In case you missed it: Signs of life at abandoned Lambert Kay factoryv

WINSTED — A historic Winsted property that had been vacant for 15 years is finally coming back to life, with new businesses set to open in 2018.

The factory at 32 Lake St.  was built in 1852 and was once home to the American Hoe Company.  It was most recently occupied by Lambert Kay, a manufacturer of products for pets. The company went out of business and abandoned the site in 1993.

In 2002 the town of Winsted, following a town meeting vote, purchased the property for $1. The property was cleaned up, with help from the state in the form of a $500,000 grant for a brownfields remediation.

Over the years, various companies approached the town and made offers to purchase and renovate the building. Each one fell by the wayside — until this year in March, when Parker Benjamin Real Estate Services from Unionville, Conn., submitted  a bid for $1,000.

The company outlined plans for the 32,500-square-foot property at a special town meeting on July 20. Managing broker Brian Lyman said that Little Red Barn Brewers of Barkhamsted had signed on to be the first tenant  and plans to be in the building by next summer.

Eventually, he said, the building will have a mix of tenants, including a restaurant and several shops. 

In September, Mad River Market announced that it, too, had signed a non-binding agreement with Parker Benjamin to rent space in the building.

The market was formed in April after the closing of the Winsted Super Saver IGA grocery store.

The property is being renamed the Winsted Edge Works, in honor of the Winsted Edge Tool Works, which occupied the building in the mid 1800s.