OT. City Steam Closing

[cohenzone]

Looks lije City Steam on Main St in Hartford is closing. Spent many before and after Civic Center events there and at its predecessor eatery Brown Thompson &Co. How many of us are old enough to remember the Brown-Thompson Dept. Store, one of several department stores in downtown Hartford for years.

 

[Deepster]

The development around the Yard Goats stadium continues to astound me nine years in….

 

[Scoe]

That’s sad and disgusting.

 

[husky8273]

How many of us are old enough to remember the Brown-Thompson Dept. Store, one of several department stores in downtown Hartford for years.

1866-1969.

BT's was a popular spot in the 80s.

 

[Waquoit]

I'm surprised. I hadn't been before a UConn game in years becuse it was always packed. We were there a few months ago during karaoke. We nailed it.

 

[slepers]

And G Fox next door

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

 

[cohenzone]

And G Fox next door

And Sage Allen. My uncle was a G Fox VP. I worked on their furniture delivery trucks one summer.

 

[Brian]

Challengers 5 cent wings on Wednesday

 

[OceanDoggie]

My first time there was this Season after the G-Town game and they were very busy. I used to buy their beer retail at the local wine shop back when micro brew was a niche term.

 

[87Xfer]

BT's was the go-to date spot before concerts at the Civic Center. Those were the days...

 

[CTBasketball]

I didn’t know they shut down because of a sprinkler pipe break, were closed for 5 months which led to the closure.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Very sad to hear City Steam is closing as I thought it was a good bar and decent restaurant. Would love to see the whole building properly renovated. The hotel next door is so dated and drab. Would love to see someone with some imagination come in and make something special.

 

[giddyup]

Very sad to hear City Steam is closing as I thought it was a good bar and decent restaurant. Would love to see the whole building properly renovated. The hotel next door is so dated and drab. Would love to see someone with some imagination come in and make something special.

Hartford just can’t support these businesses without getting considerably more residential units downtown other than more section 8 housing. It’s the same structural problem that has persisted for 30+ years.

 

[F101Voodoo]

And G Fox next door

EJ Korvetts for the less costly stuff, Savitt Jewelers ‘Savitts ’ where Hartford and surrounding suburban guys bought ‘the’ ring for their future brides. Sage-Allen.

 

[Deepster]

EJ Korvetts for the less costly stuff, Savitt Jewelers ‘Savitts ’ where Hartford and surrounding suburban guys bought ‘the’ ring for their future brides. Sage-Allen.

Yeah. The good old days. Fifty years ago.

Now they can’t get out of their own way. XL is a dump. The Sportsbook is a huge bust. And soon the yard goats will be outdated.

 

[Palatine]

Hartford just can’t support these businesses without getting considerably more residential units downtown other than more section 8 housing. It’s the same structural problem that has persisted for 30+ years.

City Steam had a broken pipe and huge flood and had to shut down for 4 months. That put them so far behind the 8-ball they could never catch up. Without the disaster, they would have been fine. It is not a Hartford problem. It was very bad luck. But who needs facts when you can just bash the city?

 

[giddyup]

City Steam had a broken pipe and huge flood and had to shut down for 4 months. That put them so far behind the 8-ball they could never catch up. Without the disaster, they would have been fine. It is not a Hartford problem. It was very bad luck. But who needs facts when you can just bash the city?

I’ve been downtown since the early 80s, so I know exactly what its like. It’s not bashing it’s a reality. I’ve seen more places come and go than you can shake a stick at. As far as City Steam is concerned, if they were killing it, it would be illogical not to reopen. Plus, unless they were foolish, I’m sure they had insurance coverage including business interruption coverage. So, no, that “fact” doesn’t add up.

 

[gtcam]

City Steam had a broken pipe and huge flood and had to shut down for 4 months. That put them so far behind the 8-ball they could never catch up. Without the disaster, they would have been fine. It is not a Hartford problem. It was very bad luck. But who needs facts when you can just bash the city?

If you don't think the City of Hartford and the politics in that city has anything to do with the lack of creativity in attracting and keeping healthy businesses that will endure you are in lala land Palatine - or you are just shooting from the hip. Christ, they can't even get together with the economic development people in the state government to correctly repair and upgrade one measly civic center.
If City Steam meant that much to the powers to be in the city the repairs would have been a priority to see get done quickly. They rescue much less visible entities in other parts of the city that are head scratchers. I don't pretend to know if City Steam was experiencing a downturn in revenue prior to the flooding issue but is a very high visibility business and location - almost too big to ignore.

 

[husky429]

Yeah. The good old days. Fifty years ago.

Now they can’t get out of their own way. XL is a dump. The Sportsbook is a huge bust. And soon the yard goats will be outdated.

I rarely agree with you, but I do here on everything but the Yardgoats. People love the Yardgoats and the area is getting revitalized. Small area, but it's something. And in a city like Hartford, anything is worth celebrating.

 

[Madmannsucks]

And Sage Allen. My uncle was a G Fox VP. I worked on their furniture delivery trucks one summer.

Worked at G Fox in the Westfarm's Mall from around 75 to 78.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I haven't been to City Steam since maybe 2018 or 2019, but I always felt like it smelled like a frat house after a weekend of parties. They really needed to rip up the floors and start over, because the smell was distracting.

 

[Deepster]

I rarely agree with you, but I do here on everything but the Yardgoats. People love the Yardgoats and the area is getting revitalized. Small area, but it's something. And in a city like Hartford, anything is worth celebrating.

Listen. I go to a couple games a year. There’s nothing fresh in the stadium and nothing still around it. When you say it’s getting revitalized, it’s not ready for this year’s opening day. So will it be next year? 11 years in?

They’ve been playing patty cake with what to do with the XL center for years and that’s running in place. And you have Ned Lamont tweeting we’re ready to take over the Phoenix Coyotes. That’s a joke.

 

[Palatine]

I’ve been downtown since the early 80s, so I know exactly what its like. It’s not bashing it’s a reality. I’ve seen more places come and go than you can shake a stick at. As far as City Steam is concerned, if they were killing it, it would be illogical not to reopen. Plus, unless they were foolish, I’m sure they had insurance coverage including business interruption coverage. So, no, that “fact” doesn’t add up.

Over 60% of restaurants don't last a year. 80% fail in 4 years. It is a tough slough and it ain't a Hartford problem it is a restaurant problem. Almost anything can push them below the profit line. A 4 month closure is a catastrophic. If it was a Hartford problem Urban Lodge Brewery half a block away would being having trouble but they are killing it.

 

[husky429]

Listen. I go to a couple games a year. There’s nothing fresh in the stadium and nothing still around it. When you say it’s getting revitalized, it’s not ready for this year’s opening day. So will it be next year? 11 years in?

They’ve been playing patty cake with what to do with the XL center for years and that’s running in place. And you have Ned Lamont tweeting we’re ready to take over the Phoenix Coyotes. That’s a joke.

Your second paragraph is irrelevant. Your first one is wrong. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.