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Molly's Sweet Spot has set its opening date!
The new bakery will open its doors this Saturday, June 27th at 9am! Molly's Sweet Spot is located at 122 Prospect Hill Road in East Windsor, part of Sofia's Plaza. The bakery will be owned by local resident Molly Francia. The new bakery will have a large variety of sweets & goodies including cakes, cupcakes, gourmet cookies, cakesicles, brownies, dessert bars, tiramisu, mousse cups, cinnamon rolls, donuts, muffins, scones, dirty sodas, and much more! Molly’s offers custom cakes and desserts to order for any occassion! The East Windsor storefront with be filled with goodies to pick up on the way into work or just in the mood for dessert! Find them at 122 Prospect Hill Road in East Windsor Their typical hours will be: Wednesday through Friday 9am-5pm Saturday 9am-4pm Sunday 9am-1pm Stop by and check them out this Saturday!
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MANCHESTER SCOOP: Ground broken for new 'Silk City Commons' development at old Parkade site!6/24/2026 Construction has finally started at the site of the Manchester Parkade!
A ground breaking ceremony was held this morning at the site of the former Manchester Parkade! Construction will now get underway on the new mixed-use development dubbed 'Silk City Commons' by Anthony Properties. The new development will be home to 232 apartments and two new commercial buildings that could total over 13,000 square feet. Amenities for the apartments include a clubhouse, a pool, pickleball, dog park, and connection to the existing trail system. The developer, Anthony Properties (APR Manchester LLC) purchased the property from the town in April for $3.6 million. Stay tuned for further construction updates as the project progresses! 
Plaza Azteca will be permanently closing its doors at the end of business on June 27th.
The Mexican restaurant is located at 3260 Berlin Turnpike in Newington, near Lowes. The closure was announced this afternoon on their social media pages. Plaza Azteca opened in 2011, part of a chain of Mexican eateries. The closure announcement reads: "After 15 wonderful years of serving our community, Plaza Azteca will be closing its doors for an end of an era. The final time this Saturday June 27th. We are deeply grateful for the loyalty, support, and friendships that have made these years so memorable. It has been our privilege to share meals, celebrations, and special moments with each of you. As we close this chapter, we are excited to continue our journey and explore new restaurant concepts in the future. While we work on these exciting developments, we invite you to visit our sister restaurant, MexiPHO in Glastonbury, where we look forward to serving you with the same hospitality and commitment to great food. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for 15 incredible years. We hope to see you again soon. With sincere appreciation, The Plaza Azteca Team" Plaza Azteca previously operated CT locations in Manchester, Enfield, and Wallingford. This was the chain's lone remaining Connecticut location. No word yet on what might replace the eatery in Newington. DORO Marketplace is planning a new location in Enfield! Under plans submitted to the Planning & Zoning Commission, the bakery cafe would be located at 98 Elm Street in Enfield, in the Zen Leaf building (formerly Outback Steakhouse.) There are currently 2 empty spaces next to Zen Leaf, DORO would take over both; renovating the space to include a new commercial kitchen, a 76-seat dining room, and a new outdoor patio. DORO Marketplace is a cafe and bakery serving coffee, espresso, tea, freshly made pastries, sandwiches, breads, cinnamon rolls, and much more. The locally owned chain currently has 6 locations with plans for more in the future; they are located in Wethersfield, West Hartford, Windsor Locks, Old Saybrook, Plainville, and Avon. Other future locations include Glastonbury & South Windsor. DORO Marketplace is owned by DORO Restaurant Group; they also own Casadoro, Avert, Treva, Zohara, Artisinal Burger Company, and No Mames Mexican Cantina. Plans for DORO will be received at the new PZC meeting on Thursday, June 25th, starting at 7pm. Five Below is coming to Wethersfield! The discount retailer is coming soon to 1063 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield, part of Wethersfield Shopping Center! Five Below will occupy over 9,000 square feet; the former Payless Shoesource & The Colonial Mall spaces between The Fresh Market and T Mobile. Construction is now underway on the space, with interior demolition nearly complete. The new store is planned to open this fall according to the contractor’s application to the town. Stay tuned for more updates on their opening. Note: The ‘coming soon’ sign is currently hung at a different vacant space next door. This might be where they will have their hiring events/interviews in the near future. You can apply online now at fivebelow.com A former data center is Downtown Hartford is now being demolished. The long abandoned building at 150 Windsor Street in currently in the midst of demolition with work recently starting. The site was previously home to a Bank of America data center until 2008. Once demolition is complete, a new development will take its place. According to recent statements by Mayor Arulampalam, the site will be home to a 'Workforce Innovation Campus' tentatively named 'Connecticut Center for Applied AI.' The new campus would bring big tech companies and area students together to collaborate on a variety of projects. The site was previously rumored to be replaced with an AI data center. The project is estimated to cost $90 million and would include the new Workforce Innovation Campus, a new 120-room hotel (privately funded), and a 200-car parking garage. Stay tuned for more information about this project! 
