The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘Nice things are happening’
Downtown Partners reflects on progress
Moving four times in eight years is normally not a positive event, but for the Torrington Downtown Partners organization, the relocations have meant mean success as new tenants move in and rent the space.
The group is celebrating its eighth anniversary this week, with plenty of progress to show for their effort.
“There is still much work to be done, but nice things are happening,” said co-founder Stephen Timken.
One of those things is the planned opening of a new restaurant at 53 Main St. Restaurateur Kristopher Kelsey, who owns Hanqs at 131 Water St., plans to open Brinx, in early November. He named his two restaurants after his dogs, he said.
The new establishment will offer tapas, shared plates and classic cocktails, Kelsey said.
“The menu will offer locally sourced meals and seasonal menus,” he said. “We’re keeping the natural brick and will add chandeliers (to the decor).”
The venue will be cozy, with seating for just 22. The location is where the former First Act Bakery shop operated, until it closed in February.
Brinx will be the second restaurant to open on the same block of Main Street in four months. A 47,000-square-foot restaurant and lounge, called 829, is located at 49 Main St.
“It’s a shining star for Torrington,” Timken said of the downtown area.
Torrington Downtown Partners began its plan for revitalization in 2010, when the nonprofit bought nine buildings in the space of three months.
“They were mostly in vast need of repair,” said Sharon Waagner, communications director for the partnership. “Some of the tenants had gone bankrupt.”
The majority of the purchases were made by Timken, who owns T&M Building Co. and co-founder David Bender, of Bender showrooms, Waagner said.
Within two years, in 2013, the organization received statewide recognition by the Connecticut Main Street Center for its building at 11-21 Main St. The city shared the accolades with Waterbury and Middletown.
Local supporters of the revitalization effort helped fund the startup organization by donating a minimum of $100. “We started doing awnings on the second floor; supporters got to choose the colors,” Waagner said.
“We didn’t realize how the second floor spaces would be so popular,” Timken said.
“We are continuing what we’re doing. The Maiden Lane building has a potential use,” Waagner said.
The building is located behind 73 Main St.
“We will see how to develop and renovate it,” Waagner said.
The buildings owned by the organization provide more than 100,000 square feet of space. “We’ve done an amazing amount on heating,” Timken said.
The building at 53 Main St., he noted, has a boiler that was built in 1905. He plans to replace it, probably with electric heating, or a combination of sources.
Besides their work with renovation and tenant management, the partnership also actively supports their downtown neighbors. The $100 donations from residents, as well as grant funds, allow the organization to support the Warner Theatre, the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, the Torrington Historical Society and the nonprofit radio station WAPJ.
The eighth anniversary observance of the Torrington Downtown Partnership will be held Thursday night at the 829 restaurant. Waagner expects as many as 75 invited guests will attend.