GROTON — Natasha Graham and her husband, Michael Graham, of Groton, who both enjoy cooking and eating good food, wanted to give back to their community by offering something it doesn’t already have.In May, they opened T-Mak Bodega on Bridge Street to offer home-cooked, takeout Puerto Rican dishes and soul food dishes, as well as convenience items.When looking for a spot, Realtor Nina Beebe searched for a place close to the family’s home and where traffic would pass by. With the hiring boom at Electric Boat and the Groton shipyard nearby, she said it was the perfect quick spot for employees to “grab and go.”T-Mak Bodega, a family business the Grahams hope to one day hand down to their children, Alianna Izquierdo, 20, and Malakai Hooker, 6, is among the growth in small businesses that Groton is starting to see as Electric Boat expands its workforce.With an ‘incredible appetite’ for labor: Electric Boat recruits locally, eyes Hartford and New HavenElectric Boat President Kevin Graney said in February that the company anticipated hiring 5,000 employees in 2024 in Connecticut and Rhode Island.Approximately 23,000 people work at Electric Boat in Connecticut and Rhode Island, a workforce that is projected to increase to 25,000 employees over the next decade, an Electric Boat spokesperson said in June. The company said the increased hiring is due to the Navy’s need for Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines and the natural workforce cycles of people retiring and leaving.Local officials say they are looking for ways to draw more businesses and overcome some of the challenges that hinder more economic development in the community.Natasha Graham, who also is an Electric Boat employee, said the family partly chose the Bridge Street location because EB employees pass by to get to work. Those employees, along with Navy personnel and residents, would be a major part of their customer base.But the reach is actually beyond that. T-Mak Bodega sees Electric Boat employees, but most of their customers come from other places, said Michael Graham.“We have people now coming not just from Groton but other surrounding towns,” Natasha Graham said.Businesses see opportunityIn the Five Corners neighborhood in the City of Groton near Electric Boat, Pizzarama To-Go, Twisted Misty, an “energy cafe” with smoothies and a juice bar, and US 1 Smoke & Vape opened recently on Mitchell Street, and Friendly Thai on Poquonnock Road has new ownership.City of Groton Economic Development Manager Cierra Patrick said the city is seeing interest from small businesses, with the growth at Electric Boat a leading factor. She said prospective business owners see the Electric Boat employment base growing and the opportunity in Groton.Pizzarama To-Go General Manager Irene Faraone said the restaurant opened on Mitchell Street in December, after an opportunity presented itself when the previous tenants of the Mitchell Street restaurant space decided to retire.Electric Boat military contracts launch economic boom in parts of Connecticut. This is how it was done.She said people had been asking for the longstanding Pizzarama on Broad Street in New London to open a second location in Groton, and the growth at Electric Boat was a big factor in the decision to do so.Faraone said knowing that Electric Boat will continue to hire at a strong clip in the coming years makes her feel secure.Pizzarama To-Go brought in a delivery driver to deliver orders to EB during the day ― at one time receiving 27 lunchtime orders in a row, she said.Some businesses are adjusting their businesses to appeal to EB workers.Nearby, the smoke shop added a commercial refrigerator stocked with soft drinks, water and juice for workers passing by on their way to and from work.At Paul’s Pasta on Thames Street, Kate Ashe, regional manager for the restaurant owner, TyMark Restaurant Group, said the increased hiring at Electric Boat is reassuring because local residents and employees help sustain the restaurant during the off-season when there aren’t tourists flocking there.“If they hire more and their families relocate, that’s more people here and that’s tied right into the sub base too because they work hand in hand,” said General Manager Alexa Britton, whose sister Maddie Britton also works as a manager at the restaurant. Their father, Tom Britton, is a longtime Electric Boat employee.At Friendly Thai on Poquonnock Road, which re-opened under new ownership in March, Lalita Ampawa, one of the family owners, said a friend of a friend introduced her to the place after the previous owner wanted to retire. When she visited, she liked the small, cozy atmosphere where the family could share their passion for cooking.On the day they opened, they saw a lot of customers from EB who were waiting for it to open. She estimates about 20% of the restaurant’s customers are from Electric Boat.Groton City resident Craig Frickman, who stopped by T-Mak Bodega on a recent Saturday, with his wife, Nancy, said they are very happy T-Mak Bodega opened near their home. He said they’re hoping for more small businesses to open in the community.