Bristol’s newest bakery has set its opening date!
The long awaited El Bori Bakery will celebrate its opening next Monday, June 29th! El Bori is located at 170 Riverside Avenue in Bristol. The new bakery will serve a variety of breads, sandwiches, empanadas, and baked goods, including Puerto Rican inspired items! All items will be freshly baked daily. Their hours will be: Monday through Saturday 6am-6pm Sunday 7am-3pm Make sure to check them out on June 29th! Manchester's new gaming venue & bar has opened its doors!
Sakura Haven is NOW OPEN at 171 Spencer Street in Manchester, the former home of ‘The Break Room’ billiards hall. The business opened its doors in late May. The new anime-themed venue features gaming areas for table top games, video games (on various consoles), arcade games, a bar, DJ booth, and much more! Join them for fun cosplay nights and other great events. They feature a weekly schedule of fun events including: •Wednesday — Gaming Night 6pm-10pm •Thursday — Open Deck Night (Open DJ space) 6pm-10pm •Friday — Karaoke Night starting at 8pm •Saturday — Themed Dance Parties starting at 8pm Find them at 171 Spencer Street in Manchester They are open: •Wednesday & Thursday 6pm-10pm •Friday & Saturday 6pm-1am •Closed Sunday thru Tuesday Follow along on their Instagram at @sakurahaven.official or here: https://www.instagram.com/sakurahaven.official/ 
Spirit Halloween has a new temporary haunt this season!
The seasonal Halloween retailer will be setting up shop at 241 Buckland Street in Manchester, the former Hobby Lobby store near Home Depot! The store is expected to open in August and remain open through the first week of November. It’s unclear if Spirit Christmas will move into the space after the Halloween season. Stay tuned for more information on that. Manchester is 1 of 23 locations currently being planned in Connecticut this year. Find the full list of future CT locations here: https://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/statewide-news/spooky-scoop-spirit-halloween-planning-at-least-23-ct-stores-this-season 
It may be a bit too early to think about Halloween, but a popular seasonal retailer has already planned a number of locations in Connecticut, including Newington! Spirit Halloween will be opening in the coming months at 3087 Berlin Turnpike, the former Party City space in the Ross Plaza. Spirit opens temporary stores each year between August and Halloween in empty big box spaces selling costumes, makeup, accessories, decor, and more. The Newington location returns to the Party City space for the second year in a row. It has also set up at other vacant storefronts in past years including the original Party City at 196 Kitts Lane and the current home of Deal Depot at 45 Costello Road. No opening date has been announced. See the following post from The Connecticut Scoop on ALL 23 Connecticut Spirit locations planned so far: https://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/.../spooky-scoop... ROSS PLAZA UPDATE: The rehabilitation of the property is beginning! A portion of the parking lot has been repaved (middle parking section in front of old JoAnn's and Ollies and the Turnpike entrance including small strip with FedEx and Subway). The remaining sections will follow next, and all large potholes have been temporarily patched! Work has yet to begin on the future Ross Dress For Less store. All JoAnn fixtures and signage remain for now. We are keeping an eye on progress.
Saybrook Fish House in Rocky Hill should be reopening in a few weeks!
The restaurant is located at 2165 Silas Deane Highway in Rocky Hill. They are just waiting on power to complete the last few steps before reopening. The restaurant suffered a fire in their laundry room last year, causing major damage to the restaurant. The longtime restaurant was stripped of damage and the interior rebuilt with new finishes, furnishings, and fixtures. Saybrook Fish House has been a fixture of Rocky Hill since 1978, serving seafood, steak, and much more. Stay tuned for details on their triumphant return to the Rocky Hill dining scene. 
Lil Hope, a children's boutique in West Hartford, has announced plans to relocated to a larger space in West Hartford Center!
The store will relocate from its current location at 18 LaSalle Road to 990 Farmington Avenue, near its Hope & Stetson sister store. The new location is just down the street and will offer expanded space for their products! Lil Hope is a children's boutique carrying clothing, books, stuffed animals, accessories, and much more! They carry products for babies up to toddlers. The store opened in the fall of 2023 and has quickly became a destination for local parents. The LaSalle location will remain open until the new location is ready. An exact opening date has not been determined, but it is anticipated to open late this summer (pending construction and approvals.) 
