Hope & Stetson is lovely little, family owned boutique in West Hartford Center. There are quality…read moreitems here for women, babies and some small items for the home. I've seen some casual summer dresses, jeans and sweaters for women, as well as some pretty jewels and other accessories. The best part of this store is how appropriately priced the items are. They also have small sale section. Right when you walk into the store, you'll see the words "happy place" on the ground. I absolutely love this detail. The staff who work here are always ready to help find you the right size and guide you to find what you might be looking for. There is no pushiness to make a purchase. The baby section is adorable for a special gift for someone, but some of those items are a bit costly. I love stopping by this store. It's beautifully set up, organized and easy to navigate. They have fitting rooms and a welcoming, friendly staff. Hope & Stetson is a family owned boutique I love to support.

Love it here! My very first visit to the store and Bre was incredibly helpful helping me find my…read moreperfect pair of jeans! I love them so much I had to buy two

Blue Back Square is a popular spot in West Hartford. It has restaurants, shopping, entertainment,…read moreand a residential area. There is a hotel and large name stores such as Whole Foods, The Cheesecake Factory, and various others. It's a beautifully maintained area and very pedestrian friendly. People have the option to live, work, and play right in this area. There's a wide selection to choose from, you don't have to leave the area if you don't want to. Parking can be found on street and two garages, all metered but affordable. There are bright murals throughout. A movie theater and a library are within walking distance. There are events such as live music. There are quite an array of things to do and eat and all in walking distance. The area can be busy but for a good reason. I find myself there quite often and enjoy the amenities.

I saw last week on Facebook that Adam River from 95.7 was going to be present and Chaz the Cream…read morePuff man from the Big E Express at the Blue Back Square handing out cream puffs samples from 3:30-5:30 today. I ventured out with my kids to check it out. They thought I was crazy but went with me to see what I was taking about. They both were amazed how big these cream puffs are and the filling is so fresh. I told them the 1st time ever having them was at the Big E back in the day. With today being the opening day for the Big E it was an added touch to the West Hartford community to have a visit from Chaz. Next best thing to driving up to West Springfield tonight. Chaz was so photogenic and super nice and thank you for making my afternoon. I plan to get more cream puffs on Wednesday when I go which is also Connecticut Day at the Big E.

The only negative come t about this wonderful shop is it's only open a few days a week. Today was a…read morebonanza as all women's clothes and shoes were 50% off! All the ladies were very helpful and friendly especially the two Barbs! ! Inventory is always changing and better yet all your spending goes to charity Everyone wins!

"I'd pay any price just to get you I'd work all my life and…read moreI will To win you I'd stand naked, stoned, and stabbed I'd call that a bargain, the best I ever had" (The Who) When you find out that a thrift store is running a "35% off" sale to mark their 5th anniversary, well any bargain seeking red blooded American would head on over, just like we just did. The store is larger than the one we customarily visit in Simsbury, so I didn't feel cramped walking around alongside a fair number of fellow shoppers. It's very neat and well organized inside and seemed to have a lot of merchandise. I saw the usual dishes, housewares, women's and men's shoes (including some gorgeous Air Jordans), shirts, blouses, outerwear, pants and jeans, plus sportscoats and men's suits ($25 or so). Some of the more unusual things I saw was an impressive collection of "I Love Lucy" memorabilia, and hiding among the audio CD's was a William Hung CD! He made quite a splash on American Idol 20 years ago, and if you're too young to know who he is, go check him out on YouTube. I bought a long sleeve white dress shirt, a red tie, and my wife bought a long sleeve top. After the 35% discount we paid an obscene $16 for everything. Yes, quite the bargain indeed. PRO TIP Parking is a bit of a toss-up, their lot is micro-sized, so you'll probably end up parking on a side street like we did.

This is such a neat spot on Pratt Street. For me, it's a perfect spot for buying a gift for the…read morecool person in your life. I popped in yesterday and bought some hilarious Birthday and Mother's Day cards as well as a trivia/card game. They have socks, kitchy kitchen stuff, lots of CT and Hartford themed t-shirts and much more. The layout is easy to navigate and the guy who was working on 4/8 was jamming out some sweet Prince tunes and he joked that he appreciated that me and my coworkers were singing along to it. Definitely check it out.

Hartford Prints is the cutest little shop! I went for their Heated Rivalry Day this weekend and it…read morewas so much fun. From author signings to charm bracelets at a GREAT price, color-your-own bookmark crafts, themed *complementary* drinks, $1 mini prints, flash tattoos, and even a loon calling competition. Such a creative and well-done event, love spots like this that bring the community together.

Worse customer service, I was insulted by daughter and mother…read more When they are the who made a mistake ordering my daughter dress. Don't waste your time going there! There are many places in CT with much better selections and better customer service they are incredibly rude to customers.

A lovely store obviously run by a family of caring people who know their business. Bigger than it…read morelooks from the outside and more dresses than you would guess. Though it was a busy Saturday they catered to my eight-year-old daughter like she was the only little girl in the place. Though she found the dress she wanted after trying on just three, they would have offered her every dress on the rack. We were clearly welcome there and could have spent much more time than we did. Every staff member around while my daughter was trying on dresses offered their kind opinion and calmed her nerves (she's never really done this before). They asked her what she liked and picked dresses that met that criteria. We did try one other nearby store, but they had no flower girl dresses in the store to try on and only offered us a catalog to thumb through. Not exactly the princess experience we had at Casa Tony. We left the other store, went back to Casa Tony and bought her top pick immediately. All in all an excellent experience.