The South End Gets Busy

A week or so ago, I took a walk on the South End of Main Street, from William Street to South Church, to see how all the changes are going.

You've probably seen the new storefronts for Edible Arrangements and Trendz on Main, which are part of the old Pelton's site, where DaVita dialysis will open soon.

Edible Arrangements is a chain (33 stores in Connecticut, and they seem to like locations in traditional downtowns), but Trendz is locally grown. This is the fourth downtown location in five years for this independent clothing boutique. Most recently, it was sharing space with Tesoro in the North End.

In her new shop, Jerri Lorenson says she's returning the formula she had in the beginning, which is to say "unique and stylish" clothing that you won't find in ordinary shops. Check these oxfords....



The other new store in the block is another independent restaurant for Main Street, filling the empty storefront in the Centermark/Rite Aid building. It's called Mondo, and I've been watching the renovation develop over the past several months - from the (new) exposed brick wall, to the cool colors, to the groovy fabric hangings and booths. It's an eye-catching space.

Mondo will focus on pizza, panini and salads, both take-out and eat-in. Kurt, the owner, is an experienced restaurant and business owner. He's got another pizza restaurant in Farmington and a kids' play gym in West Hartford.

It looks like they met their deadline of trying to open by the end of September! Here's a photo of Mondo - open for business on Wednesday night -- welcome to town!



All three of these new businesses should nicely complement their neighbor, the Inn at Middletown, with its steady stream of local weddings, business meetings and families visiting Wesleyan. With luck, they will also draw employees and visitors from Middlesex Hospital, just one block away. Good news for Main Street!