West Hartford Business Buzz Jan. 20: Openings, Closings and Other News

Welcome to another installment of West Hartford Business Buzz!

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, like the plans for Pepe's Pizza to open in Elmwood.

Sometimes we don't have enough news to write an entire story, but the information is definitely newsworthy. For a while we ran a "Visions for Vacancies" feature on Sundays, but it was getting to be difficult to find vacancies every week.

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 ronni.newton@patch.com.

Here's this week's round-up:

• Sweet Frog is just about set for its soft opening. Check back with us in a few days for the full story, but the latest news is that by the middle of the week, West Hartford residents will be able to once again enjoy frozen treats at the site of what was once Friendly's (and even longer ago was Farm Shop) on South Main St.
• Last week someone asked what had happened to Artichoke. We had heard they were having a huge sale on everything in the store, and when Patch went to check it out Tuesday afternoon, the store was completely empty of all merchandise and fixtures. We've heard some unconfirmed rumors, but does anyone know the complete story?
• GBS Threading Salon has opened on Farmington Ave. According to their website they do eyebrow threading and temporary tattoos. Has anyone tried it yet?
• The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting last week at Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet, 52 Kane Street. Details about the new restaurant to follow!
• MOOYAH is helping diners keep their New Year's resolutions by promoting their newly-improved turkey burgers. They're calling it the "Turkeytarian Moo-vement"!