Canadian furniture brand EQ3 has closed their Norwalk flagship location at The SoNo Collection in Norwalk; making the end of their physical US stores.

EQ3 has shuttered their Norwalk store earlier this month; with their New York City flagship to close soon. The chain announced their plans to move all US sales to online only and through retail partners; closing all US EQ3 store operations.

The store sold modern furniture from a sleek white and wood grain showroom on the mall's second level. The store opened in an 9,500 square foot space in 2019. The mall still has furniture stores including Arhaus, LA (Lillian August) Home, and H&M Home.
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The mall had a mixed year, with new stores and some closures. CAMP Toy Store, Michael's Jewelers, The Body Shop, Romanacci have all closed their locations at the mall this past year. The mall added a number of tenants including Haagen Dazs, Starbucks, Charlotte Russe, Hot Topic, GameStop, Carter's Kids, and others. The SoNo Collection will also welcome Sally's Apizza, Chiwa Bistro, Mango Clothing, The Pop Shop, and more next year!

A few updates to our previous posts about Mohegan Sun; including the early closure of Carlo’s Bakery, reopening of a food court, and an update on Beauty & Essex restaurant!

-Carlo’s Bake Shop has permanently closed their doors at Mohegan Sun; well in advance of their announced closure date of 12/31. The bakery closed permanently earlier this week. Construction in the space will soon begin for Sift Bake Shop and its sister brand A.T.Y. Bar & Bonbons. The new bakery is expected to open in Spring 2025!

-Sunrise Square Food Court has officially reopened at the casino! The food court closed with the Phantasia restaurant in August; though Mohegan Sun said that planned to reopen the food court eventually. It reopened recently, with a slight update to its layout.

-Beauty & Essex will be opening very shortly! The new Pawn-Shop themed restaurant will open next to Johnny Rockets at The Shops at Mohegan Sun! The restaurant is owned by the Tao Group, owners of Tao Restaurant at Mohegan Sun. They plan to open in a few weeks, replacing Geno's Fast Break. Geno's Fast Break was a food court, branded to Geno Auriemma. Beauty & Essex was originally planned to open in fall 2023; though the opening was delayed.


Stay tuned for another Mohegan Sun post on an excited addition that recently opened!

Shah's Halal Food will officially open their new Winsted location tomorrow, December 6th! The restaurant will be located at 8 South Main Street, the former ‘The River Eatery.’

The restaurant serves gyros, falafel, burgers, chicken, fries, and baklava. Look at their full menu here: https://www.shahshalalfood.com/winsted-ct/

The restaurant will be open:
Sunday thru Thursday 10am-12am
Friday thru Saturday 10am-1am
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If you or someone you know who might be interested in working at the restaurant, please have them email Shah’s directly at [email protected]. They are looking for Front Service and Grill team members, preferably with prior resturant experience.
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The restaurant has locations in Middletown, Newington, Stamford, Stratford, Bridgeport, Orange, Norwalk and Danbury. They have new locations coming soon in Bristol, Vernon, Waterbury, and East Hartford.

A new development has been proposed for Trumbull!

Trumbull 111 LLC is proposing a new 35,350 square foot commercial building for 1 Trefoil Drive in Trumbull. The site currently has a commercial building on it; home to US Sign. The existing building would be removed for the new development.

The new development would feature a new 26,181 square foot grocery store, an urgent care center, fast food restaurant, and a new sit-down restaurant. No tenants have been named for the development.

A grocery store of this size could be a number of brands including (but not limited to) The Fresh Grocer, The Fresh Market, DeCicco & Sons (coming soon to Greenwich), Lidl, or others.

The project is still working its way through the town approval process. The development's wetlands plan was heard at an Inland Wetlands & Watercourse Commission Meeting on December 3rd. The project is still subject to all local approvals.
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Stay tuned as more information is released about this project!

Wonder is preparing to open their first Connecticut location in Stamford! This is only the first of 3 new CT locations opening next year; new locations include Fairfield and Darien!

-The micro foodhall concept will be opening at 1131 High Ridge Road, part of High Ridge Center. The new restaurant will open in January! The eatery will be located next to Peter Suchy Jewelers.

