Three years ago, the Firebox in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood succumbed early in the pandemic shutdown, part of a wave of restaurant closings that would devastate the hospitality industry in Connecticut.

But its reopening Tuesday as Fire by Forge would not have been certain if it were not for a $150,000 grant from the city’s storefront revitalization program, making up nearly a third of the new restaurant’s start-up costs.

“It would have been much more difficult, if not impossible,” said Ben Dubow, executive director of Forge City Works, the restaurant’s operator. “Because we’re a non-profit, we can go raise money in ways that other small businesses can’t. But honestly, it would have been really challenging.”

A year after the city launched the Hart Lift grants to fill vacant storefronts, the program — financed by federal pandemic relief funds — has notched some early wins and has captured the attention of other towns and cities.

So far, more than 60 grants totaling $6.7 million, split between downtown and Hartford neighborhoods, have been awarded. And through last week, 16 businesses have either opened or expanded, including a bakery downtown, a Spanish restaurant in Parkville and a lighting retailer in the South End.

More than two dozen additional storefronts are expected to open before the end of year in a program that partnered the city with the Hartford Chamber of Commerce.

Even so, it is still too early assess the long-term success and viability of the businesses and what role they will play in the city recapturing revitalization momentum that suffered a major setback in the pandemic. A growing population of residents, particularly downtown, is expected to provide support but the pandemic showed how dependent downtown is on office employees who have been slow to return from remote work, even for part of the week.

When Hart Lift was launched, it was unclear what the demand for the grants would be, given that small businesses were deeply hurt in the pandemic. But interest was strong, a hopeful sign for building 24/7 vibrancy throughout the city.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said filling vacant storefronts is a key piece of the puzzle in recovering from the pandemic, along with promoting the development of more housing downtown. He believes office workers will eventually return as companies discover the costs of remote work, particularly the loss of collaboration that sparks innovation.

“We’re not just going to wait around for that to happen,” Bronin said. “We’re going to stay aggressive in doing everything we can to activate the city in other ways, whether that’s through residential construction, through arts and culture and more through activation of our retail spaces.”

Bronin said there is no guaranteeing how many of businesses securing grants will survive in the long run because many of them are entrepreneurial in nature.

“The broader mission is to make sure our forward progress doesn’t stop,” Bronin said. “To make sure that we maintain the momentum and the energy and generate the activity. And just like we understand that not every business will be successful — but helping dozens and dozens of businesses open up and get a shot in spaces that were previously vacant and dark makes our city more successful as a whole.”

Downtown Hartford has its share of restaurants but they are “spread out,” an atmosphere that Hart Lift seeks to dramatically change, said Julio A. Concepción, executive director of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce.

Nowhere downtown is that more apparent than on Pratt Street. There are 12 businesses approved for Hart Lift grants, seven are for restaurants or bars. The storefront leases come as apartments have been added to former office space above those retail spaces and more are planned.

“So, it’s not as dense as like a West Hartford where if you are going from one restaurant to another you are probably passing two or three on the way there,” Concepción said. “And that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with the Hart Lift, particularly downtown — creating that density where if you are walking from Vaughan’s to Max Downtown you’re probably going to pass three or four other options on the way, making that walk a more enjoyable walk.”

‘Goal to activate spaces’

In the Hart Lift program, property owners can qualify for grants up to $50 a square foot — up to $150,000 in total — and there must be a signed agreement between the property owner and the tenant.

The grants also must be matched 100% downtown and 50% in the neighborhoods. The match must come from the property owner, the business owner or a a combination of the two. Grants must be returned if a business does not ultimately open.

Of the 62 grants, nearly half involve food or beverage service of some sort.

While officials say they are pleased with progress propelled so far by Hart Lift, construction has been hampered by the pandemic hangover of supply chain troubles in securing construction materials. Hiring workers for various aspects of space renovations — plumbers and electricians, for instance — were already in short supply before the pandemic and remain so.

Thin staffing at city hall’s building department also has led to backlogs in securing permits and scheduling inspections crucial to moving projects ahead.

Bronin, the Hartford mayor, acknowledged those delays but noted that the demand for permits and inspections “and work for that team to do (is greater) than any point in recent memory.”

“They’re working through those projects as quickly as they can because that team knows that they’re the front line of helping attract and support investment in the city,” Bronin said.

The chamber’s Concepción said that organization is taking a stronger role in helping coordinate approvals from planning and zoning plus the city’s building and health departments.

There have been hiccups in the program.

The scrapping of plans by the Hog River Brewing Co. to become a tenant in the expansion of the successful Parkville Market took some by surprise, including the chamber. Property owner Carlos Mouta had been approved for a $150,000 Hart Lift grant for the relocation of the brewery and taproom from across the street. According to the chamber, Mouta had spent $75,000 when the deal fell apart.

