West Hartford Business Buzz July 14: Openings, Closings and Other News

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. 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.

• Sliders has now opened in Elmwood! This was very welcome news to many West Hartford residents (including the families of this writer's son's baseball team) who have been driving to Berlin or Plainville and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sliders' famous wings and sauces closer to home. Sliders has something for everyone – 20 beers on draft, 54 TVs, and a menu that includes salads and sandwiches in addition to a variety of wings.
• On the sadder side, long-time West Hartford business La Perla Fine Jewelers owner Bob La Perla announced this week that the store will be going out of business as soon as the inventory is sold. Financial issues are the cause according to La Perla, who has been a stalwart figure in the West Hartford business community, as well as a generous donor to local non-profits, for over 20 years.
• The West Hartford Town Planning and Zoning Commission recently rejected a plan to demolish the two structures at the northwest corner of North Main St. and Brace Rd. (15-17 North Main) and put a modern office building on the site. The application will be the subject of a public hearing on Tuesday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m., and will require supermajority approval by the Town Council because it was rejected by TPZ.
• Are you a business looking to provide advice to customers while showcasing your expertise? FaceRx Boutique has started a blog on Patch that does just that. Check it out, and feel free to start your own blog, too!
• West Hartford-based Northstar Wealth Partners announced that the premier wealth advisory team of Tyler W. Potts and J Addison McAraw, have joined their company. The team will be based out of Northstar's new Old Saybrook office.