Some things are just meant to be.
On Easter Sunday, Ashley Forbes and Branden LeBlanc of Windsor Locks came to Granby hoping to buy their dream home. After looking at the house and making an offer, they stopped at Icy Rolls at 10 Hartford Ave., one of their favorite spots in town.
“The owner had a paper ‘Business for Sale’ sign on the door,” Forbes recalls. “We loved the house that we saw, but we quickly learned that we were outbid. Instead of a home, we bought a business that day with a handshake. Two weeks later, we signed the papers.”
The transition was seamless. The former owner taught Forbes and LeBlanc how the business operates, and on April 28, Icy Rolls opened under their ownership without missing a beat.
“After we bought Icy Rolls, which is open noon to 9 p.m., we’d ask ourselves what we’re doing for lunch and dinner, and we soon got tired of the same food options every day,” Forbes says. “It was summer, and we wanted choices that were fast and affordable. We decided that Granby needed a sandwich shop.” The Trading Post Eatery was the couple’s answer to that need.”
Forbes and LeBlanc imagined combining Icy Rolls and The Trading Post into one large space with a soup, salad and sandwich menu and plenty of tables for their guests. “It would be similar to Panera, with people coming to eat and hang out, but there is no available parking for the two big, empty units in this plaza,” Forbes says. “All the parking spaces were already assigned to existing businesses.”
Disappointed but undaunted, the couple went back to the drawing board and agreed on a new plan. They rented the small space next to Granby Barber and Styling and put in a small kitchen. “It ended up being mostly take-out,” Forbes says. “We have a table and a bench inside and a bench on the side of the building, so in nice weather, people can sit outside while they wait for their orders.”
The Trading Post Eatery opened on Sept. 7, and business has been brisk. “We announced our opening on Granby Living, and word spread as people began coming and liked what we offer: good food at reasonable prices,” Forbes says.
Restaurant ownership was never part of this couple’s life plan. Forbes is pursuing an online degree in agricultural business with the dream of owning an “attraction farm.” LeBlanc, a 2013 graduate of Lincoln Tech in East Windsor, is a diesel mechanic.
“I learned a lot on my own,” LeBlanc says. “I had a single mother on a tight budget, so I figured out how to fix things, and I spent years repairing tractors and trucks on my best friend’s family farm. I was very successful in the diesel world, but then I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and I had to find a new career.”
Forbes has always worked in food service, first at McDonald’s, where she worked her way up to management, and later as kitchen manager at the Fairfield Inn. When COVID hit and the Fairfield Inn closed, she ran the take-out kitchen at Chick-fil-A in Enfield. For her, the transition to restaurant ownership was smooth, and LeBlanc, an avid griller, slid easily into the role of cook. Forbes oversees the menu, including weekly seasonal specials, keeps the kitchen stocked, and takes walk-in, online and phone orders.
The new ventures have been a good investment for this couple. “In summer, Icy Rolls was super busy,” Forbes says. “We had three college students working full time. But now it’s kind of slow because most people don’t know that we’re now open year-round.” Icy Rolls was formerly a seasonal business.
For now, since Icy Rolls is slow on week days, a sign on the door asks you to ring the doorbell. Forbes, just two doors down at The Trading Post, will be right there to serve you homemade icy rolls in your choice of ever-expanding flavors, including seasonal choices like apple cider, maple and pumpkin pie. High school students take over on weekends.
While business is booming at The Trading Post, Forbes and LeBlanc plan to expand. “Branden and I don’t do ‘comfortable’ well,” Forbes says. “Once we get comfortable, we have to add something. We bought an old construction trailer and Branden is turning it into a commercial kitchen/food truck that we can take to events. By the time that’s ready, we should have a couple of high school kids working here.”
As for LeBlanc, he’s game for just about anything. “I like to go-go-go,” he says. “I’m not a sit-and-do-nothing person. My mind and hands have to be active.” That includes walks with the couple’s two-year-old German shepherd Dixie, chasing after three young children and, in season, water sports at Lake Congamond from their pontoon boat.
How, one might wonder, did Forbes and LeBlanc zero in on Granby, and why did they name their eatery The Trading Post? “I grew up coming to Granby to ride my dirt bike, and I came to love this town,” LeBlanc says. “It’s a different kind of small town with lots of open space and very friendly people. The excellent schools are a bonus!”
Forbes explains the name choice. “I wanted something old-fashioned, so I did a lot of research on Granby,” she says. “In the old days, this was the main trading spot in town, and we love that.”
Forbes and LeBlanc remain determined to purchase a home in Granby, where they have already made new friends whom they hope will soon become their neighbors.
In a hurry? Place your order online at thetradingpostgranby.com seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. or call in your order at 860-494-0610. Walk-ins are always welcome.
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