Insomnia Cookies is NOW OPEN in Hartford! The cookie chain has finally opened their Hartford location after months of delays.
The cookie shop is located at 247 Asylum Street in Hartford, CT; occupy a 1,613 square foot space formerly home to Ticket World. The shop serves cookies, baked goods, and ice cream. 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
0 Comments
Old Navy is NOW OPEN in Guilford! The clothing store is located at 1919 Boston Post Road, at Guilford Commons. The new store can be found between DSW and Petco in the plaza; occupying 11,500 square feet of space. The store replaces a previous Old Navy Outlet at Westbrook Outlet in Westbrook, CT. The Westbrook location closed earlier this year in anticipation for the move. Old Navy is just the latest addition to the plaza. TJ Maxx and Playa Bowls (Guilford, CT) are coming soon to Guilford Commons. TJ Maxx is expected to open this fall. Playa Bowls will open later this year! Old Navy in Guilford is open: Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm Sunday 10am-7pm  Some excited news about 2 Downtown Hartford businesses! -Hartford Prints! will be temporarily relocating to 231 Trumbull Street (ground floor near the XL Center entrance) in Hartford starting tomorrow, 03/01! The shop will be in there temporary home for about 6 months while their original home at 42 1/2 Pratt Street is expanded. The store sells gifts, candles, drinkware, apparel, accessories, prints, decor, and more. Check out their website here: https://hartfordprints.com/ -GIFTS + ART on Trumbull is NOW OPEN at 100 Trumbull Street (ground level of Spectre) in Hartford. This new shop and gallery features gifts for all ages, as well as original and print artwork by local and regional artists. The new shop also sells candles, locally crafted gifts, apparel, and much more! Find them online at https://www.giftsplusartontrumbull.com/ Make sure you check out both of these great shops in Downtown Hartford! They are located within walking distance of each other, the XL Center, and Pratt Street!
A new healthy food option is coming to Branford!
Fresh Greens & Proteins is coming soon to the former Tommy’s Wax Center building at 1100 West Main Street in Branford! The 1,500 square foot building will be transformed into a health-focused restaurant! Work is expected to begin soon on the new eatery! A spring/summer opening is expected! The eatery serves smoothies, açaí bowls, salads, grain bowls, protein shakes, and wraps. The restaurant currently has 3 locations including Hamden, New Britain, and Watertown. The chain previously operated a location on Main Street in Middletown. Black Crow Coffee is planning to open the doors of their new Enfield coffee shop on March 14th! The coffee shop will be located at 9 North Main Street, the former TrackStar Nutrition space. The coffee shop will serve coffees, teas, iced and seasonal beverages as well as small pastries from the North Main Street space. The shop will be owned by Anthony Barbosa according to business filings with the state. Work is nearing completion with final town and health inspections before they open. Make sure you follow their social media (tagged above) for more updates. 
A new children’s play center and coffee shop is coming to Milford! Perfect Playdate is coming soon to Milford Plaza, 161-163 Cherry Street, in Milford! The center will feature a children’s play village and a coffee shop for parents to enjoy. The center will feature: • INTERACTIVE PLAY FOR YOUNG KIDS: From imaginative playhouses to climbing structures to STEM areas, there's something for every little explorer. They are also created a safe and cozy "Under 2 Zone" just for the tiniest guests! • AN AESTHETICALLY PLEASING SPACE: Relax while you sip on premium coffee and treat yourself to delicious snacks while the kids have a blast. •FAMILY FRIENDLY DESIGN: With comfortable seating and clear views of the play areas, you can sit back or keep an eye on the fun. • At PERFECT PLAYDATE they will be more than a play space-they’re going to be a community hub for families. The facility will also have: - Open Play sessions - Memorable Birthday Parties - Membership Perks - Creative Workshops and Events Look for them to open this Spring!  
Pick Pockets in Groton is becoming Gansett Wraps! The Mediterranean restaurant is currently closed for renovations during the brand change over.
Pick Pockets is a Mediterranean restaurant located at 214 Route 12 in Groton. The restaurant opened in 2018; serving kebabs, falafel, gyros, wraps, clubs, sandwiches, platers, salads, and more. Gansett Wraps is a local chain of Mediterranean restaurant with a very similar menu to Pick Pockets. The chain served soups, falafel, gryos, wraps, sandwiches, salads, pita, and much more. The restaurant has vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options! Check out their menu here: https://www.gansettwraps.com/menus The chain currently has 4 locations; including 1 in Storrs, Connecticut. They are opening 2 new locations this spring including Groton and North Kingstown, RI. Look for them to open in Groton very soon! 