A new restaurant is coming to Bloomfield! Juicy Seafood Express is coming soon to 413 Cottage Grove Road in Bloomfield, in the Copaco Center plaza. The restaurant will occupy the former Dunkin Donuts space near Chase Bank. Not a lot of details have been announced about the new restaurant, but they are expected to serve high quality seafood in a fast-casual setting, possibly featuring seafood boils. Construction is now underway on their new space with coming soon signs recently added outside. Stay tuned for more information on this new restaurant!  The exterior of Level99 in West Hartford is now starting to take shape!
The outside of the new Level99 is starting to look more like their concept imagery, the previously yellow exterior of the building has been painted dark blue and previous grey siding has been replaced with a gray & white brick. Work on the interior has been underway for months. The new experiential entertainment complex plans to open in the second half of 2026 according to a company representative. Level99 was originally scheduled to open in late 2025, but construction delayed their opening. They will be located at 1445 New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, on the second level of the complex. The new first-of-its-kind social gaming playground featuring over 50 real-world physical and mental challenges & games! The attraction will have dozens of unique challenge rooms with teams of between 2 and 6 people. Challenges are timed to be completed. The complex will be able to accommodate 600 players at a time and over 200 patrons in the restaurant, similar to their other locations. The West Hartford location is planned to be home to a Two Roads Brewing Company taproom, featuring craft drinks and elevated dining. Level99 has three existing locations: Natick, Providence, Northern Virginia; and opening soon to Disney Springs in Orlando.
A new breakfast and lunch restaurant is coming to Manchester!
The Broken Yolk is coming soon to 360 Middle Turnpike West in Manchester, the former home of Shady Glen & Ganymead at the Manchester Parkade Shopping Center! The new restaurant will be a family-friendly breakfast & lunch spot focused on serving fresh high quality breakfast classics, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, and daily specials in a welcoming atmosphere! The Broken Yolk will be owned by Andi & Heather Dhimitri, they previously owned and operated Andi's Pizzeria on Broad Street. They are excited to have the new restaurant join the Manchester community and provide a place where families, friends, and local residents can enjoy great food and service! Stay tuned for more information as they get closer to opening! Molly's Sweet Spot is nearing completion on its new bakery in East Windsor! The new bakery will be located at 122 Prospect Hill Road in East Windsor, part of Sofia's Plaza. The bakery will be owned by local resident Molly Francia. The interior of the bakery is almost ready, with final touches being added including decor and equipment. Check out the progress pictures provided by the bakery. The new bakery will have a large variety of sweets & goodies including cakes, cupcakes, gourmet cookies, cakesicles, brownies, dessert bars, tiramisu, mousse cups, cinnamon rolls, donuts, muffins, scones, dirty sodas, and much more! Molly’s offers custom cakes and desserts to order for any occassion! The East Windsor storefront with be filled with goodies to pick up on the way into work or just in the mood for dessert! Their typical hours will be: -Wednesday through Friday 9am-5pm -Saturday 9am-4pm -Sunday 9am-1pm Stay tuned for an opening date announcement coming very soon! 
Demolition work is getting underway on the former Ninety Nine Restaurant in Enfield for a new car wash! The former 99 Restaurant & Bar at 54 Hazard Avenue in Enfield will soon be demolished to make way for a new Speeders Car Wash. A new 3,818 square foot building will be constructed on the site; featuring a single tunnel bay and associated high-powered vacuums. The new car wash chain joins a growing list of car wash facilities in Enfield including Golden Nozzle, Soapy Noble, RTNC Car Wash, and others. Speeders is the new name/brand for Russell Speeders Car Washes, the chain will eventually rebrand all locations to the Speeders name.  Southington's new playcafe has announced its opening date!
Bloom Mama & Me PlayCafé will officially open its doors on Saturday, June 20th, starting at 9am! The ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 8:45am. Bloom Mama & Me PlayCafe is located at 50 Spring Street in Southington. The new playcafe brings an elevated space for parents to relax with coffee while their little ones (ages 0-7) enjoy imaginative Montessori-style play. The space combines a relaxing café atmosphere with imaginative play areas, events, and wellness-focused offerings for modern motherhood. The play cafe will cater to ages 0-7; offering open play hours with one-time visit passes and monthly memberships available. Find more information on their website here: https://www.bloom-playcafe.com/ GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION SCHEDULE -June 20th -Ribbon Cutting – 8:45 AM -Minnie Mouse Meet & Greet – 9:30–11:00 AM -Daren’s Ice Cream Truck – 12:00–3:00 PM -Coffee, play, shopping, and lots of fun throughout the day! Bloom Mama & Me PlayCafe will be hosting a special sneak peek on Thursday, June 18th, from 5pm-8pm. The event will feature some great local businesses like Abriella Reads (abriellareads), Endless Sweets Bakery, Luxe Linked Permanent Jewelry, The Little Grazing Cart, Glow and Flow, AC Beauty & Wellness. Tickets are available on their website. Find them at 50 Spring Street in Southington 
It's been a long road but East Hartford's newest hotels have opened their doors!