In an interview, Mouta, a prominent Parkville developer, said he has stopped spending the grant money and has three options to replace Hog River. A lease had not been signed as of Friday, and Mouta declined to identify who might replace Hog River.

“It’s going to be a brewery, period,” Mouta said.

Bronin said he is comfortable with the grant staying with the space as long as the requirements of Hart Lift are met, including a signed agreement.

“Look, our goal is to activate spaces,” Bronin said.

‘Sense of something new’

In Frog Hollow, the Fire by Forge name is partly a nod to Firebox incorporating “Fire” but with enough change to show it is a new restaurant.

The menu will shift from Firebox’s fine dining to upscale casual and feature Pan American themed dishes. In addition, when the restaurant reopens Tuesday, it will initially serve breakfast and lunch, merging The Kitchen Café next door into Fire by Forge. In about a month, the restaurant will add dinner.

Fire by Forge intends to use fresh, local and sustainably produced ingredients “across the board.” The restaurant also will be part of its training program to prepare participants for jobs in the hospitality industry.

Most of the Hart Lift grant went to renovations in the kitchen, including repair major structural problems in the floor and better organizing the space to accommodate the training program, DuBow said.

The space has been outfitted with new lighting, flooring and paint. In the back dining room, a wall that was almost entirely used for wine storage is now shared with a vintage map of the Americas to further build on the restaurant’s theme. The layout of the space remains similar to Firebox.

“So we hope people will feel familiar, but also a sense of something new,” Dubow said.

Dubow said he is already looking ahead to a second Forge City Works project that also is being partly funded with a $141,000 Hart Lift grant: a small neighborhood grocery. The store, to be located at The Studio at Billings Forge, would be in partnership with Connecticut Food Share. Patrons would be charged on a sliding scale, depending on income.

Forge City Works is a social enterprise initiative that provides both hospitality industry job training and food access to people in vulnerable populations in the city.

The grocery will focus on fresh produce, beef, dairy and grocery ingredients for preparing dinners — absent in many neighborhoods, DuBow said.

“This is not a citywide solution,” DuBow said. “But it’s a stop gap for this neighborhood. And hopefully its something that maybe can be reproduced in other neighborhoods in the meantime. But I’m still a big advocate for solving the grocery store problem in Hartford.”

Here is a sample of 10 businesses approved for Hart Lift grants, followed by a list of all recipients and their opening dates:

1. 88 Pratt St.

Business: Urban Lodge Brewing Co.

Grant: $150,000

Opening: Summer/Fall 2023

Operator: Michael Gerrity

The details: Urban Lodge is expanding to Hartford from its first location in Manchester. The new storefront will be a tap room that also will serve food.

2. 77 Pratt St.

Business: Lyons Den

Grant: $102,100

Opening: Spring/Summer 2023

Operator: Dan Lyon

The details: The Lyons Den will be a live music venue with food and drinks on the menu.

3. 539 Broad St.

Business: Fire by Forge

Grant: $150,000

Opening: Tuesday

Operator: Forge City Works

The details: The former Firebox restaurant is reborn as an upscale casual, chef-driven, Pan-American inspired café, restaurant and bar. Forge by Fire will begin by serving breakfast and lunch and then add dinner in about a month.

4. 101 Main St.

Business: Rooster’s Chicken & Waffles

Grant: $92,500

Opening: Spring/Summer 2023

Operator: Lou Sterling

The details: Rooster’s Hartford restaurant will be its 7th in Connecticut and will specialize in fried chicken and southern fixings.

5. 100 Trumbull St.

Business: The Portly Pig

Grant: $131,250

Opening: Summer/Fall 2023

Operator: Jonathan Shivic

The details: This restaurant, which now operates out of the Parkville Market, would expand to a downtown storefront with its menu of New England-style barbecue.

6. 1200 Park St.

Business: El Pollo Rico

Grant: $62,500

Opening: Open

Operator: Erick Sanchez

The details: This restaurant has a fast dining Spanish menu.

7. 177 Allyn St.

Business: Exit Hartford

Grant: $150,000

Opening: Summer/Fall 2023

Operator: Bilal Amin

The details: A storefront in the 179 Allyn St. apartment building, this restaurant and bar will have a menu of American favorites.

8. 280 Trumbull St.

Business: RAW*

Grant: $150,000

Opening: Spring/Summer

Operator: Gina Luari

Description: RAW* will be a “millennial-friendly” raw bar seafood restaurant with unique cocktails.

9. 93 Pratt St.

Business: El Gallo y El Coqui

Grant: $129,700

Opening: Summer/Fall 2023

Operator: Oscar Caamano

The details: This restaurant will offer a mix of fine dining and Latin American cuisine.

10. 54 Pratt St.

Business: Hartford Flavor Co. Parlor

Grant: $150,000

Opening: Summer/Fall 2023

Operator: Lelaneia Dubay

The details: The parlor room will specialize in unique cocktails while offering patrons an “old time” setting in the middle of downtown.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.