One of the Hartford region’s oldest custom men’s and women’s clothiers is eager to swap its curbside West Hartford storefront for what it hopes will be more visible space inside the town’s 114-room boutique hotel.
One of the Hartford region's oldest custom men's and women's clothiers is eager to swap its curbside West Hartford storefront for what it hopes will be more visible space inside the town's 114-room boutique hotel.
Connecticut Custom Clothing Co. is in talks, co-owner Bob DeGemmis says, with owners of the $20 million Delamar West Hartford Hotel about occupying ground-floor space when the six-story hotel opens next spring.
Connecticut Custom has occupied about 1,000 square feet at 1000 Farmington Ave. in West Hartford Center since relocating in 2005 from space in Glastonbury. The Delamar move would mean a smaller home, about 400 square feet, but visibility would be a premium, DeGemmis said.
“There will be a few hundred people walking by our store daily,'' said DeGemmis, whose grandfather, an Italian immigrant, opened his tailor shop in 1916 in Hartford before later settling in Glastonbury.
The shop moved to its West Hartford location about five years ago, said DeGemmis, who also has a satellite clothing store in Shelton.
DeGemmis said he is still negotiating with Stamford landlord Charles Mallory, who confirmed that DeGemmis is one of two tenants with whom Mallory is in active negotiations. Mallory declined to identify the other prospective tenant.
– Gregory Seay
