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It’s time to catch up on the latest business news! While several businesses have or will be leaving town, several more continue to take interest in Newington. In this post, you will learn about those businesses that have closed, recently opened, or will be coming soon in a comprehensive recap! In addition, we will provide updates on projects and properties in development, and initiatives to boost economic development. Here’s the brief: -Hungry Bowl (3025 Berlin Turnpike) officially opened on February 3 after a soft opening. -Dave's Hot Chicken (3384 Berlin Turnpike) officially opened March 14 following a brief soft opening. Newington is their second location following them entering the state with their Milford store. -Ollie's (3103 Berlin Turnpike) officially opened in the former Big Lots on March 20, following a weeklong soft opening. -Around The Clock 4 Tots (41 West Hartford Road) recently opened a new childcare facility in Temple Sanai on the West Hartford line! -Karma's Closet (27 Garfield Street) culminated their move to downtown with an official grand opening and ribbon cutting on February 13. The consignment boutique was previously located at 3153 Berlin Turnpike. -Synct Therapy (123 Lowrey Place) moved from 705 North Mountain Road to the former Damato Chiropractic space. -AAA Bottle Redemption Depot (156 Pane Road) opened in a shared building on March 1, bringing the redemption center concept to town. -Taco John's has submitted an application to TPZ for a Public Hearing regarding a new freestanding restaurant on the property in front of Ashley Furniture (56 Costello Road). The property is adjacent to the Berlin Turnpike, but would be accessible from Costello Road only. The new restaurant will feature a drive-thru and is the first Taco John’s in the state! The Public Hearing is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, April 9 at 7:00pm. -Stickley Furniture Outlet (172 Kitts Lane) closed their popup furniture outlet store in the former Bob’s Clothing store in February. The space will become Pickleball City. The owner of the new facility went before Town Planning and Zoning for a Public Hearing for a Special Permit for a place of recreation and was “approved with conditions" at the February 26 meeting. Check back for an update on their opening. -Also at the plaza on Kitts Lane, an unnamed Chinese Buffet is seeking approval to open at 196 Kitts Lane, the former Sanitas Medical Center. A Public Hearing will be held at the next TPZ meeting this coming Wednesday April 9 at 7:00pm. Two spaces remain available for lease at the plaza, space 192 and 198. -917inktattoo has moved from their original space at 425 New Britain Avenue Unit C to 102 Pane Road, inside of Angry Hair. The New Britain Avenue space is now available. No word on whether there is a prospective tenant. -Mattress Plus has leased the former Metro Mattress space at 3153 Berlin Turnpike. The McBride Plaza will now have just one vacancy remaining, the former Karma’s Closet space. Other tenants include McBride Wayside Carpet, Munson’s Chocolate and Neptune Cremation. Metro Mattress had a brief run in Connecticut, and all stores in the state have closed. The other Newington location next to Stew Leonard’s (3475 Berlin Turnpike) is still vacant. -The Liv Dispensary (2661 Berlin Turnpike) is NOW OPEN in the former Pier 1 space. It is hard to tell it is open by passing, with the only indicators being a lawn sign, window poster and a temporary banner on the building stating they are open. Liv is the third dispensary in town, along with Fine Fettle (2280 Berlin Turnpike) and Zen Leaf (2909 Berlin Turnpike). There is still an approx. 10,000 sq. ft. space next to the new facility available. Visit their website for more information at https://thelivshop.com/menu/newington -The Little Cake Café (1052 Main Street, Rear) is now known as Breakfast at Angelo’s. The popular breakfast and brunch spot in Constitution Square remains under the same ownership, just a new name. The new branding was chosen because co-owner Vangjel “Angelo” Gjoni is the head chef! -Blaze Pickle (175 Lowrey Place) has recently announced they plan to extend their stay in Newington an extra month. Their seasonal location in town will remain open until May. They will also be announcing their future plans in the coming months. The pickleball facility had previously been located in Guilford and opened in the former Best Market space in November, serving as a temporary tenant during the winter season. -Signarama (2585 Berlin Turnpike) is coming soon to a space that was briefly home to Brother’s Appliance II next to Army Barracks. They are a chain of sign design shops with locations also in Danbury, Enfield, Norwalk Orange, Stamford and Vernon. Another future location is planned in West Hartford at 176 Newington Road, in the Elmwood Plaza. -LA Fitness (3563 Berlin Turnpike) closed their Newington location on January 27. A new lease could not be worked out with the landlord, and the space is now available. The fitness club has a nearby location open at 1600 SE Road in Farmington near Westfarms. -Party City (3087 Berlin Turnpike) closed on March 23. The entire chain has ceased operations. The Newington store was one of the last locations in the state to close. Many sites where Party City stores were located have had their leases taken over by other retailers, however, the Berlin Turnpike space was not. -JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores (3105 Berlin Turnpike) in the same