Clear Cut Solutions, a well-established local hair salon, had planned to reopen in new quarters when its location on Mountain Road was sold and reconfigured. But the popular shop was unable to remain in its planned new spot nearby in the lower level of the Webster Bank building because of the new landlord’s difficulty in satisfying building code requirements. Two additional businesses have been affected as well, one of them the much-anticipated new coffee shop planned for the north end of the building, described in The Suffield Observer in April. A third business, Cara Mia, had planned to locate in the lower level of the building, across the hall from Clear Cut. Cara Mia, a start-up business, was planned as a salon offering facial care, including Botox and other treatments.
Previously, when Webster Bank owned its building in Suffield, there was one tenant, at the south end of the main level. Until a few years ago: a polygraph business occupied that space. More recently, it has been occupied by Bright Star Home Care. The new owner of the building planned to offer additional spaces, but learned at some point that the building code requirements for a multi-tenant building are different from those for an owner-occupied building with a single tenant. Evidently, he had proceeded without realizing the significance of the new requirements. Just how and when this situation developed is unclear, but it seems that the owner has not yet received approvals needed to continue with renovations for the coffee shop or to allow the other shops to occupy their quarters, where refurnishing had already been done. Both of them had expected to open last December. Both are uncertain of when they can open, but they still expect to do so.
In the meantime, renovations have been just about completed at 41 Mountain Road, where the most prominent visible change is the conversion of Clear Cut’s previous large store-front windows to smaller windows satisfying the requirements of the Center District Design Review Board. A big sign out front offers space for rent. ζ