West Hartford Business Buzz August 11: Openings, Closings and Other News

West Hartford residents love to be "in the know" about happenings in town, especially the openings — and closings — of local businesses. We hear things all the time, and some of them turn into big stories. But sometimes we don't have enough news to write an entire story, even though the information is definitely newsworthy.

Every Sunday we'll highlight the business stories you may have missed during the past week, and give you the scoop on the other news you may not have heard about. And if you have tips about businesses opening or closing, please include them in the comments or send an email to ted.glanzer@patch.com.

The owners of The Judaica Store, located at 31 Crossroads Plaza, are celebrating 25 years of doing business. Rivka and Jake Weiselfish own the store, which has been located in West Hartford for the last 18 years. “I sell everything that pertains to Jewish life,” Rivka said in a recent interview. Indeed, the business features dredyls, kipot, Shabbat and Chanukah menorahs, books, cards, and jewelry. The shop also carries several lines of Israeli products such as Naot shoes and Ahava Dead Sea skin products.

OK, it’s not a business, per se, if you missed this story on No Animal Left Unfed, it’s worth a look. Shonya Harrison, who started the pending 501(c)3, takes donated pet food and provides them to families in the Hartford area that are suffering economic hardship. The program allows people to keep their pets, rather than having to surrender or abandon them if they cannot afford to feed them.

You see the latest on Gift-ology, the high-end gift shop that is opening in Blue Back Square in October?