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Wireless Zone Opens at Hartford 21

Janice Podsada

April 22, 2011

A Wireless Zone store that sells Verizon phones, accessories and service contracts opened at the Hartford 21 apartment tower in downtown Hartford this week.

Wireless Zone, a franchise business that bills itself as a "one-stop-shop … for Verizon wireless products," opened Monday, the second tenant added to the Hartford 21's roster in little over a month.

In mid-March, The Market at Hartford 21, an 8,500-square-foot grocery store, opened on Asylum Street. The Hartford 21 is owned by Northland Investment Corp. Northland could not be reached for comment Friday.

The Wireless Zone at 231 Trumbull St. is owned by Jonah Engler, a former Wall Street stockbroker who purchased his first franchise in 2008. The Hartford 21 is Engler's 23rd Wireless Zone franchise.

"After opening my first locations in Hartford, I continued to look to find locations that were clearly underserved and I felt like this was the next step in my development with Wireless Zone," Engler said in a prepared statement.

Wireless Zone is a Middletown-based cellphone business that was founded in Wethersfield as The Car Phone Store in 1988. It has more than 400 stores in 11 states, according to the company's website.

Kevin Sinclair, president of Wireless Zone, said, "When selecting new franchisees, we seek out business-savvy individuals who are committed to becoming the local go-to wireless professional. The big emphasis is on local."