The New Retail Thread

Sometimes, but rarely. Not every retail district can be a destination - only very few can, in fact. Why prop them up with gimmicks like free movie nights when they can't survive servicing current residents? Why can't they compete as is? Those root causes should be addressed instead.
 
Walking in Central Sq. (Cambridge) yesterday, saw that there's a new cafe - Flour Bakery - next to that new wine/cheese place at street level of that Novartis(?) office building. I'm very glad to see the retail there, but the tinted glass windows they use make it difficult to tell if either of these places are actually open (unless there are a bunch of people inside - though looking at the posted hours solves the problem easily enough : ) ). The same thing goes for the that new restaurant on the Harvard/Central border, Canteen. It seems on that one, the windows change tinting depending on the amount of sunlight...and when it's sunny, you can't see inside at all! When you're walking by any retail/restaurant space, it's good to be able to see the activity going on inside.
 
Doubtless they are thinking of customers' desire for comfort and maybe desire for some privacy. They must hope that this trumps popularity in terms of attracting people - maybe they want to grow by word of mouth and repeat business rather than by merely attracting passersby with crowds.
 
You either have word of mouth or you have clear glass.
 
It should be said that Canteen also puts out free jugs of pink lemonade on hot days. I'm not sure if this really entices anyone inside to pay, though. If anything, I think the tinted windows have given the local homeless population the impression they can drink the stuff to their hearts' content with impunity.
 
Isn't that newish bakery in Fort Point also called Flour? I wonder if they expanded.
 
BostonUrbEx said:
I didn't realize so many Uno's were closing. The only one I knew of was the one in Danvers which I thought was doing great. The one in Revere sucks and should have closed instead.
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There's an Uno's in Revere? I walked up and down the beach today (for the sandcastle festival), and also up and down Shirley Avenue, and did not see it.
 
Ron Newman said:
There's an Uno's in Revere? I walked up and down the beach today (for the sandcastle festival), and also up and down Shirley Avenue, and did not see it.
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Ron, sometimes you seem too earnest for your own good. Have you considered folding a dollop of skepticism into your routine?
 
Hello robo-poster.

People aren't aware there are other parts of Revere besides the beach?
 
Dueling Pianos Headed to Boston
by Donna Goodison 7/23/10 in the Boston Herald
Howl at the Moon, the Chicago-based dueling piano bar chain, is set to open its 15th location, on Boston?s High Street, on Aug. 13.

Local partner Paul Holian says to expect a high-energy show with no breaks from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Two pianists, from a rotating group of five, will play requests from Sinatra to Jay-Z, and other instrumentalists - a horn player, drummer or guitarist - will join in, depending on the songs.

?The concept is really cool,? said Holian, who co-owns The Place on nearby Broad Street. ?It will be the only form of entertainment like this in Boston, so we?re hoping it?s going to appeal not only to the people who live (here), but the people who visit. It?s a very tourist-driven concept, so it?s good for the convention business.?

Howl is relocating three of its piano players from other locations, and two will be hired locally. Holian hopes to strike up partnerships with local music schools including Berklee to hire people for positions chain-wide.

?We?re toying with doing audition nights where local musical talent can perform and win a job with Howl at the Moon in Orlando or Chicago or other locations, because of the strong musical talent we have here,? he said.

Before he was approached by Howl, Holian was planning to open his own piano bar, called HighBar, to fill the void left by last year?s closing of Jake Ivory?s on Lansdowne Street.

?They really liked the Boston market, particularly since Jake Ivory?s left . . . but they were a little nervous about coming (here) without a local partner,? Holian said.

S.J. Torres, Holian?s partner at The Place, also is a partner. Other investors are WAAF morning man Greg Hill and John Moore, owner of the Navy Yard Bistro and Wine Bar in Charlestown. Moore will oversee the menu of appetizers, sandwiches and salads.
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The location is 184 High Street, across from International Place.

Further along in the article, a Mexican restaurant probably coming to Fort Point:

Legendary Restaurant Group is close to signing a lease for a new Mexican restaurant in the Fort Point Channel area of South Boston?s Seaport District.

