waterford, 915 Hartford Turnpike
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The closures marked the end of a 40+ year business. Party City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 in an attempt to reorganize and shed under-performing stores. Reports recently emerged that company planned to file for bankruptcy for a second time in as many years. A new bankruptcy case could not be found on the PACER system at the time of posting.

Big Lots has announced they will begin store closing sales at all their stores starting in the coming days!

The sales come as a previously announced deal with Nexus has failed to be completed; the chain no longer plans to complete this deal. Big Lots will continue to seek a sale of the brand to keep stores open, though sales with begin at all stores including their remaining 6 in Connecticut.

Remaining CT stores to close include:
-Bristol, 1235 Farmington Ave
-East Hartford, 940 Silver Ln
-North Haven, 380 Universal Drive N
-Middletown, 820 Washington St
-Derby, 600 New Haven Ave
-Wallingford, 968 N Colony Rd

There is still a chance a deal could be negotiate and finalized for the stores before liquidation is complete. Big Lots said in a statement: "We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale. While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB process."
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Find their press release here: https://www.biglots.com/corporate/investors/news...

Coastline Fitness is coming soon; setting up new locations in both Groton and East Lyme!

-Coastline Fitness will be opening a new state of the art facility at 60 Plaza Court in Groton; the former Benny's store. The gym will begin construction very soon, with an opening planned for 2025.

-The gym will be opening a new gym at 15 Industrial Park Road in East Lyme; part of the former Bob's Furniture store complex (the Outlet store). Bob's relocated to New London in 2019. The gym will begin construction very soon, with an opening planned for 2025.

Coastline has 2 existing locations, one in Old Saybrook and the other in Clinton. Both facilities offer top-notch equipment, diverse classes, and a welcoming environment to help you achieve your fitness goals. The gym offers personal training and fitness classes.
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Coastline Fitness was established in 2021 on the shoreline to provide the community with a full-service health club. Coastline Fitness offers many amenities including group exercise classes, 12 piece circuit, DotFit Nutrition, locker rooms, showers, saunas, personal training/small group training, boxing, free weights and cardio!
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Check out their website here: https://coastlinefitnessclubs.com/