The New Retail Thread

sidewalks said:
Yes. It's a shame. The name of the place that Cultivar replaced escapes me at the moment, but that was terrific at the outset too. It had a great aesthetic and good food. The Boston food scene is tough.
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I think it was Woodward originally.
 
Lrfox said:
Cultivar is closing after a year and a half. This is sadder, and more jarring (in my opinion) than Durgin Park going. It was really good, and the space was nice. The Statement from the owner: “Due to a series of unforeseen events that have created the perfect storm, it is with a heavy heart we announce that today Cultivar will be closing its doors.”

https://boston.eater.com/2019/1/9/18175802/cultivar-closing-downtown-boston-mary-dumont
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Some thoughts about this failure:

1a.) The landlord, Ames Hotel, has had a lackluster career--at best--since inception. Developed at 2007 costs and opened in the 2009 market. Hilton's takeover a few years back was a flat-out rescue. Such a perennially shaky landlord surely couldn't have helped.

1b.) Woodward at Ames, then King Street Tavern, then Cultivar--3 joints failing in 9 years. See 1a.

2.) Non lunchspot (which is to say, restaurants that don't cater to office workers) thrive in clusters, as best I can judge. Nearby, you've got Faneuil Hall cluster to the north (leaving Durgin Park aside), then the rather large Theater District/Ladder District/Chinatown agglomeration starting around Yvonne's and heading all the way south to Stuart St. area. But Ames was more or less on an island (more on that later).

3.) During the weekends, with exceptions, the surrounding neighborhood is a dead zone. Center Plaza, Government Center--that's a vast Friday night--Sunday night wasteland. That couldn't have helped.

4.) But, you say, Oceanaire has thrived across the street for years? Well, who knows if it has actually thrived. But one thing we do know: it enjoys having a massive "sugar daddy" corporate parent.

5.) In stark contrast, Cultivar was very much indie.

What else? Just some preliminary thoughts there...
 
DBM said:
Some thoughts about this failure:
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Some restaurants are good enough to be destinations on their own, even in a "dead" spot. And I don't think this spot is "dead" on weekends. It's on the Freedom trail, next to two major transit stops, and it's at the intersection of Washington and State/Court which is fairly busy with pedestrian activity outside of the normal workday. It's almost always been busy when I've been there on the weekend (a few meals, lots of time just for a drink or two). I honestly don't know that Cultivar was quite at the level where it was a destination on its own, but I have a hard time imagining that the lack of foot traffic in the area is what killed it. The quote from the owner, "a series of unforeseen events that have created the perfect storm," seems to indicate that there's more going on as well.
 
DBM said:
Some thoughts about this failure:

1a.) The landlord, Ames Hotel, has had a lackluster career--at best--since inception. Developed at 2007 costs and opened in the 2009 market. Hilton's takeover a few years back was a flat-out rescue. Such a perennially shaky landlord surely couldn't have helped.

1b.) Woodward at Ames, then King Street Tavern, then Cultivar--3 joints failing in 9 years. See 1a.

2.) Non lunchspot (which is to say, restaurants that don't cater to office workers) thrive in clusters, as best I can judge. Nearby, you've got Faneuil Hall cluster to the north (leaving Durgin Park aside), then the rather large Theater District/Ladder District/Chinatown agglomeration starting around Yvonne's and heading all the way south to Stuart St. area. But Ames was more or less on an island (more on that later).

3.) During the weekends, with exceptions, the surrounding neighborhood is a dead zone. Center Plaza, Government Center--that's a vast Friday night--Sunday night wasteland. That couldn't have helped.

4.) But, you say, Oceanaire has thrived across the street for years? Well, who knows if it has actually thrived. But one thing we do know: it enjoys having a massive "sugar daddy" corporate parent.

5.) In stark contrast, Cultivar was very much indie.

What else? Just some preliminary thoughts there...
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It's interesting--I work near there and desperately miss Hillside as the place I would go for a fancy, pick me up lunch. Good, dependable food, great service were a given there. Cultivar was the logical successor but the food always struck me as not as good as the price (other than the freshly grown salad, which was great). And overly complex design (like they kept switching designers and just adding random stuff instead of starting over) was off putting.
 
estyle said:
It's interesting--I work near there and desperately miss Hillside as the place I would go for a fancy, pick me up lunch.
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I think you must have meant Hillstone? (Which, based on where its location was, makes perfect sense.)
 
But 3/4 of you all keep saying [retail + eateries] in every other building (going up) like we're Manhattan.... which btw has insane density, rents possibly closer in line with income/s, a balance of retail/eateries and the workforce to fill them. i've had a suspicion retail/dining was at risk in Boston but maybe it's even worse than i'd thought.