The owners of Scollay Square, Tavern on the Water and Max & Dylan?s are negotiating with Normandy Real Estate Partners for a space on Summer Street.

?The time is right to expand,? co-owner Chris Damian said.

A Mexican restaurant will bring him and partner Brad Dalbeck back to their decade of running the Border Cafes in Cambridge and Saugus. Although they initially eyed a high-end eatery, Jon Cronin?s plans to open an upscale Mexican restaurant at nearby Liberty Wharf prompted a switch.

?It will be more approachable and accessible - more neighborhood-style,? said Damian, who declined to discuss specifics until he has a signed lease in hand.
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Howl at the moon coming to Boston is exciting.

There hasnt been dueling pianos in Boston since that one place on Lansdowne closed.
 
jass said:
Howl at the moon coming to Boston is exciting.

There hasnt been dueling pianos in Boston since that one place on Lansdowne closed.
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went there over the weekend. The place is small and intimate. The music was all over the place playing everything from Queen to John Denver, Journey to the Little Mermaid theme song. They took requests as well.

Wasn't really dueling, as much as constant flow of music with the occasional drum and guitar accompaniment. My first piano bar experience so i didn't know what to expect. It was a great time!

Drinks weren't bad $5 for sam's and blue moon, $2 high lifes.

Overall very fun place to spend a friday night and will definitely go back!
 
French bistro to replace JFK crossing B.Good. Unless they plan to make the kitchen smaller, the space seems too small for me to visualize a full bar with seating as well as tables - but I'm sure they have a plan to make it work. Of course, in nice weather there's great potential for the outdoor patio space. Overall, I find this is great news -the conversion of the site from garage to restaurant was a great transformation, and despite the failure of B.good here I'm happy to see the space is still in demand.

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By John Hilliard/staff writer
Wicked Local Brookline
Posted Sep 02, 2010 @ 03:19 PM
Last update Sep 02, 2010 @ 03:43 PM

Brookline ? A Newton restaurant owner said he?ll open a French bistro in JFK Crossing next month, filling a Harvard Street spot vacated by the local B.good restaurant chain.

?We?re really excited? I?ve been looking for a spot in Brookline for two years now. It?s tough to get in,? said Nelson Cognac, whose new restaurant, Cognac Bistro, is slated to replace the former B.good JFK Crossing location by mid-October.

Cognac has operated Kouzina, a Greek restaurant based on Beacon Street in Waban, for the past nine years. He?s a trained French chef who worked in San Francisco and Boston, and said he?s always had his eye on opening a restaurant in Brookline.

Cognac will replace B.good, which closed its doors on Aug. 30 after opening up shop at 455 Harvard St. in 2007.

While waiting for a spot in Brookline that was available and met his needs, he opened Kouzina with his wife in Newton. He said he?ll keep his Newton store open, and expects business to grow in Newton through a new customer base in Brookline.

Though B.good?s owners said a lack of daytime customer foot traffic led to the decision to move their store from Brookline to Downtown Crossing in Boston, Cognac said he?s used to working in that situation.

?If you want a place without foot traffic, come to Waban,? said Cognac, who said he?s been able to build a strong following there, and hopes to do the same in Brookline.

?There?s a great neighborhood all around us? in Coolidge Corner, he said.

He said he plans on adding a bar to the Brookline restaurant, plus offer a raw bar of sushi and other selections. Living up to the name, the bistro will have a selection of cognac on hand. It?ll also start out on dinner, and later add lunch.

He said he will go before selectmen later this month for needed licenses, including an all-kinds liquor license and a common victualler license.

B.good was home to a rooftop garden that the restaurant used ? with Health Department approval ? to grow some of its own vegetables. Cognac said he hasn?t decided what to do with it, but at least one neighbor has already asked about the tomatoes growing on the roof.

?I?m going to take a look at it. It?s very well taken care of,? said Cognac.

John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@cnc.com or 781-433-8362.
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http://www.wickedlocal.com/brooklin...Bistro-at-former-B-good-location-in-Brookline
 
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