-Wonder will be opening at 1885 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, the former Billy's Bakery. The new restaurant will also open in January! Billy's closed in 2023 after decades of business in Fairfield.

-Wonder plans to open a new location in Darien at 1897 Post Road, a new mixed-use building. The new eatery plans to begin construction in late March, though no estimated opening date was announced.
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Wonder is a new restaurant startup stared in 2018, creating a virtual food hall out of their small store spaces. Wonder features cuisine from restaurants around the country and many Celebrity Chefs including Alanza Pizza, Bankside by JJ Johnson, Bobby Flay Steak, Detroit Brick Pizza Co., Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson, and many more! They will serve Chinese, Sushi, Pizza, Poke Bowls, Pasta, Mexican, Spanish, and much much more! Each location has at least 10 restaurant concepts.
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You can learn more about the brand on their website here: https://www.wonder.com/

Young Buns Doughnuts will be closing their Mystic doughnut shop at the end of the year!

The doughnut shop is located at 46 West Main Street in Mystic, owned by ATY Hospitality. Chef Adam Young (owner of ATY Hospitality) owns a number of different bakeries and restaurants including Sift Bake Shop, Mix Rooftop Restaurant & Bar, and A.T.Y Bar & Bonbons.

The farewell post cited the expiration of their lease, plans to steamline resources, and plans to focus on new opportunities as reasons for the closure. Their last day will be New Year's Eve, December 31st.

The doughnut shop will close at the end of the year. All employees will be relocated to other ATY restaurants. Gift cards will remain valid, and can be used at any ATY Hospitality location.
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A.T.Y. Hospitality will be opening a new location of Sift and ATY Bar & Bonbons at Mohegan Sun this spring. The restaurants will replace Carlo's Bakery in the Winter Entrance of the casino. Work is expected to begin soon on the renovations to transform the space.

A new Barnes & Noble store is planned for Stamford!

Barnes & Noble Booksellers plans to open a new 25,000+/- square foot store at 1145 High Ridge Road. The store would span 2 floors formerly occupied by DSW and Sears Appliance Showroom. The new store would feature the typical departments including an in-store cafe, best sellers, kids, and more. Construction is planned to begin in early 2025 if all goes to plan.

The new two floor store will be connected with an escalator, elevator, and stairwell. The store will feature the latest prototype store, matching newer-smaller Barnes & Noble stores that have opened in Meriden, Danbury, and coming soon to Cheshire & Southbury!
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Impact on the chain's existing store at the Stamford Town Center is unknown; the new store would be less than 5 miles from their existing location. Barnes & Noble did not respond to request for comment.

Barnes & Noble has embarked on an expansion spree, not seen in the company's history since before the recession. The chain opened over 60 new bookstores in 2024; the most in a single year since 2009.

Michaels (The Arts & Crafts Store) will be closing their craft store located at Brass Mill Commons in Waterbury!

The craft store is located at 295 Union Street, at Brass Mill Commons, a plaza home to Dick's Sporting Goods, Save A Lot, Ulta, and others. No reason was given for the pending closure.

The store is expected to close sometime in mid-January; possible on January 16th according to a staff member.
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The plaza recently lost TJ Maxx, which moved to a new location in Waterbury. The plaza will soon be home to a relocated Burlington store, which will move from the mall into the former TJ Maxx space.

Looking for something to do to get into the holiday spirit? Lakeview Restaurant in Coventry has transformed their lake-side eatery into a winter wonderland! The restaurant is located at 50 Lake Street in Coventry.

Christmas decorations have been hung with care, with over 3,000 ornaments, 1,000 feet of garland, over 6,000 lights, and more to come. The restaurant is the perfect place to celebrate with family and friends, or just to visit on the way home from Christmas shopping!

The restaurant has a number of holiday-inspired cocktails on their menu including a Spiked Hot Chocolate Flight, Elf on the Shelf Flight, and a Christmas Ornament Cocktail! Family friendly holiday events are planned to include Breakfast with Santa!

The restaurant serves a variety of food including street tacos, salads, pasta, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, and more. The restaurant has a full liquor license with beer, wine, cocktails, and more. Check out their full menu on their website here: https://lakeviewct.com/

The restaurant is open:
Sunday thru Thursday 12pm-9pm
Friday thru Saturday 12pm-10pm
Happy Hours is Monday thru Friday 3pm-6pm

Who are you taking to this winter wonderland?