plaza announced their closure along with the rest of the company and is currently undergoing a liquidation sale. Signage in-store states there is no set date for closure. The Assistant Town Planner has been in talks with potential tenants, but nothing official at this time is known. Staples (3174 Berlin Turnpike) closed the Newington location on March 7. Bob's Discount Furniture will lease the space and relocate their store at 3203 Berlin Turnpike, across the street to the former office supply store this summer. -Chef’s Dog House (337 Willard Avenue) closed on February 28. A new lease could not be agreed on and the owner decided to move on. -Square Peg Pizzeria (80 Fenn Road) recently closed their location in town inside of Montana Nights. Full Belly Brick Oven has filled the void in its place as the food venue for the ax throwing facility. -Artisianna - Olive Oils and Balsamics (2600 Berlin Turnpike) closed their storefront in March. However, the business will continue online! -Old Glory (2335 Berlin Turnpike) is now Oasis Varieties. The shop remains as a smoke and vape shop. DEVELOPMENT UPDATE: -Keeney Manufacturing (1170 Main Street): The site was recently put back on the market for sale. The Town Planner stated that the town is currently in “discussions with an architect for a potential future application for the site,” but nothing is official at this time. -Meadow Commons (3333 Berlin Turnpike): There is nothing new to report. As previously reported, Club Pilates is the latest tenant to sign on to the new shopping center. The leasing plan still shows 100% Chiropractic, Beso Taco Bar and Sally’s Apizza as future tenants. Sallys has recently opened their Wethersfield and Farmington locations in the past few months, so Newington should not be too far behind. Still, there is no sign of the grocery anchor opening. It is still slated for Amazon Fresh and the targeted opening date was to be set for June. All other Amazon Fresh locations in Connecticut were cancelled and replaced with other grocers. -Frisbee Property (712 Russell Road): There have been several inquiries on this property, so I thought I would provide an update. The site, at the intersection of East Cedar Street and Russell Road adjacent to Cedar Mountain, has been slated for development for many years in many different forms, but nothing had ever materialized. The parcel has been cleared for construction. The current plan is for a gas station/convenience store, car wash and electric car showroom. According to the Planner, the owner/applicant has until October, 2027 to complete work on the site or come back to the town. We will keep an eye on this item. -690 Cedar Street/1 Myra Cohen Way: A groundbreaking for ‘The Spark on Cedar’ took place on March 5 at the former National Welding site next to CT Fastrak and the new WoodSpring Suites. The Spark is a new apartment community with several “thoughtfully designed floor plans and amenities.” For more information, you can visit https://www.sparkoncedar.com/ where you can get in touch with them and even get on their waiting list. -Cedar Pointe (550 Cedar Street): The Dakota development is ready for occupancy and accepting applications for apartments. An additional building is still slated to be constructed onsite in the future. For more information, visit https://www.demarcomc.com/cedarpointe MORE NEWS: -TOWN CENTER MASTER PLAN: Representatives from Colliers hosted the first Public Design Cherette for the Newington Town Center Master Plan on March 8. Information gathered from the informational session on December 9, 2024 was taken into consideration and design ideas were discussed and community input was taken through further engagement activities. Any additional input collected during the latest meeting will be included in a conceptual design to be compiled and shared at a later date. To keep up to date with this initiative, visit www.newingtontowncenter.com -ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION INITIATIVES: The EDC has been working on several social engagement initiatives of their own. Following the completion of Newington Passport this past holiday season, they are currently drafting “The Hobby Odyssey”, linking hobbies and interests with local businesses. See the attached document that explains more about Hobby Odyssey: https://www.newingtonct.gov/Agenda.../ViewFile/Item/15843... -They are also in the early stages of developing a “Town Branding” for Newington as a central theme for business and life in Newington. Please make an effort to attend or watch monthly EDC meetings the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm to learn more about economic development efforts. Deanna Reney, owner of Karma’s Closet, is the chairperson for the commission and has a great team of commissioners, some who are local business owners and advocates for business in town. -The Newington Kiwanis Flea Market will return for the Spring 2025 season on Sunday, April 27 and run through the end of June. Mark your calendars! Do you have business news you would like to share? Are you a business who wishes to advertise on The Newington Scoop? We are always looking for a few extra pair of eyes and ears, especially in Berlin. If you would like to share your story, send us an email at [email protected]. Reading this Business Brief on another group? To see more content and stay with the scoop, give us a LIKE and a SHARE. Did you know we are also on Instagram? Follow us there: www.instagram.com/thenewingtonscoop
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