West Hartford Business Buzz for Dec. 8: Openings, Closings and Other News

We’ve had some packed Business Buzz features before. But this is the Busiest and Buzziest(™) since I started at West Hartford Patch in July.

The week started off with a discussion in the Town Council's Community Planning and Physical Services Committee on the new major developments that are expected to take place in town.

Specifically, Director of Community Services Mark McGovern said that the following projects are at various stages of planning:

• Walgreens at the corner of Prospect Ave. and Farmington Ave. is looking to demolish its current building and construct a new, 14,000-square-foot building. The developer is working with the owners of Tangiers International Food Market, who are tenants of the Walgreens' building at 688 Farmington Ave., to find a new location in West Hartford.

• An application can be expected to be filed for a Delamar Hotel, McGovern said. Currently, there is just one motel in town, and a hotel has been in discussions for a number of years. The committee also discussed a proposed ordinance that would permit hotels to provide full-service dining.

• Sears, located at 1445 New Britain Ave., is expected to seek revisions to its special development district to subdivide its space to construct a new store, McGovern said.

• Jared Jewelers filed an application with the town on Monday to construct a 6,000-square-foot building at Corbin's Corner near Best Buy.

• Further discussions are expected on the demolition of the vacant building at 24 N. Main St. to make way for the construction of an 18-unit residential complex.

• Another housing complex is expected to be on the table at 2432 Albany Ave.

Committee Chairman Leon Davidoff commented after the meeting that he hasn’t seen so much development in town at one time since 2003.

One of the great aspects of the West Hartford business community is its diversity. Quirky, located at 600 Oakwood Ave., gives the town a boutique that offers one-of-a-kind items from far-flung places like Kenya and Haiti.

Last, but certainly not least, is West Hartford resident Jessica Mikan, who announced the expansion of her Magic Kringle brand to include a book that provides the backstory of her “magic reindeer food.” A slight bit of editorializing here: I bought the book for my 10-year-old stepdaughter, who tore through the 42 pages in record time. Her verdict? It’s so good, it needs a sequel, she said.

People in West Hartford 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.