NoRA Cupcake Company has announced it will close its West Hartford location on Dec. 30, which started as a pop-up shop in Blue Back Square in the fall of 2015.
Owner Carrie Carella says the Blue Back store, NoRA’s first expansion beyond its flagship in Middletown, was originally intended to be a four-month opportunity during the 2015 holiday season. The creative cupcake shop eventually spent just more than two years as a temporary specialty tenant in the development.
Carella says a new potential longer-term tenant was interested in NoRA’s space at 103 Memorial Road, and the Blue Back Square management office offered them the option to move to another location within the development. After considering a few different spaces, she decided it was best to take the company in another direction.
“At the end of the day, this was supposed to be a pop-up — something that’s fun and exciting,” she says. “It’s been so successful that’s it’s been hard to make the decision to walk away from it, but this is more in tune with what I want from the company: always keeping things fresh, always keeping things revolving, always being in new neighborhoods, being in new destinations, or creating the destinations on our own.”
“We loved having NoRA, Carrie and the entire team here at Blue Back Square and they will be missed,” said Elizabeth Zigmont, Blue Back Square’s marketing director, in an email.
The West Hartford location was designed as a replica of the Middletown original, with the same eclectic decor and vibe along with coffee, WiFi and a seating area. In late 2016, NoRA expanded again, opening a third location at The Shoppes at Farmington Valley in Canton.
Carella says her experience in West Hartford was “nothing but positive,” and helped raise the company’s profile.
“It obviously did wonders for our brand and brand awareness. It boosted our sales in Middletown; people wanted to see where the magic happened and they wanted to know about the company.”
Middletown “is our base,” she says. “That’s where home is and that will always be home. And that’s not going anywhere. But for me, opportunities are kind of fluid. I consider everything, every opportunity that comes across our plate.”
Plans are still in the works for a drive-through cupcake shop in downtown Hartford, by the 777 Main building, which was formerly used as a drive-up teller kiosk.
NoRA will host a closing party in West Hartford on Dec. 30 from 4 to 7 p.m., celebrating its two years with “bubbles and beats,” special discounts and a raffle for a private party with the cupcake truck.
Carella says NoRA is “going out on a high note.” “[Blue Back Square] has been nothing but wonderful to work with for us. The fact that they even offered that as an opportunity to a small local company, that’s fantastic. I feel like it’s been a win for both them and us.”
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