Fairfield Inn & Suites & TownePlace Suites are now open at 363 Roberts Street in East Hartford! The new dual-branded hotel complex has been under construction for years, originally announced in 2023. The hotel has been extensively renovated including a full-gut of the interior and an extensive rebuild of the exterior. The property was previously branded as a Holiday Inn, Ramada, and Hartford Hotel. The new hotel has numerous amenities including a fitness center, business center, free breakfast, and more. Starbucks was previously announced to join the hotel, occupying an end cap with a drive thru, but they appear to have pulled out of the project. The space is currently available for lease. This would have been East Hartford's first Starbucks location. WINDSOR LOCKS SCOOP: Dairy Cream in Windsor Locks voted Best Ice Cream Shop in Hartford County!6/14/2026 Congratulations to Dairy Cream at Bradley International! They have been voted 'Best Ice Cream Shop' in Hartford County by our readers! They will move onto later rounds of voting where they will go head-to-head with the Best Ice Cream Shop in Litchfield County! The ice cream shop has been a fixture of Windsor Locks since 1954. Dairy Cream serves both hard serve and soft serve ice cream. Soft serve flavors include vanilla, chocolate, and twist with 'Flavorburst' available. Hard serve ice cream features over 30 different flavors with sugar free and dairy free options available. Try your ice cream as a sundae, milkshake, flurry, and more. They also feature a Dole Whips, Frozen Yogurt, and Hot Dogs. Find them at 359 Ella Grasso Turnpike in Windsor Locks They are open: Monday through Saturday 11am-10pm Sunday 12pm-10pm What is your favorite menu item at Kloter's? Comment below! Voting is now open for the Best Ice Cream Shop in Middlesex County! Vote here: https://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/ice-cream-playoffs.html A new store is coming to Downtown Manchester!
Run Manchester by Kelley's Pace is coming soon to Downtown Manchester! The new running store will focus on all your athletic running needs! Inside you’ll find a wide assortment of shoes, apparel, fitness accessories; anything you’ll need for running and fitness. The exact address of the new store has not been announced, but they are planning to open late this summer according to the owner. The store will be located near the starting line of the Manchester Road Race. This will be the second location for the running store, Kelley’s Pace original location can be found at Olde Mistick Village in Stonington/Mystic. Find them online at https://www.kelleyspacemystic.com Look for the new location to open late this summer! 
Site work and construction is underway on West Hartford's newest luxury development dubbed Center Park Place!
Coming soon to the West Hartford skyline is Center Park Place, a new 56 unit luxury condominium complex anticipated to debut in September 2027. The new development will be located behind the existing buildings on the block between Farmington Avenue and Arapahoe Road along LaSalle Road. The site was previously a large parking lot. Units are anticipated to cost between $1.2 million and $2.5 million. The building will be comprised of a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom units ranging in size from 1,200 up to 2,700 square feet. Units have an open floor plans with top-of-the-line finishes. Current plans show 6 units have been sold with another 6 units reserved;leaving 44 units remaining. The building will have luxury amentities including a fitness center, resort-like pool area, rooftop patio , resident lounge, doorman services, indoor parking, and much more. Find more information on this project on its website here: www.centerparkwh.com/ 
East Granby is buzzing with new businesses!
Luppoleto Brewing Co. has opened their new brewery at 17 Kripes Road in East Granby; the former home of Almost Famous Brewing! The new space marks a major expansion of the Windsor Locks brewery. The new 'Luppoleto Grande' currently has 8 draft beers, ciders, wines, ready-to-drink cocktails, NA options, Hosmer Mountain Sodas, and some Italian sodas. Their soft opening hours are Friday 3-10pm, Saturday 1-10pm, and Sunday 1-7pm with plans to extend them in the future. Lazy Fare is coming soon to 10 East Street in East Granby; the former home to Craft Artisan Bakery. The new restaurant is expected to open very soon! The new restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch fare including sandwiches, salads, and much more! The business will be owned and operated by local residents Omar Saad and Anndrea Salvatto. Make sure to follow their Facebook at Lazy Fare CT or on Instagram at @lazyfarect for more information on their opening. A new apartment development could be coming to a former mill building!
Spectra Construction & Development is eyeing plans to convert the former mill at 160 Hartford Road in Manchester into 40 new apartments. The plans will be subject to local planning and zoning approvals, the site is currently zoned as ‘H’ Historical and was previously used as offices. Spectra Construction & Development is a major Hartford player with multiple apartment buildings including Spectra Pearl, Spectra Plaza, Spectra Park, 525 Main Street, 30 Laurel Street, 275 Pearl Street, and others. Stay tuned for more information as this project moves forward. |
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