One Route To Rule Them All?
VALLEY INTEL BUSINESS BEAT
A Tale of 2 Roads, 1 Route and 5 Businesses By Bruce Deckert Editor-in-Chief • Today Magazine
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FIVE 100-YEAR businesses in the Farmington Valley are located along two roads, yet three routes — but also along one route. Confused? Let’s unpack this counterintuitive navigationaland-commercial riddle. First things first — let’s identify that one route. Simple: Route 202. Wait, maybe this isn’t so simple. If you’re racking your brain, trying to visualize where exactly Route 202 runs through the Valley, you’re not alone. If you’re like other area residents, whether longtime or brandnew, the exact identification of Route 202 is perhaps elusive — and given the historic nature of the route, ignorance clearly is not bliss. An informal Today Magazine survey of locals confirms the paucity of knowledge regarding the existence and whereabouts of this renowned and prominent roadway.
Let’s explore the reasons why by taking a verbal journey along the pathway of Route 202 through the Valley. Routes 10 and 202 run concurrently — that is, together as the same road — from the border of Connecticut and Massachusetts, south through Granby and Simsbury and Avon, until Route 10/202 meets Route 44. Four of the 100-year businesses are headquartered in Simsbury along Route 10/202, also known as Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury — in order from north to south: Vincent Funeral Home (founded 1902), Welden Hardware (1889), EnsignBickford Aerospace & Defense (1836) and the Mitchell Auto Group (1922). Welden is officially on Station Street, a stone’s throw from Hopmeadow, aka Route 10/202. Meanwhile, Harvey & Lewis Opticians (1890) has a Canton
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JUNE 2022 – www.TodayPublishing.net – TODAY MAGAZINE