Hartford Business Journal

6 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | March 14, 2022 Two new Pratt Street retailers a promising sign for downtown Hartford By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordubsusiness.com T here was a line at the door when the Rundown sneaker shop opened on Pratt Street in downtown Hartford for the first time on March 5. On March 6, Bloom Bake Shop announced it had leased a 2,100-square-foot storefront at 80 Pratt St., where it will sell coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and other goods starting in June. The short and historic brick-lined commercial street is a particular focus for revitalization by Hartford officials trying to regain retail momentum stolen by the COVID-19 pandemic. That effort received an enormous boost from the "Hart Lift" program. Announced in December, the program uses city COVID-19 relief funds to provide grants of up to $150,000 each for landlords outfitting space for new and expanding stores. Bloom Bake Shop is participating in the grant through its landlord, Northland Investment Corp. The Rundown is also leasing from Northland, which has applied for a grant at that location as well. Christian Scott, the 27-year-old owner of Rundown, said he was four months into a five-month, $180,000 rehab of a long-empty storefront when he heard about Hart Lift. Scott opened his first boutique sneaker and fashion shop in Bridgeport in September 2020. It is doing so well and so many people were traveling from the Hartford area that he decided to open a second location. The store features high-end new and used sneakers that are no longer available through mainstream stores. Prices run from $3,500 for a pair of white, red and green Louis Vuitton trainers to $150 for a pair of classic white Nike Air Force 1 sneakers. One recent customer walked out with $6,000 in gear, Scott said. It is a regular occurrence, he said. Scott said he enjoys the clean and inviting aesthetic on Pratt Street. MetroHartford Alliance President and CEO David Griggs said these two unique and promising shops are among the vanguard of a resurgence of downtown activity. There have been 60 applications to Hart Lift so far, with about half downtown and the rest spread throughout the city, Griggs said. This will help transform downtown from a place one goes to visit specific shops to an experience and destination in its own right, he said. "It will take a little while to get that critical mass, but with 60 applications, that critical mass is in there," Griggs said. Many of the applications are targeted at the area of and around Pratt Street, Griggs said. Christian Scott, 27, owner of the Rundown, a new downtown Hartford upscale sneaker and fashion store on Pratt Street. HBJ PHOTO | MICHAEL PUFFER | A program offering matching grants of up to $150,000 to help outfit new Hartford retailers and restaurants has approved 10 locations, including: • Cantina Hartford, a Mexican tapas restaurant, 900 Main St. • Corner 3, a sports bar at the corner of Pratt and Trumbull streets • Kenney's Restaurant, 379 Capitol Ave. • Johnson Hat Co., 213 Garden St. • Charred, a brick-oven pizza restaurant, 275 Pearl St. • Lyons Den, a restaurant and bar featuring live music, 77 Pratt St. • Pretty Girl Inventory, a party supply store, 207 Garden St. • The BOP (Beans on Park), coffee shop, 16 New Park Ave. • Story and Soil Coffee, an expansion of an existing shop, 387 Capitol Ave. • Capital Ice Cream, an expansion of an existing shop, 389 Capitol Ave. GO TO >> WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/HBJ-EVENTS/FAMILY-BUSINESS-AWARDS CALLING ALL 2021 NOMINATIONS DO YOU KNOW A FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS, PIVOTING & MAKING INCREDIBLE STRIDES? Family businesses are an integral part of the social and business fabric of our state. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in family-owned businesses and tell the story of a select group of the region's most successful firms. Honorees will be recognized in a special issue of the Hartford Business Journal. NOMINATE TODAY DEADLINE 4/16 EDUCATION LEADERSHIP SPONSOR: PRESENTING SPONSOR:

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