It's A New Look And A New Life In A Corner Of Manchester's North End

MANCHESTER, CT — Friday's grand opening of the Dog Barkery was symbolic of how one corner of Manchester's north end has become revitalized.

The Dog Barkery is the baking operation of the Leaps & Bones per supply chain. Next Door sits the Take Care Tattoo Co. and adjacent is a plant that processes pellets. They have all taken the place of an old feed depot that, for all intents and purposes, has ben sitting vacant and all but forgotten.

The transformation began in May, when Manchester Barbecue Pellets officially opened a new manufacturing facility at the old feed plant at 46 Apel Place. The plant and the historic brick building next to it at 35 Oakland St. made up the home of Central Connecticut Cooperative Farmers Association for 78 years before it closed in 2016 due to declining agricultural production in the state.

Manchester Barbecue Pellets acquired the former animal feed mill building in 2019, then "restored and reinvented" the building as a manufacturing facility with the help of redevelopment funding through CT Innovations Angel Investor Tax Credit Program.

Manchester Barbecue Pellets manufactures hardwood barbecue pellets for use in pellet grills. The easy-to-use wood pellets are produced from locally sourced 100 percent natural hardwoods such as hickory, oak and maple which provide a natural wood smoke flavor.

Fast-forward to late summer. Leaps & Bones owners Laurie Surprenant and Amy Kenkel were quickly outgrowing the bakery space behind their retail store at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor. They live up the street from the Oakland Street building and just wondered about that historic space a short distance away.

Surprenant said they finally made and inquiry and, within days, had a lease. The bakery space for dog treats totals 600 more square feet now.

"And we just love this building," Surprenant said. "We love the space, we love the history and we love being here in this spot."

The building also drew the attention of tattoo artist and confessed history buff Alex Stairs. He, too, was intrigued by the building and inquired about the space next to the Dog Barkery. Surprenant and Kenkel had the right of first refusal for the vacancy, but said they gladly acquiesced for "a good neighbor."

Stairs only takes private appointments at Take Care Tattoo Co., so he said he relished the chance to put his personal touches — many, many historic artifacts — among the exposed beams and bricks to add a sense of comfort and nostalgia to his studio.

The Oakland Street building had been used as a theater, a brothel and as a feed and farm supply outlet over the years, among other uses, historians tell us. Is it safe to say what was a forgotten parcel is now thriving?

"I think so," Kenkel said. "Just look at this building. We're all happy here. It's a great historic space."