West Hartford Business Buzz March 31: Openings, Closings and Other News

Welcome to this week's 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. 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.

• Almost anything you would want to know about West Hartford businesses was mentioned by Director of Community Services Rob Rowlson on Thursday in his annual Economic Update during the Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Highlights include the ongoing transformation of Elmwood, Bishops Corner, and Park Road, three offers on the table for the sprawling Sisters of St. Joseph property, and the annual "store exchange" in West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square.
• Sev Shak will open Monday on Farmington Ave., between Grants and Bella Gusta. The women's clothing and accessory store has relocated from Avon.
• Carters has replaced Justice in Corbins Corner.
• Silkworm in West Hartford Center is celebrating its third birthday! The clothing and accessory store is observing its birthday with a fundraiser for Connecticut Children's Medical Center, offering 30 percent off through the end of April to all customers who bring in an unwrapped toy.
• The construction is underway at the site of the future Five Guys in Bishops Corner.