A number of new retailers are coming soon to The SoNo Collection!
-PacSun (Pacific Sunwear) is coming soon to the mall's third level! The store will be located between Champs and JD Sports. The store was a mall-mainstay back in the heyday, and now it's coming with a new image! They sell apparel for men and women. -POP MART is bringing their first Connecticut location to The SoNo Collection! The store will occupy roughly 1,100 square feet of the space on the mall's first level, replacing the former The Body Shop. Pop Mart is a China-based retailer that sells collectible figurines. The figurines, similar to FunkoPops, are usually sold in blind-boxes, where customers buy a uniform box with no clue what figurine they will get. -Mango is bringing their first Connecticut location to the mall! The Spain-based fast fashion retailer will occupy the former Amazon 4-Star store on the mall's first floor. The store is expected to open later this year. -Sally's Apizza is still planned for the mall's ground level restaurant row! Work is progressing on the location including framing of the interior. The pizza shop is planned to open between April and June of this year. The SoNo Collection added a number of including in 2024 including GameStop, Chiwa Bistro, Hot Topic, Carter's, Starbucks, Haagen Dazs, and Charlotte Russe; moving away from the mall's high-end roster of tenants. The mall also suffered a number of setbacks including the closure of CAMP, Michael's Jewelers, EQ3 Furniture, and Alto Salto. A new gelato shop is coming to Glastonbury! Noci Gelato will be opening their second location at 2235 Main Street in Glastonbury! The gelato shop will open in the current Gotta Have It, the boutique is moving to a new location in town. Noci Gelato opened their first location last summer at 281 Main Street in Historic Old Wethersfield. The shop sells handmade Italian-style gelato, espresso-based coffees, affogato, pastries, and much more. Hat tip to our friends at The Scoop Glastonbury who broke the news last week! 
The opening date for Great Wolf Lodge Mashantucket at Foxwoods has been moved forward again! The waterpark, hotel, and entertainment complex will now officially open on May 9th!
The resort will feature a number of kid-friendly attractions including their signature waterpark, MagiQuest (an interactive magic adventure), Oliver's Mining Company (a gold mining experience), Ten Paw Alley (bowling), Howlers Peak Ropes Course & Adventure Trail, Northern Lights Arcade, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Howl In One Mini Golf, and Virtual Frontier (a VR gaming experience). The hotel will feature 549 guest rooms including family suites, KidCabin suites, Grizzly Bear suites, Wolf Den suites, Deluxe Wolf Den suites, Deluxe Gizzly Bear suites, Great Wolf Geyser suites, and Deluxe Great Wolf Geyser suites. The hotel rooms can accommodate between 2-14 guests depending on their suite class. Rooms start at $349 including access to the waterpark. Now you can use code OPENMAY9 at checkout for 40% off your multi-day stay. Book by March 2nd. Make your reservation here: https://www.greatwolf.com/connecticut Check out all the pictures from our walk-thru of the site here: http://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/connecticutscoop/foxwoods-scoop-great-wolf-lodge-walk-thru-with-pics 
Volare Mexican Restaurant & Bar is opening their New Mexican restaurant today in North Franklin! The restaurant will be located at 10 CT-32 in North Franklin
The restaurant describes itself as a vibrant Mexican restaurant nestled in North Franklin, CT. Specializing in authentic flavors like savory chicken Mole, sizzling fajitas, and signature tacos. Adding a twist, they also offer a touch of Mediterranean to our menu. They are currently offering our full food menu featuring 14 Shareables, 12 Tacos, 4 Salads, 11 Entrees, and 5 desserts. They are temporarily allowing guests to BYOB until the liquor permit is finalized. Make your reservations here: https://volaremexicanrestaurantbar.com/-reservations?source=social&spot_id=246280&destination=reservations&promotion=custom_promotion&fb_post_id=46086699 
Joann Fabrics is now liquidating their entire company after the Retail liquidator GA Group and Joann's biggest creditors won an auction for the company's assets.