A new golf superstore is coming to Norwalk!

PGA TOUR Superstore will open a new store at 51 Richards Avenue in Norwalk. The former Ashley Furniture store has been occupied by a short-term tenant named US Furniture & Mattress.

This will be the chain's first Connecticut location, with area locations in Massachusetts and New York. The chain currently has over 50 locations acorss 22 states.

The stores sell everything you need for golf including clubs, balls, clothing, gloves, simulators, tech, bags, small caddy carts, and much more. Look at their website here: https://www.pgatoursuperstore.com/
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The deal was brokered by Charter Realty, who represented the landlord in this transaction. No timeline for the store's opening was immediately available.

JDT's On Main has announced they will close their restaurant after 13 years of business. The restaurant is located at 4 Main Street in Thomaston, CT. Its last day will be December 14th.

The restaurant serves American/Italian cuisine including pizzas, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads, subs, and much more.

The restaurant said in a statement: "To our town, customers, family, & friends – We have a bittersweet announcement to make. We have decided as a family to close JDT’s and begin enjoying our retirement! We will remain open until 12/14 and would love to see you all to celebrate the last 13 years we spent making memories. If you are unable to come in to use any outstanding gift cards, we will be honoring refunds for purchased gift cards through 12/31. You can call or text Deb directly 860-483-1122. Our building is for sale (turn-key restaurant or new concept!) Please feel free to reach out if you or anyone you know is interested."

The restaurant's final day will be December 14th. Gift card will be honored through their closing or you can request a refund through 12/31.

Carpionato Group, a developer, has officially submitted plans for a new Whole Foods Market in Old Saybrook!

The new grocery store would be located at 1654 Boston Post Road in Old Saybrook, the former Benny’s store. The entire plaza would receive a facelift; the plaza portion of the existing building would be retained and heavily modified.

The grocery store would anchor the plaza, with new retail tenants and a medical office planned. In October 2022 during a pre application hearing, the developer said Napa Auto Parts and Alforno’s would remain as tenants. They could be relocated to a different space in the plaza to accommodate Whole Foods; it’s unclear if this has changed in the over 2 years since first proposed.

A meeting on the proposal is scheduled for December 2nd in Old Saybrook. Find all the information here: https://www.oldsaybrookct.gov/.../whole-foods...
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The developer estimated last year it could take 14-16 months for construction, and cost around $16 million.

Stafford Springs has a new plant shop!

Joz's Jungle is NOW OPEN at 91 Main Street in Stafford Springs; joining a collection of small business, artisan shops, and breweries!

Owner Josie Cyr and her husband Brandon Mundell has transformed a vacant retail store into a house plant oasis. The couple both work full-time jobs in addition to their new store. The shop sells a large variety of common and rare house plants; most from the couple’s personal collection.

The shop carries a large variety of plants, range from $5 seedlings to $400 rare albino monsteras. The store plans to branch into events like terrarium making nights, parties, and more. The couple also plans to add plant accessories like pots, soil, and much more.
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The shop is open:
Thursday 4-9pm
Friday thru Saturday 1-9pm

Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming soon to Milford!

The new Nashville hot chicken restaurant will be located at 1611 Boston Post Road in Milford. The new eatery will be located inside Milford Square, a shopping plaza home to REI, Sleep Number, Panera, Jersey Mike’s, and others.

Dave's Hot Chicken is a fast-casual Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant serving chicken sandwiches, tenders, sliders, fries, and more.

The new restaurant is expected to open in mid-January; with January 9th or 16th earmarked for their opening. Though these dates are subject to change. Construction is expected to begin in mid-December.
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The chain plans a number of new CT locations including: Newington, Stamford, Southington, Milford, and others! Stay tuned!

A number of new businesses have opened at The Shops at Farmington Valley! New shops include a new medspa, new candy shop, a new home decor shop, and two others coming soon!

-The Nutmeg Sweet Shoppe is NOW OPEN at the outdoor mall! The new sweet shop replaces Emerald City Smoothie. The shop has a new wall of candy for sale including taffy, fudge, chocolate, maple candy and more. They also sells milkshakes and smoothies! Check them out! The shop is an extension of The Nutmeg Fudge Company in Torrington.

