The New Retail Thread

Many former Borders stores are being taken over by Books A Million, a southern based bookstore chain. I know of several in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Any chance that the Downtown Crossing store will go that way?
 
jermz58 said:
Faneuil Hall sold : Fox News:

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/business/faneuil-hall-marketplace-sold-for-140-million-20111015
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A very deceptive headline "Faneuil Hall Marketplace sold for $140 million"

General Growth property did not own Faneuil Hall, nor any of the historic related market buildings and hence couldn't sell the buildings any more than you or I could.

In point of fact -- General Growth sold to Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., (New York company) the remaining 63-year ground lease for Faneuil Hall Marketplace -- originally leased from the BRA for a term of 99 years.
 
I provided some in-depth info about the Ashkenazy acquisition in BosUrbEx's real estate/development thread.
 
Boston.com
The Otherside Cafe to close Dec. 23
Posted by Roy Greene November 17, 2011 11:44 AM

By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent

Hungry cyclists, students, and shoppers will soon have to find a new place to dine on fresh sandwiches and sip cold beer as the Newbury Street staple, The Otherside Cafe, prepares to close next month.

An employee for the vegan friendly restaurant confirmed Thursday it will close on Dec. 23. The reason was not immediately clear.

Owners of the cafe, which is now situated across from the top of Newbury Street on Massachusetts Ave., are in the process of looking for a new location, the employee said.

The news of the closing comes as the popular Midwest furniture chain Room & Board looks to open its first Massachusetts store on the prominent corner where The Otherside Cafe is located. The Island Hopper restaurant, and mattress seller Sleep-A-Rama are also located on that corner.

Room & Board has told the Globe it is considering multiple urban and suburban locations and has not finalized any plans.

The restaurant’s closing is likely to be hard felt by vegetarians and vegans, but also the city’s bicycling community that frequents the small cafe.

The Otherside Cafe was applauded by the cycling community in 2009 when it became the first business to trade in a metered parking spot in front of its building for an on-street bike rack with room for 12 bicycles.
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It sucks that The Otherside is closing/moving, but I've been hoping a Room & Board would open up in Boston. I don't know why, but for some reason their stuff appeals to me a lot more than Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, etc.
 
Hipsters and phony musicians hardest hit.

I'm sure The Other Side can relocate to some hole in the wall location in Alston.
 
So the two story starbucks in harvard square is actually quite nice.

IMG_2920.jpg


Big problem is, it's jammed with chair hogs. People who sit down for a few hours.

It's a coffee shop, not a study lounge. GTFO and leave those chairs for customers.


Also, the bathroom is a pain in the ass. Basement, elevator access only (stairs not allowed). Damn thing is the world's slowest elevator. You also need a code on your receipt, and you must punch it in before the doors close.
 
I can't fucking stand the clientele of Starbucks and Panera. So arrogant and "me me me". I bet they're the same crowd that demands more taxes and coddling everyone in the lower rungs no questions asked. The same type who say you're racist for disagreeing with Obama. Basically; the Occupy crowd. Meanwhile they sit in on their laptop, half the time they don't even buy ANYTHING! They just suck up the free Wi-Fi by themselves at a table for 4 or 6. Bunch of fucking- oh- err- sorry, touchy subject....
 
PS: There's something new at 45 Province but I forget what it is. It's the only thing 45 has to offer at street level. God, such a terrible street level...

EDIT: I think it was a cupcake place?
 
BostonUrbEx said:
PS: There's something new at 45 Province but I forget what it is. It's the only thing 45 has to offer at street level. God, such a terrible street level...

EDIT: I think it was a cupcake place?
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I think Kickass Cupcakes may have opened there. For some reason that's the first thing that comes to mind.
 
dshoost88 said:
I think Kickass Cupcakes may have opened there. For some reason that's the first thing that comes to mind.
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Kickass Cupcakes is still only in Davis Square. They have a roving cupcake truck they drive around town though, often in Copley Sq.
 
BostonUrbEx said:
I can't fucking stand the clientele of Starbucks and Panera. So arrogant and "me me me". I bet they're the same crowd that demands more taxes and coddling everyone in the lower rungs no questions asked. The same type who say you're racist for disagreeing with Obama. Basically; the Occupy crowd. Meanwhile they sit in on their laptop, half the time they don't even buy ANYTHING! They just suck up the free Wi-Fi by themselves at a table for 4 or 6. Bunch of fucking- oh- err- sorry, touchy subject....
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1. "me me me" yet demanding more taxes to benefit people other than "me"?
2. And the Occupy crowd doesn't have major beef with Obama???? You need more liberal friends.

And why do you think people don't buy anything in the first place? Because the WiFi is FREE!! If Starbucks was as bothered as you by "free riders", they'd implement one of any number of sensible policies for restricting WiFi use to paying customers.
 
Starbucks would be better off setting time limits for seats.

Have a 20 minute section, a 45 minute section and a 100 minute section.

Time is enforced with a bumpaddle.
 
45 Province is Cakeology. Owner won Cupcake Wars on TV this past year. Had a virtual business only until she could afford to build a bricks-and-mortar shop. Very small shop, 3 tables. Some food baked on-site. Coffee and cupcakes, lattes too, I think. Cupcakes are $3 or $3.25 each. Very tasty, not very big. No signs visible from down Province Street; can't see how it can last. Was in there once. Only open during week (maybe Saturdays?). Without strong word of mouth, cannot last.
 
blade_bltz said:
1. "me me me" yet demanding more taxes to benefit people other than "me"?
Click to expand...

They're free to send a check to the US Treasury whenever they like, but they don't. They want everyone else to pay up. Since they have the time to suck up free WiFi for hours on end, they're probably not working and paying income taxes anyway.

blade_bltz said:
2. And the Occupy crowd doesn't have major beef with Obama???? You need more liberal friends.
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They used to have a beef, but most of those folks seem to have fallen out recently. This used to be a fight against the crony capitalism and our flawed system, but now it seems to just be a "cool" thing to do for hipsters to do.
 
Former Frindly's in Lexington (extended Center area) became a Starbucks
Then there were two a 10 minute walk appart --the purpose built coffee shop in the center (originally a Coffee Connection now a Strabucks) is just a coffee shop -- people enter buy coffee drink and leave

On the other hand the much larger converted Friendly's sitting on the edge of a large parking lot (no meters) is a ful-time work zone -- several consultants do most of their business using the free wifi, convenient small tables, and confortable arm chairs to meet clients -- but the Starbucks folks don't care because durring quiet times they provide a steady stream of orders for Lattes and Cappuccinos with the occasional scone
 
BostonUrbEx said:
I can't fucking stand the clientele of Starbucks and Panera. So arrogant and "me me me". I bet they're the same crowd that demands more taxes and coddling everyone in the lower rungs no questions asked. The same type who say you're racist for disagreeing with Obama. Basically; the Occupy crowd. Meanwhile they sit in on their laptop, half the time they don't even buy ANYTHING! They just suck up the free Wi-Fi by themselves at a table for 4 or 6. Bunch of fucking- oh- err- sorry, touchy subject....
Click to expand...

On the other hand, perhaps celibacy wasn't the best idea.
 
Whenever I walk into a Starbucks, I always count the number of laptops. A little fun before I get my coffee.
 
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