Black Rock Galleries, a Fairfield-based estate liquidator, has purchased a former Agway property in Bethel for $2 million and plans to use the site for its liquidation business, according to the broker involved in the deal.

The property at 74 South St. includes a 10,366-square-foot retail building, a 4,354-square-foot storage structure and a 2,520-square-foot greenhouse on 3.17 acres, property records show.

Black Rock Galleries operates showrooms in Greenwich, Bridgeport and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Grant Panarese said he and his wife, who are co-owners, plan on erecting more buildings on the newly acquired Bethel site and closing their Bridgeport location in 2027.

“That land is underutilized in an industrial zone,” he told the Hartford Business Journal.

The seller, Trio Fund I Portfolio LLC — controlled by New York-based Chad Tredway and Trio Net [...]

A Springfield, Mass.-based hardware store chain has acquired a former Manchester-based garden center that closed in May.

Rocky’s Ace Hardware, which bills itself as one of the country’s largest family-owned Ace Hardware dealers, acquired the former Smithland Pet & Garden Center location at 33 Adams St. for $2.1 million. The original asking price for the property had been $3 million.

When it  closed, Smithland had a main building on the site of nearly 13,500 square feet as well as just over 5,000 square feet of greenhouse space. Brian Bowler, the director of marketing for Rocky’s, said the main building will be renovated and expanded before Rocky’s opens in the Manchester location in March.

The Manchester store was one of 13 Smithland locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts that closed in May.

The first of those shuttered [...]

A Connecticut garden center chain is purchasing the former Smithland Pet & Garden Center store in Southington, the first property to be sold after Smithland announced closures this summer across Connecticut.

Van Wilgen’s Garden Center paid $3.2 million for Smithland’s location at 1198 Queen St. in Southington, according to commercial real estate brokerage firm New England Retail Properties. A Van Wilgen’s representative could not be reached immediately Tuesday for details on the purchase.

“A lot of people were interested in it,” said Conor Langan, a broker with New England Retail Properties. “The majority were for that kind of use, as a garden center, and these guys were the first ones to jump on it.”

On its website, Van Wilgen’s says it is targeting a spring 2026 opening in Southington. The location is a mile north of Queen Street’s main [...]

Matt Halprin, president of New England Retail Properties, Inc., closed the sale of the former Smithland Supply Pet & Garden Center at 1198 Queen St., Southington, CT. The buyer, Van Wilgen Garden Mart, paid $3.2 million.

Van Wilgen Garden Mart is a family-owned, multi-unit garden center founded in 1920. It operates at locations in Branford, North Branford, Clinton, Old Saybrook and Guilford, CT.

The former Smithland Agway fit the buyer’s profile of strong locations servicing their communities. It was owned by an investment group out of New York.

Smithland had operated 15 locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts and closed at the end of June 2025. New England Retail Properties was the exclusive broker for the owners.

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NORTH HAVEN, CT — The Smithland Supply/Agway Pet & Garden Center property just hit the market in North Haven, according to Crexi.com.

The property, situated on 3.52 acres at 66 State St. in North Haven, is listed for $3 million.

Smithland Pet & Garden Centers announced earlier this month that it was closing all 13 of its retail locations — including seven outlets in Connecticut.

The listing on Crexi.com describes the property as a “unique opportunity in the heart of North Haven’s thriving retail corridor.”

The site features a nearly 15,000-square-foot main building, along with a 3,006-square-foot greenhouse, offering “flexible space ideal for retail, medical, or service-based uses,” according to the listing.

“This well-located property is a rare chance for [...]