“This is a good start,” said Craig Frickman. “Let’s fill the Bank and the streets with good food and restaurants, things to do.”‘Retail follows rooftops’Jon Reiner, the town’s director of planning and development services, said the town is seeing growth from potential housing. He said that is not just driven by Electric Boat’s growth, but the submarine manufacturer’s hiring has caught the attention of developers in the region and even outside the region.He said new apartments are being built at the former William Seely School, called Triton Square, and apartments are planned at the former Colonel Ledyard School in the city. A number of developers also are looking at privately held properties in town.He said multifamily housing, in addition to providing a place for people to live, creates construction jobs and tax revenue for the town.Retired Navy Capt. Paul Whitescarver, the executive director of Southeastern CT Enterprise Region, said the shortage of housing at every price point is the biggest challenge facing the region, and communities are trying to meet the demand.Whitescarver said the housing shortage, coupled with the demand, is driving up prices.Paige Bronk, the town’s economic and community development manager, said that in Groton, a community with a growing number of jobs, housing is the most important driver of economic development.Bronk said there’s a quote in the retail sector that says “retail follows rooftops” because without housing, it is difficult to have retail growth.“With our 82% commuter rate, we have been challenged historically to grow some of these small-to-medium-sized businesses within Groton but that is now changing as a result of the housing,” he said.He said once the town has more housing, he expects Groton will see more upgrades to retail.That said, Groton already is seeing some business growth, such as the planned redevelopment of the former 99 Restaurant on Long Hill Road, and the opening in recent years of quick-serve restaurants, such as Chipotle and Jersey Mike’s Subs on Route 12, which ties in well with the market both from Electric Boat and the Navy.Phil Barnett, co-founder and co-CEO of Wood-N-Tap restaurants whose wife, Melanie Jervis, is from Groton, said the growth at Electric Boat wasn’t the deciding factor but it did come into the decision-making process as he considered expanding to Groton.“Obviously, the additional workforce there certainly gives us more opportunity in terms of sales and guests that will be visiting our restaurant,” Barnett said.City looking to draw more businesses, housingIn the City of Groton, Mayor Keith Hedrick said some storefronts are still empty, and he’d like to see them filled with small businesses.“The City of Groton is welcoming to any business that wants to locate or relocate in the City of Groton,” he said. “We welcome them with open arms.”Hedrick said probably the most important need at this point is housing at all levels in the city, the town and the region to accommodate the new employees who are coming.He said one of the city’s challenges is how to encourage Electric Boat employees and Navy personnel to stay and purchase goods and services in the city, rather than drive straight home.He said part of the solution to spur economic development is to draw more people to live in the city and to make it easier for them to walk and bike to businesses, he said. Parking is another issue, and the city is working with Electric Boat on a plan to address parking.City Planner Leslie Creane said the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission is working on revisions for the current General Commercial Zone locations in the northern end of the city. A previous proposal had drawn public opposition from residents.Creane said the area is particularly suitable to be improved as a “gateway community and appropriate for mixed-use development.” The proposed draft revisions, which will go to public hearing in the future, would help create a walkable, bikeable “Main Street Neighborhood.”She said the “draft revisions contemplate development and re-development of an underutilized zone that will encourage harmonious site characteristics with existing and future amenities, investment, and increased housing options in the City of Groton.”“The growth of the Electric Boat workforce and the national housing shortage have exposed the market demand for increased housing,” Creane added. “The current regulations limit the number of allowed dwelling units to two units per parcel amidst uses that are not always compatible with housing.”Patrick said she believes the proposed regulations would start to trigger an economic shift because more will be able to be built and different uses will be able to locate to that area.She said planned improvements to Thames View Park, a waterfront park, also will help economic development and contribute to the community.Reach Kimberly Drelichk.drelich@theday.com(c)2024 The Day (New London, Conn.) 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Originally Published: August 19, 2024 at 4:45 a.m.