All Joann stores will be closing their doors after liquidation sales. This includes all 10 Connecticut locations and all 20 locations in Massachusetts. The sale is expected to be approved at a court hearing on Wednesday, with 'Going-Out-Of-Business' sales to begin soon after. All Joann stores will be accepting gift cards through February 28th. Coupons, Military discounts, and other personalized discounts will no longer be offered during the liquidation process. "JOANN leadership, our Board, advisors and legal partners made every possible effort to pursue a more favorable outcome that would keep the company in business," the company statement reads. "We are committed to working constructively with the winning bidder to ensure an orderly wind-down of operations that minimizes the impact on all our stakeholders." We previously reported that only 500 of the 800 Joann stores would close, this has been updated to reflect the recent announcement of their full liquidation. 
A new children's play cafe is coming to Old Saybrook! Peek-A-Brew is coming soon to 118 Main Street in Old Saybrook. The facility will operate as a family-friendly establishment offering a unique combination of a cafe and an indoor play area for children. The space will be divided into three primary areas. Cafe Area: The front portion of the space will function as a cafe, serving freshly brewed coffee, locally sourced pastries, packaged salads, and soups, all sourced from local businesses. This area will be designed to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for customers to enjoy food and beverages while their children play. Indoor Playroom: A portion of the space will be designated for a children’s indoor playroom, which will be enclosed by half walls. This play area will feature various play structures such as a small grocery store, firehouse, salon, and other imaginative spaces that promote creative and interactive play for young children. Events Room: In addition to the cafe and playroom, there will be creating a separate events room that will be available for private bookings. This room can be used for children’s parties, group gatherings, or community events, offering a versatile space for families and businesses to host special occasions. Construction is underway! Stay tuned to their instagram (@peekabrewplaycafe) for more updates and grand opening details!  
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina has closed their Orange location. The chain's website has been scrubbed of all mention of the Orange location, the Facebook page for the Orange location has them listed as 'Permanently Closed'. The restaurant was located at 220 Indian River Road in Orange, part of the Colonial Commons plaza. The restaurant has been at this location for many years. An exact reason for the closure was not immediately available. The restaurant sold Tex-Mex including tacos, burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, enchiladas, margaritas, and much more. The next closest On The Border is now in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The chain also recently closed their locations in West Springfield Mass, Reston Virginia, Plano Texas, and others. Emails to corporate were not returned. Calls to the restaurant were not answered.  
A new sushi restaurant is expected to open in the coming weeks in the former Galleria Restaurant location on Route 6!
The exterior signs and website for Golden Mango are up as work continues inside the restaurant, which will feature sushi, Japanese, Thai and other Asian specialties. An opening date hasn’t been finalized. Much of the menu will be similar to Sweet Mango, its sister restaurant at 692 West St. in Southington. Brothers (and chefs) Leo and Ivan Zhuo this fall will celebrate 10 years in business at the popular sushi spot. Golden Mango is located at 2 Spring Lane, in the small strip mall facing Farmington Avenue (Route 6). It replaces the Galleria Restaurant, which closed at the end of 2024 after 12 years in business. The Golden Mango menu can be found at www.goldenmangoct.com. Two new Starbucks have opened their doors in Connecticut! The new Starbucks are the latest concept from the coffee chain, joining over 130 locations throughout Connecticut.
-Starbucks is now open at 69 Marlborough Road in Portland! The new Starbucks is part of the Brainerd Place development. The location features a drive thru, patio, and large interior lobby/dining room. -Starbucks is now open at 478 Hartford Road in New Britain! The new Starbucks is part of the Shoppes at Village Square, a new development near the Farmington townline to be home to Aspen Dental, Birdcode, Mattress Firm, and UrgentVet. The location features a drive thru and large interior lobby/dining room. There are many new Starbucks coming soon in Connecticut including in Killingly, South Windsor, East Haven, West Hartford, and many others. Starbucks recently opened new locations in West Hartford (inside Macy’s), Ellington, Wethersfield, Berlin (Kensington), Lisbon, and North Windham. 
Bridgeport Flyer Diner has set their final day of business. The famed diner will close their doors on February 23rd at 9:00pm.
