The New Retail Thread

Nathalie Wine Bar is opening this afternoon, located at the Pierce building in Fenway.

Glad we're finally getting a bar out of all this new construction on Boylston. It'll be a totally different vibe from the bars down the street near Fenway Park. Hoping the neighborhood continues to build a diverse late-night scene that's not just sports bars and college spots.
 
FenwayResident said:
Nathalie Wine Bar is opening this afternoon, located at the Pierce building in Fenway.

Glad we're finally getting a bar out of all this new construction on Boylston. It'll be a totally different vibe from the bars down the street near Fenway Park. Hoping the neighborhood continues to build a diverse late-night scene that's not just sports bars and college spots.
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VERY good point. Fenway could use a few nicer spots as good options rather than t-shirt and Bud Light bars. (Which are great and definitely fun)
 
cjbski said:
VERY good point. Fenway could use a few nicer spots as good options rather than t-shirt and Bud Light bars. (Which are great and definitely fun)
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I don't disagree but let's not forget:

Tiger Mama
Basho
Citizen Public House
ICOB
Hojoko
Eventide
Eastern Standard
Tapestry

There are many options if you don't want a sports bar.
 
BosDevelop said:
I don't disagree but let's not forget:

Tiger Mama
Basho
Citizen Public House
ICOB
Hojoko
Eventide
Eastern Standard
Tapestry

There are many options if you don't want a sports bar.
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Those are all great spots to have a drink, but they're primarily restaurants. Though they do have bar areas it's not the same as a dedicated bar IMO.
 
Citizen Public House is definitely a bar first. Hojoko is about 50/50 maybe more leaning bar
 
FenwayResident said:
Those are all great spots to have a drink, but they're primarily restaurants. Though they do have bar areas it's not the same as a dedicated bar IMO.
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How about The Hawthorne? Is that adult enough? There really aren't that many places in all of Boston that are primarily upscale bars but not restaurants. Drink, Hawthorne and Lion's Tail come to mind with more in Cambridge/Somerville.
 
I agree with that theory. More money going to housing = less disposable income to drop around town.
 
Coyote137 said:
I agree with that theory. More money going to housing = less disposable income to drop around town.
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Eh. Yes and no. Generally I agree that more money toward housing means less money for meals out for many. But I think two things off-set that here in Boston.

1) There's an influx of wealth in Boston. These people can mostly both afford the expensive housing, and afford a meal out. Housing prices in Boston are rising, but they've been pretty high for some time. I don't think people are suddenly eating out less as a result. The people who are eating out less have likely not been eating out much for some time. If anything, you could make the case that the increase in wealthy residents, and the influx of residents in general is having a positive impact on demand.

2) Dining out is becoming a bigger part of people's lives, and as such, a bigger part of people's budgets. The number of restaurants have increased because the demand for restaurants have increased. The recent, small dip is (as the article described it), a market correction. Restaurants are a gamble. They won't all be winners - even the ones driven be top tier chefs. The market will adjust and you'll see new restaurants coming down the pipeline soon. If you've ever tried to get a table between 6:30 - 9pm around here, you can see that supply has not met demand.
 
I'm also of the belief that the general price for meals out has risen at a pace higher than increases in income. The cost for a typical lunch or dinner has really gone up, especially when you figure a drink or two into the mix. Some places are just pricing themselves out of a customer base.
 
fantastic post. i just hope this isn't indicative of a widening gap of disposable cash.

if we can only find a magic formula to get/save more dive bars.
 
I don't think its a rent vs eating out issue. Build a good restaurant on good real estate and they will come.

Look at what the Lincoln restaurant group has done in Southie. 4 restaurants within blocks of each other that each have lines Thurs-Sunday.
 
I've found myself ordering in more and going out less. And that's a different type of restaurant use. And delivery is easier now with Grubhub, Door Dash, etc.
 
Coyote137 said:
I'm also of the belief that the general price for meals out has risen at a pace higher than increases in income. The cost for a typical lunch or dinner has really gone up, especially when you figure a drink or two into the mix. Some places are just pricing themselves out of a customer base.
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I agree with this. The article is mostly about expensive restaurants going out of business - places that cost $50, $100, or more per person. There are a lot of people making a lot of money in Boston, but it seems clear there are too many restaurants chasing those high-end dining dollars.

These closures are coupled more to commercial rents than to residential rents. The landlord essentially sets the price point that his tenant restaurant will serve in the lease. Until now, it has been a pretty good bet to go after a high-end restaurant that can pay high rent. This correction should hopefully mean that more landlords are willing to accept lower rent if it means the tenant restaurant is more likely to last more than 18 months.
 
I've complained before about the lack of higher-end bars in Fenway, especially compared to the relative abundance of sports bars and college bars. With Nathalie having opened recently and Fool's Errand opening up this week, I think my complaints are no longer valid. Fool's Errand reminds me of a tiny bar you'd find in Greenwich Village - something exceedingly rare in Boston's bar scene that is dominated by large bars and restaurants.

IMO Fenway's bar scene now has a healthy mix of casual and upscale. It's definitely an interesting mix of people walking around Boylston on a weekend night, especially when there's not a ball game. I'm really happy with how this neighborhood has evolved since I moved here in 2012.
 
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