Dulce Closes Doors

Downtown Hartford eatery Dulce Restaurant has vacated its space at 100 Trumbull St. after a bankruptcy court judge ordered the owners to turn over the property, a lawyer familiar with the situation said.

Dulce, whose owners filed for bankruptcy Aug. 24, had been facing eviction for months after the building’s owners said the restaurant failed to make payments on the lease and other loans since last October, court documents show.

Glenn Duhl, a Hartford attorney representing Trumbull on the Park, said the property owners took back control of the leased retail space Sept. 20 at noon.

“It was a rather anti-climactic end,” Duhl said. “It took a lot to get where we are.”

Duhl said the building’s owner is working “hastily to get a new business in there,” and said that another restaurant would be a good fit.

“It’s unfortunate that a business didn’t survive, but my client has his own business that needs to find a substitute tenant,” Duhl said.

Dulce was leasing the largest retail space Trumbull on the Park has available, occupying 4,000 square feet. Sandwich shop Quiznos occupies about 1,000 square feet of space, but the remaining two retail spots remain vacant. Alchemy Studio Salon, which occupied 1,000 square feet, left the building earlier this year.

Another 1,300 square feet in retail space currently remains vacant.

Martin Kenny, the developer of Trumbull on the Park, said in an interview earlier this month that the residential side of the property, which consists of 100 apartments, remains 98 percent full. There are more than 500 monthly passes issued for the 600 space parking lot.

“We are holding our own,” Kenny said.

Name Change

Farmington Savings Bank has received regulatory approval from the state banking department to change its name to Farmington Bank.

John J. Patrick, Jr., Farmington Savings Bank chairman, president and CEO told the Hartford Business Journal in August that the new name will be effective in October. (GREG BORDONARO)

Reader response:

"I guess exclusivity and expectancy did not result in capital returns. That's unfortunate, but to this ethnic urbanite the place wasn't inviting. I wonder if these business owners ever do a market analysis before taking on such ventures.'' Attorney Catharine Freeman