-VIO Med Spa - Canton has opened at the outdoor mall! The new spa replaces Driphouse, a short lived sauna spa. VIO Med Spa specializes in cutting-edge aesthetic medicine and wellness. The medical spa provides elevated and innovative aesthetic services for both men and women that empower, enhance natural beauty, and inspire confidence.

-Anastasio Home is now open at the outdoor mall! The new home decor store is located in the former J Crew space near Sur La Table. The shop offers limited-run home accessories, a curated selection of furnishings, and upcycled luxury goods.

-Two new businesses will be opening in the coming months including Sweetgreen and Warby Parker. The pair of businesses will occupy the old Cold Water Creek space. Construction is ongoing!

Sweetgreen is coming soon to The Shops at Yale! The fast-casual salad bar will be moving into the former Patagonia store space at 1 Broadway this spring!
 
Sweetgreen is a fast-casual salad bar restaurant with location across the United States! The eatery will be moving into the former Patagonia space, just two years after the retailer closed their location. Sweetgreen plans to renovate the existing building and add an outdoor patio along Broadway for their patrons to use.
 
Construction is planned to begin this winter with an opening expected next year. Plans are currently in review with the City of New Haven.
 
This will be Sweetgreen’s 5th Connecticut location behind Westport, Darien, Greenwich, and one opening soon in Canton! The brand has over 220 locations throughout the United States; with plans to reach over 1,000 locations by the end of the decade. 

We are getting our first look at The Foundry, a new restaurant coming to Downtown Hartford!

The Foundry is opening soon at 400 Columbus Boulevard, on the 20th floor of One State Street! The new eatery will occupy the former On20, another upscale American eatery that opened in 2010 and closed in 2020 during the COVID lockdowns.

The new restaurant will be owned by Chef Jeffrey Lizotte, the former Executive Chef of On20. Chef Lizotte owns the Present Company restaurant in Simsbury.

Chef Lizotte describes the new restaurant as: “The combination of The Foundry’s innovative American seasonal cuisine, topflight people, industrial-chic ambiance, and panoramic view of the city will make every meal unparalleled, every visit indelible.”
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The restaurant plans a January 2025 opening! Stay tuned for an official date!

Brass Mill Center will be losing 2 tenants including a junior anchor store; but will be gaining two new businesses! Check out the latest news below!

-Burlington Stores is planning to relocate their store from Brass Mill Center. The store plans to relocate to the former TJ Maxx space at Brass Mill Commons, with construction planned to begin in Quarter 1 of 2025. This will leave the mall with anchor/junior anchor tenants including Apple Cinemas, Shopper's World, Ashley Furniture, and JC Penney. TJ Maxx moved to 943 Wolcott Street (Mattatuck Common) earlier this year.

-FYE is closing their doors at Brass Mill Center. Liquidation sales continue this week. An employee confirmed the store will shut down for good by the beginning of the new year. The store sells pop-culture items including Funko-Pops, records, and more.

-Gamez Zone, billed as “the ultimate gaming experience,” will open on Black Friday (Nov. 29). In addition to numerous gaming and play options, the location will host tournaments and be available to rent for birthday parties and private events.

-Candy World, specializing in a variety of sweet treats, is expected to open in December. Candy World is a chain of candy shops with locations around the country!
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The Brass Mill Center this year has faced the closing of numerous stores, including Bath & Body Works, which moved to Chase Avenue in August. Others have opened at the mall, most notably Apple Cinemas, which relocated from Wolcott Street to occupy the spot vacated by Regal Cinemas. Godin Property Brokers in Middlebury is the leasing agent for mall owner Kohan Retail Investment Group and Summit Properties of New York.

A new Mom & Pop eatery is coming to the former Undergrounds Record Café space in Oakville!

Oakville Kitchen is coming soon to 206 Main Street in Oakville, a small village of Watertown, Connecticut! The new eatery will serve hot coffee and fresh food. Brought to you by the same folks that started Johnny’s Breakfast & Lunch in Waterbury.

The new restaurant is still in the construction/renovation phase. Stay tuned for more information as they get closer to opening!
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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.

A new food option is coming soon to Andover!

