Located on the west side of Hartford, the Parkville neighborhood is a hub for arts and entrepreneurship.
Innovation Destination Hartford enjoyed connecting with a variety of startups and organizations throughout Parkville. Check out our feature stories to see what’s happening.
reSET
reSET Director Ojala Naeem remembers driving by the building in Parkville and having an “a-ha” moment. “The space was exactly what we were looking for to enhance our presence in the community,” she says.
Ojala notes her favorite thing about working in with Greater Hartford’s entrepreneur community is “the diversity in types of businesses and activities—there are a lot of communities engaging each other. Hartford is small but there is so much happening.”
VISIT: resetco.org
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Breakfast Lunch & Dinner
Breakfast Lunch & Dinner recently formed a relationship with reSET that focuses on community. BL&D hosts and co-hosts a variety of events throughout the year supporting local small business owners and entrepreneurs, including KNOW GOOD Market and Early Bird Social Club.
READ: Hartford-Based Social Enterprise Company Shares Updates
VISIT: www.breakfastxlunchxdinner.com
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Hartford Denim Company
Hartford Denim Company is located steps away from reSET on Bartholomew Street. “We really always liked this neighborhood,” says Co-Founder Dave Marcoux.
Dave emphasizes that it was important for them to be located in Hartford. “It’s where we we’re from. Our network is here. There’s also a really rich history of manufacturing here in Hartford.”
READ: Hartford’s Own—Hartford Denim Company
VISIT: shop.hardenco.com
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VASU Tribe treatment room, located inside the Arbor Art Center in Hartford, CT.
Vasu Tribe
Vasu Tribe, a yoga studio and organic spa is located in the Arbor Arts building.
“Parkville is a very creative district and it’s a great community of ‘creative entrepreneurship’—entrepreneurs whose business is an extension of their art,” says VASU Tribe Co-Founder Holly Wheeler.
READ: Women-Owned, Hartford-Based Yoga and Spa
VISIT: vasutribe.com
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Hands on Hartford
“This Parkville location is a nice fit for us,” says Hands on Hartford Communications Manager Kate Shafer. ”We chose this neighborhood partly because of the access to public transportation, but also because it’s such a great up-and-coming, diverse, interesting, and vibrant community.”
One of Hands On Hartford’s innovative programs, the Café at Fifty-Five, supports the organization’s mission to serve neighbors, engage volunteers, and connect communities.
READ: Hands On Hartford: Strengthening the Community In Hartford
VISIT: www.handsonhartford.org
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Hog River Brewing Company
Hog River Brewing Company is located diagonally across the street from Café at Fifty-Five and, conveniently, in the same building as reSET.
“To be successful, entrepreneurs need to take the bull by the horns and blaze their own path. This is what we see every day in Parkville,” says Founder and Owner Ben Braddock. “Creative minds are challenging the old ways of doing things and creating new opportunities. I firmly believe that entrepreneurship and small businesses make a difference. Entrepreneurs have drive and passion with so much riding on the line. These are the people who can make change.”
READ: Hartford-Based Hog River Brewing Shares Updates About the Startup
VISIT: hogriverbrewing.com
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IdleWilde Printing Company
“We didn’t know this location [in Parkville] would create part of our story and part of our identity to be this kind of hip, accessible business in a cool, industrial area of Hartford. It feels authentic. It feels like a home base for us. So, it was a little unintentional, but that decision has kind of shaped what we are,” admits Co-Founder IdleWilde Printing Company Connor Millican.
“It feels like we’re directly contributing to the growth of the city with this printing company helping a lot of other local creative businesses build their brand,” he adds.
READ: Hartford-Based Printing Company Finds Its Place in Parkville
VISIT: idlewildeprinting.com
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Tainted Inc.
Located in Hartford’s Arbor Arts building, Tainted Inc. collaborates with local artists and non-profits to host workshops events throughout the month.
What’s great about Hartford is that everyone is doing the best they can. It’s truly a magical place. We’ve seen so much support and love for this city—people really want it to grow and build. It’s real. That’s why we don’t want to leave. The businesses, artisans, and community are always here for each other.
READ: Tainted Shares Updates About the Startup
VISIT: tntdinc.com
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Hartford Flavor Company
Local distillery Hartford Flavor Company hosts all kinds of in-house events at their Parkville location, including mixology classes and live music.
“With new ventures creating more excitement we are meeting more and more people who are recognizing the trend. It’s heartening to see folks who live outside Hartford acknowledge what is going on now,” says Co-Founder Tom Dubay.
READ: Hartford Flavor Company Founders Share Updates
VISIT: hartfordflavor.com
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Hartford-based Parkville Sounds provides a creative space for musicians.
Parkville Sounds
“I wanted to stay in Hartford because I love Hartford,” says Parkville Sounds Founder Stephen Cusano. “I found this place on Park Street in the Parkville neighborhood. I guess the entrepreneurial part of me had a vision. I saw a need in the Hartford area for local musicians and people passing through needing a facility where they could create.”
In conjunction with CPTV, Parkville Sounds recently rolled out The Parkville Sessions, a four-part music series that provided a guided tour of the Hartford neighborhood of Parkville, sharing unique stories about how Parkville is being revitalized by emerging innovative businesses.
READ: Parkville Sounds Provides a Creative Space for Musicians
VISIT: www.parkvillesounds.com
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The Dance Collective
Dance Collective Founder Jillian Foley created her Hartford-based dance troupe to provide innovative platform for dance and create choreographic and leadership opportunities for women. Jillian has close ties to the Parkville neighborhood, she is Operating Officer at Parkville Sounds and producer of Parkville Sessions. Her dance troupe has performed in key places of interest throughout Hartford, including Hog River Brewing Company, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and Riverfront Recapture.
READ: Hartford-Based Dance Collective Empowers Creative Women
VISIT: www.thedancecollective.org
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Founded in 1975, Real Art Ways is a multidisciplinary arts organization that is committed to the Hartford community.
Real Art Ways
“I like the fact that there is a range of people here, people from so many backgrounds. That connection to a bigger world is an important part of what draws people to cities,” notes Executive Director Will K. Wilkins. “There is more potential in Hartford than there has been at any other time since I’ve been here. There are some wonderful people here who are really committed to Hartford as a place.”
READ: Real Art Ways Drives Hartford’s Alternative Arts Community
VISIT: www.realartways.org
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