The diner is closing after 80 years of business. The diner was first established in 1940 in Bridgeport, expanding to a second location in Devon in 1973. The diner has been operated by three generations of the same family. The longtime owner plans to retire after a long career of serving the Milford area. The building will be demolished and replaced by 80 apartments, 24 of which will be affordable. The project was approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission in January. Construction is planned to begin in April. The owner said in a statement: "On Sunday, February 23rd at 9:00 PM, I will be hanging up my apron and closing the doors on an 80 year legacy. My grandfather, Antonio Rountos, established the first diner in 1940 in Bridgeport. My parents, Perry and Zoy Kokenos, took it over in the 1960s. My father built the second Flyer in Devon in 1973 with his business partner Anthony Rountos. For nearly a century, the diners were full. I happily spent my childhood working in the Flyer. I felt an immense amount of pride that this place, across multiple generations, was something my family built. I dreamed of all that it could become, and the imprint I could make on it. I enjoyed hearing people’s stories and the fast-paced work environment. I became passionate about cooking and was grateful for the opportunity to take on the Flyer. My wife, Kiki, and I always wanted the Flyer to feel like a home away from home. From the daily specials menu that Kiki typed every morning for 25 years, to the flower beds surrounding the diner, the renovations, and the new pair of work shoes I had to get every six months from being on my feet all day, we never stopped giving the Bridgeport Flyer everything we had. Over my lifetime of working at the Flyer, I have met so many people I will never forget. I have watched staff fall in love, had a daily coffee with regulars that became family and found people who developed a passion for the diner that lasted until the very end. Joanne Nunno has been working at the Flyer since 1973. She never missed out on the chance to decorate for the holidays or plant flowers in the gardens. Thank you for your devotion to making the diner a beautiful place. For decades, Tony Desousa has been our head chef and has run an efficient kitchen. We are so grateful for all the delicious meals he has prepared for our customers. To all the employees that have been a part of the Flyer, you are the backbone of this business and a big part of why our doors have been open for so long. Telling you we were closing was one of the hardest parts of all of this. Through both good and bad times, thank you for putting up with me. I had always assumed that retirement would come when someone was ready to fill my shoes. When I realized that my son and daughter had chosen a different path for themselves, I knew I had to make a bittersweet compromise. The decision to close a multigenerational legacy was not easy. The many years of long hours, early mornings, late nights, working holidays, and not being able to spend much time with my family have really caught up with me. My children now have children of their own, and more than anything, I want to watch them grow up. I held out hope for a while that maybe someone would come to replace me, but eventually I had to accept that all good things come to an end, and she had a hell of a run. I will always remember those ten-foot sunflowers, planted as a dedication to my mother, Zoy, who never let a season pass without them. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for so many years of friendship and support." Grand Apizza Shoreline is on the move in Clinton!
The pizza shop will be relocating their restaurant to a new, bigger, and better space a few doors away! The pizza shop has been popping out pies at their current Clinton location for 25 years. Grand Apizza has purchased the former Comcast building at 21 East Main Street in Clinton. The 3,502 square foot buidling features a striking brick facade and 22-foot vaulted ceilings. The pizza shop plans to relocate to their new location in Spring 2026, adding a full bar to their lineup of offerings. The new location marks an exciting new chapter in Grand Apizza's 70+ year story. Grand Apizza has other locations in Guilford and Madison. Bristol has a new cafe option in Downtown! Pure Foods, Inc. is NOW OPEN in their new location! The cafe is located at 110 North Main Street in Downtown Bristol! The eatery serves soups, salads, sandwiches, melts, wraps, and much more. The restaurant is focused on a health-conscious menu with fresh ingredients. For drinks the restaurant offers fresh smoothies, shakes, coffees, and espresso-based drinks! See their full menu here: https://www.purefoodsbristol.com Find them at 110 North Main Street in Bristol at Centre Village Square. The eatery is open: Monday & Tuesday 7am - 6pm Wednesday - Saturday 7am - 8pm Sunday (Fall / Winter) Closed Sunday (Spring / Summer) 8am - 2pm A new restaurant has opened in Westbrook! Charter Oak Tavern is opening today at 24 Westbrook Place in Westbrook! The new restaurant will be open 5pm until 9pm. The eatery is a modern farm-to-table, locally sourced tavern, located in the heart of Westbrook. The interior has been transformed from the former Military Historians Headquarters & Museum into a farm-house chic tavern. Menu items include a tavern burger, NY strip, roasted chicken, pan-seared salmon, bucatini, salads, cocktails, beer, wine, and much more. The restaurant fills a vacancy in the heart of Westbrook. A Tex-Mex chain, The Whole Enchilada, was originally planned to move into the space; though those plans fell through during construction. Make sure you check them out! Find them at 24 Westbrook Place Westbrook, CT The restaurant is open: Tuesday-Thursday 5-9pm Friday-Saturday 5-10pm Closed Sunday & Monday   Huge congratulations to Story and Soil Coffee in Hartford & Silk City Coffee in Manchester! Both coffee shops were recently recognized as the Top 100 best coffee shops in the world!
