West Hartford Business Buzz May 26: 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.

• The empty "Sweet Nest" at 968A Farmington Ave. will not be vacant for long. Lux Boutique is already getting the space set for a July 1 opening. The owner said that her women's clothing store has really moderate price points and offers "something for everyone." This is the second location for Lux Boutique which also has an East Longmeadow, MA location. More information at www.shopluxy.com.
• If you're looking to donate to the victims of last week's devastating tornado in Oklahoma, West Hartford's Big Y, as well as other Big Y locations across Connecticut and Massachusetts, has set up a Red Cross Disaster Relief fund donation container. The collection will continue until June 8.
• Petals and Paws is now open for business on Raymond Rd. in long-vacant building which once house Wizard of Paws. (Seeing a theme here.) The store specializes in "organic and holistic pet foods" as well as pet and gardening supplies.
• We asked West Hartford Center businesses for Father's Day gift ideas. Daswani Clothiers offered the most unique suggestion: a custom-made shirt. They offer a suggestion of fabrics from Ike Behar, which can be presented to dad (or hubby), and once the measurements are filled the shirt will be crafted.
• Armeny Custom Jewelry Design has a great selection of gifts for your favorite graduate, but they are not just selling them. Continuing a tradition they began two years ago, the owners, who live in Farmington, will present a surprise gift to Farmington High School grads next month.
• One of the coolest things seen for sale in the Center: glow-in-the-dark shorts and dresses with a "fireworks" pattern at Silkworm on Farmington Ave.