Pho House, a Vietnamese restaurant, is coming soon to Village Plaza at 144 U.S. Route 6 in Andover. The restaurant is joining Andover Pizza, Andover Package Store, CT Dance Hub, and others in the plaza.

Pho House will replace Oriental Wok. Pho House was previously located at 834 Silver Lane in East Hartford. The restaurant was forced to close after the Town of East Hartford purchased the plaza for a redevelopment.

The restaurant sells Vietnamese Pho, Banh Mi, Bubble Tea and more!
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Stay tuned for an opening date as construction progresses!

Wingstop is NOW OPEN in New Britain! The chain’s latest eatery is located at 174 Columbus Boulevard, the plaza with Chase Bank and PriceRite.

The restaurant sells chicken wing, sandwiches, fries, corn, and much more. Take a look at their menu here: https://www.wingstop.com/.../wingstop-2598-new.../menu...

Wingstop is open everyday from 11am to 12am!
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The chain has more locations coming soon in Hartford, Bristol, Middletown, and more!

Shah's Halal Food is adding 3 new CT locations in Bristol, Waterbury, and Winsted! The restaurant serves gyros, falafel, burgers, chicken, fries, and baklava. The restaurant is a late night option, usually open until midnight or later.

WATERBURY: Shah's Halal will be opening a new location at 1051 Wolcott Street in Waterbury, currently Smoking Ape Company Smoke Shop (former 7 Eleven before); the smoke shop will be divided for Shah's to move in. The new restaurant is expected to open in early 2025.

BRISTOL: The halal restaurant is also coming soon to Bristol! Shah's will open at 728 Farmington Avenue in Bristol, taking over the former Smoking Ape Company Smoke Shop. The space was also previously home to Wings Over Bristol before they moved. Look for them to open next year.

WINSTED: Shah's will be opening a new location in Winsted. The restaurant will be located at 8 South Main Street, the former ‘The River Eatery.’ The new eatery is expected to open on December 6th.
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The restaurant has locations in Middletown, Newington, Stamford, Stratford, Bridgeport, and Danbury. They have new locations coming soon in Vernon, Waterbury, Winsted, and East Hartford.
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Where would you like to see them open next?

Margaritas Mystic will be closing their doors permanently on December 19th. The Mexican restaurant is located at 12 Water Street in Mystic, part of Factory Square.

Margaritas corporate confirmed the closure in an email Monday morning. The space has already been put up for lease. Check out the listing here: https://www.loopnet.com/.../12-Water-St-Mystic-CT/33510853/

The Mexican eatery is part of a chain of 24 restaurants under the Margaritas name. The chain's only other Connecticut location is East Hartford at 350 Roberts Street.
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The restaurant is not affliated with Chuck's Steakhouse & Margarita Grill in Storrs; though it once was part of the same restaurant chain owned by John Pelletier. The Storrs location was sold back to Chuck's Steakhouse and operates independently.

Wooster Street Pizza will be closing their Cromwell location on November 30th after many years of business.

The pizza shop is located at 77 Berlin Road in Cromwell, in the plaza with Goodwill and Artisan Vapor. The Wooster Street Pizza location in Meriden will remain open. The pizza shop featured a retro car theme, inspired by Hot Wheels toy cars.

The restaurant first opened as part of the Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza chain owned by Randy Price. At one point they had locations in Enfield, Cromwell, Storrs, Berlin (express), Southington, and Manchester. Randy still operates a location in Manchester and one in Naples, Maine.
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The restaurant said in a statement “Hello all Wooster Street Pizza customers. We regret to inform you that we will be closing up shop at our Cromwell location on 77 Berlin Road on November 30th, 2024. The owners are moving out of state and have decided it is time for a change. We have appreciated the support and the clientele we have received through out these 4 1/2 years of ownership. From starting off at nothing due to the pandemic to the amazing progress we have made with the help of the amazing staff and the trust all of our customers bestowed upon us. We cannot put into words how happy we are to be a part of something so special and to be able to feel so welcomed by this community. We also had the honor being awarded the neighborhood fave in 2023 which would not be possible without all of you. With that being said we have the rest of the month to see your lovely faces. We also have our Meriden location which will remain open at 482 Cook Avenue.”