Blue Back's Buzz Attracts Retailers | Nearly a dozen new retailers, many restaurants, opening in new West Hartford development
If mammoth stores like Crate & Barrel and REI spearheaded Blue Back Square’s opening, then Matt Rusconi is the face of Blue Back’s second wave.
Rusconi of West Hartford is a franchise owner of Moe’s Southwest Grill and is among the nearly dozen new retailers opening their doors in Blue Back before June 1.
Rusconi and his business partner, Dave Vorchheimer of Manhattan, looked at a number of other locations before selecting Blue Back.
“We looked all over,” Rusconi said. “We looked in Meriden, we looked in Glastonbury and we looked at a couple other places. In the end, we decided to roll the dice and go with Blue Black.”
Small Tenants
Getting smaller tenants — such as Moe’s — on board has been the focus of Blue Back’s property manager in recent months.
Other retailers joining Moe’s will be Au Bon Pain on March 1, Rizzuto’s Wood-Fire Kitchen on March 15, Per Se, and an Aveda salon on April 1. In May, Origins, Fleming’s Steakhouse and a Verizon store will open, and in June, Chow’s Asian Bistro.
Will Lorentz, property manager of Blue Back for Ronus Properties, said they also are close to reaching a deal with two other unnamed retailers, a “high-end Mexican restaurant,” and an eyeglasses store.
Efforts to lease Blue Back’s office space have been equally successful, Lorentz said, with nearly 90 percent leased.
Its next effort will focus on its housing units. Apartments will become available April 1 and condominium closings could begin in March. Prices for Blue Back’s 59 condominiums will range between $400,000 and $800,000. According to its Web site, one- and three-bedroom condos are already sold out. The monthly rental costs for the apartments have not yet been disclosed.
Exceeds Expectations
From the town’s perspective, Blue Back could not have been more of a success.
“I think it’s greatly exceeded our expectations,” said Rob Rowlson, West Hartford’s economic and community development officer. “It has exceeded them in terms of the quality of construction to the quality of tenants to the speed at which it has been leased out.”
A bonus for West Hartford is that Blue Back’s influence is spreading beyond just the development.
“Blue Back is going to be for everyone,” Rowlson said. “We’re very happy that we’ve had interest in other parts of town and looking at other areas for development.”
But thanks in no small part to the constant publicity, franchises and national retailers are keen on Blue Back.
Robin Mosle, executive vice president of leasing for Samuel & Associates, said Blue Back “continues to attract the interest of many national and regional brands” due to its unique current lineup of retail and restaurants.
Lorentz described the interest simply as a “buzz.”
“When you go to shopping center trade shows or expos, the buzz is Blue Back Square,” he said. “That’s because it’s a great union between developers and the town. In the industry, people know about it and they’re interested in it.”
That buzz is what brought Rusconi to Blue Back and why he believes he can convert those who have never heard of Moe’s Southwest Grill.
“This location is going to be a big boost for us because there’s already an audience here,” he said.
To get things moving, Rusconi has planned a fundraiser for the West Hartford YMCA and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation recently during a soft opening. For the grand opening last Thursday, the restaurant will be accepting donations with proceeds going to the West Hartford Public Library for more children’s books.
“We just found out that Barnes & Noble wants to help out with that,” Rusconi. “I guess that’s just the power of Blue Back, right?”
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