The coffee shops were honored as part of The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops at the annual Coffee Fest Madrid earlier this week. Silk City Coffee ranked at No.67 on the list and Hartford's Story and Soil Coffee ranked at No.88! Silk City Coffee is located at 763 Main Street in Manchester. Story and Soil Coffee is located at 387 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. Congratulations on this achievement! See all the winning coffee shops here: https://theworlds100bestcoffeeshops.com/top-100-coffee.../ Southern Classic Daiquiri Factory is NOW OPEN in Bridgeport! The restaurant is located at 997 Main Street in Bridgeport, the fifth location of the chain, and first in Connecticut. The eatery is a quick serve restaurant and bar that offers frozen daiquiris and a Cajun cuisine. Menu items include Bourbon Street Pasta, crawfish etouffee, boudin, catfish, red beans and rice, and more. The restaurant has many frozen daiquiri options with the ability to mix various flavors, They offer daiquiri flights, carafes, gallons, and multiple sizes to go. The restaurant has 4 locations currently, 3 in Texas and 1 in Oklahoma. The chain plans 2 other CT locations, exact locations have not been announced yet. Find them at 997 Main Street in Bridgeport The restaurant is open: Monday-Wednesday 11am-10pm Thursday-Sunday 11am-11pm   
Crystal Mall is losing more tenants as the number of tenants dwindles down further.
-Dollar N Things has permanently closed their discount store at the Crystal Mall. The store was located on the mall’s first level; a long-closed CVS store. -Forever 21 is closing their store at the Crystal Mall alongside 214 other locations including stores in Mashantucket, Manchester, and Milford. The store is located on the mall’s second level and was the mall’s last junior anchor. -T Mobile recently closed their location at the mall. The store was located on the first floor on the mall. The phone carrier has a location at the nearby Waterford Commons. -FYE is nearing the end of the liquidation sale. The store is closing very soon. The store is located on the mall’s second floor near the former JCPenney. 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, Men's Wearhouse, Enzo Clothier, Pretzelmaker, Claires, East Side Games, A New You Day Spa, T-Shirt World, Lids, Memories Ink, Sarku Japan, Wok Express, Spencers, Hot Topic, Froyo World, Instyle Fragrance, Talbots, Finish Line, Special Occasions, Victoria Secret, AT&T, Lenscrafters, and Buffalo Wild Wings. 
Walgreens is closing 2 Connecticut locations as part of their 'Go Forward' business strategy. The chain plans to close a location in New Haven and one in Hartford. Walgreens will close their stores at:
-161 Washington Street in Hartford, planned to close on 03/18/2025. Prescriptions are being moved to the Walgreens location at 668 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford. -436 Whalley Avenue in New Haven, planned to close on 03/30/2025. Prescriptions are being moved to the Walgreens location at 88 York Street in New Haven. The closures are part of 1,200 store closings planned over the next 3 years. “Our retail pharmacy business is central to our go-forward business strategy. However, increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs" company spokeswoman Fraser Engerman said in a statement to The Connecticut Scoop. 
CVS at 479 Blue Hills Avenue in Hartford is planned to be downsized and developed into a Oak Street Health office. Under this plan, the CVS store would be downsized to about 1/3 its size; it would feature a pharmacy and a store with a focus on healthcare items & limited convenience items. The remaining 2/3 of the store would be redeveloped into Oak Street Health, a doctor's office chain owned by CVS. The center provides primary care, immunizations, cancer screenings, behavioral health, social work, and medicare questions. A community space is planned to host outreach and public health events. The renovation comes on the heels of the planned closure of 2 other CVS stores in Hartford. The CVS stores at 777 Main Street in Downtown Hartford and 690 Wethersfield Avenue will close by the end of March. Check out that story here: http://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/.../hartford-scoop-cvs...  |
Towns |
Company |
|