Restaurants survive in no small measure by the quantity of liquor they can pour.

It may be time to adjust expectations and consider that Boston might not be so different, that the plight of the suburban retail market + eateries can't happen in the City as well. It's time to consider that, despite a relatively robust shopping for a host of retailers, the economics of Boston might be more precarious for retail than we previously thought.

i'm playing 'catch-up' to the possibility.
 
Yea I mean all across America thats the case. Denser walkable cities seem to do better than the median, but you may be right idk if we can necessarily support retail in the base of every single new building when the trends are in the other direction literally everywhere else.

Is this a Quincy market thing or a sign of something bigger?
 
odurandina said:
Restaurants survive in no small measure by the quantity of liquor they can pour.
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Imagine if Boston had arbitrary rules that increased the costs of this very crucial part of a restaurant's business. It would make it much harder to open and operate a restaurant in Boston vs. the suburbs.

Wait......
 
bigpicture7 said:
More info on the TimeOut Market / Food Hall coming to the Landmark Center Building, including initial chef line-up:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifesty.../14/timeout/vBDWuoSHB5zDirtEN4p0NI/story.html
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I know not everyone can access the article, and I won't reprint the whole thing, but here's the meat/potatoes:

  • Tim and Nancy Cushman (Hojoko, O Ya) will operate two kitchens focusing on high quality/casual Asian food.
  • Tony Maws (Craigie on Main, Kirkland Tap & Trotter) will focus on his Craigie burger along with special variations of said burger.
  • Michael Schlow (Tico) will do simple Italian ingredients (al dente pasta, marinated veggies).
  • Peter Ungár (Tasting Counter) will focus on creative, locally-sourced dishes.

Pretty good lineup right there.
 
Lrfox said:
I know not everyone can access the article, and I won't reprint the whole thing, but here's the meat/potatoes:

Tim and Nancy Cushman (Hojoko, O Ya); Tony Maws (Craigie on Main, Kirkland Tap & Trotter); Michael Schlow (Tico); and Peter Ungár (Tasting Counter).

Pretty good lineup right there.
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Thanks LR, my bad for not elaborating. For completeness, the article also mentions that Union Square Doughnuts and the South End's Anoush'ella will each have a branch within the market. In all, there will be "15 restaurants, 2 bars, a demo kitchen, and a retail shop" with more of the vendors announced "in the coming months."
 
bigpicture7 said:
Thanks LR, my bad for not elaborating. For completeness, the article also mentions that Union Square Doughnuts and the South End's Anoush'ella will each have a branch within the market. In all, there will be "15 restaurants, 2 bars, a demo kitchen, and a retail shop" with more of the vendors announced "in the coming months."
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Yep! I missed those. I'm really excited about this. I wish I worked/lived closer.
 
A popular New York City ice cream shop best known for serving its soft-serve in Japanese-style fish-shaped cones will open a location in Boston later this year. Taiyaki NYC, which has two New York locations as well as one each in Miami and Toronto, is coming to the Seaport District next.

Taiyaki NYC will land at 121 Seaport Blvd., near several other New York-born chains, including Fuku and By Chloe.
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https://boston.eater.com/2019/1/18/18188367/taiyaki-nyc-boston-expansion-seaport-district
 
Mission Hill is getting a board game bar. Tavern of Tales (1478 Tremont St., Boston, near the Roxbury Crossing T stop) will offer an immersive board gaming experience, featuring games that include sound effects, music, and narration, according to the bar’s operations director, Christy Henry.

The bar is the first of its kind, per Henry, and it was the “brainchild of the owner, Nicholas Chen, who developed the idea during his time at Boston University.” Chen is a sound designer by trade.
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https://boston.eater.com/2019/1/15/18183806/tavern-of-tales-mission-hill-board-game-bar
 
estyle said:
Also, Askenazy has not really been that innovative and hasn't done much to improve the property beyond some signs. To my mind, they've been a real disappointment as an operator. Given the number of people who go through that space everyday it could be amazing.
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Askenazy said it would be more local, but their first new tenants were Uniqlo and Sephora, which just increased the generic mall ambiance. I miss the little shops that used to be upstairs in the North & South market buildings... they had unique, local products but were replaced with office space and chain stores (including Disney and Urban Outfitters).

They need to offer some kind of local product incubation scheme if they want to make it more attractive. It's ironic that the Boston Public Market has supported those kind of tenants but the historic Quincy Market hasn't.
 
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