This is my friend Grant. He is a West Hartford resident and likes the whole Blue Back Square concept. A lot. So, when Grant approached me about being a guest writer and reviewing the new Crate & Barrel at Blue Back Square, I said “Sweet! I can take a day off!” And without further ado, here are Grant’s ramblings…
The newest addition to West Hartford Center has arrived…say hello to Crate & Barrel. As one of the anchor tenants of the highly anticipated Blue Back Square, Crate & Barrel opened last week amidst much fan-fair and excitement. For those of you expecting a small retail shop similar to Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware, perhaps typical for a smaller metropolitan area, be prepared to be pleasantly disappointed. Crate & Barrel’s West Hartford store is every bit as impressive as their New York and Boston locations. The West Hartford store has approximately 22 thousand square feet of show space and another 10 thousand square feet of warehouse space. The store has a Madison Avenue feel complete with multiple levels, escalators, and elevators.
If you like high quality, stylized furniture with both a contemporary and traditional feel you will be in heaven at Crate & Barrel’s West Hartford store. The upper level is dedicated to fine furniture and fabrics, while the lower level contains housewares and some less expensive ready-to-assemble furniture.
From a pricing standpoint, Crate & Barrel is in line with Restoration Hardware and perhaps slightly more expensive than Pottery Barn. I was really impressed by the store’s layout with high ceilings and great lighting. Architecturally it is very impressive and bodes of great things to come for the rest of Blue Back Square. So, if you’re ready to update the living room, Crate & Barrel’s West Hartford store is well worth a look.
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Thanks Grant! And what Grant doesn’t know is that next Monday I get to go to a sneak preview lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I’m helping to test out the wait staff with a group of other agents from my office. Be on the lookout for my inside report before it officially opens…
You’ve got to be joking. Like we need another place to buy overpriced barstools and dishware. Architecturally this doesn’t even fit in with the rest of the town. Glad you like it though. I’d rather shop at Ikea and I’d even drive to New Haven to do that. With the health conscious crowd in West Hartford it seems hardly a place for high calorie, high cholesterol and overpriced cheesecake too. Elitist shopping at it’s best. Enjoy!
Keisha- IKEA is a great store and I make a few trips a year to New Haven to see what’s new. I wish there was one closer to Hartford.
I used to work at crate and barrel furniture, trust me the quality of the furniture is not that good, everything is veneer over particle board and the markup is around 300 percent. Some items there are ok, but if you saw the cost they pay, you’d choke. Not to mention all of the customer service issues they create.