The New Retail Thread

The Earl.

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underground said:
Marliave's reinvention would actually be a pretty good model for a reopened Lock-Ober. Keep the classic vibe (which is blowing up right now) but loose the stuffy.
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Just read this after having lunch at the Marliave. It was mediocre at best. All the "stuffiness" was taken out and all that was left was white walls and lifeless booths and lighting. The wait staff was overly casual and the kitchen was noisy. An all-round unpleasant experience and far from the atmosphere of the old Marliave's (which did not have great food either). This place is no improvement.
 
Huh, that's weird. I've never had a bad meal there and think it's got one of the best interior's in the city. Different strokes, etc, etc I guess.
 
Padre Mike said:
Just read this after having lunch at the Marliave. It was mediocre at best. All the "stuffiness" was taken out and all that was left was white walls and lifeless booths and lighting. The wait staff was overly casual and the kitchen was noisy. An all-round unpleasant experience and far from the atmosphere of the old Marliave's (which did not have great food either). This place is no improvement.
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I had a tour of Locke-Obers last Friday and afterwards took a look around at Marliave. I agree with what you said but I expected worse. I wish people could appreciate old style places. I haven't tried the food at Marliave since the renovation but it looks pricey. I'll take an old style red sauce Italian restaurant over these new hip Italian restaurants any day.
 
The food's not really Italian any more. I don't know what you'd call it, but I've had a lot of the things on the menu and have liked them all.
 
The Oak Bar was packed solid on Thursday night around 9:30pm. Walking by Friday night, much earlier, it was very busy.

Their renovation seems to have paid off - lots of pretty people, most in suits or similar, ages 35-50. Could have been a convention thing on Thurs but Fri was probably real people.
 
^I am not a bar person....I'm partially deaf and find most restaurants are built to be noisy to create an exaggerated "buzz". As a result I hear nothing but my tinnitus and lots of babble. Glad it was packed though; I always like places full of people spending money. For me, I just want a nice quiet place where I can talk with my dinner companion. So far I've found one great one: my house! LOL
 
Was just flipping through job postings on Craigslist...

Pinkberry will be opening in South Station!! Woohoo!!!!
 
Depressing.

HOWEVER ... there is very good news in there ... 129 Tremont Street will be turned into one of the cafes. This is the corner building at Tremont and Winter streets, most-recently a Finagle a Bagel but empty for several years.

Old-timers will remember that this spot used to be a bank, back in the day. It is an odd coincidence that, I swear, as I walked by today, I was scouting out to see if it could become one again.

And it will be.

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From the MIT Libraries Flickr photostream.
 
So this is what they are doing in Coolidge Corner, it seems.

Three dimensional billboards that serve espresso.

I will say somewhat positively that this sounds like a more "active" use than a traditional retail bank... (which is just about like saying that malaria is better than cancer)
 
So, Cinquecento Restaurant opened last night at 500 Harrison in the South End, in what was previously Rocca. The Aquitaine people are behind this.

http://www.cinquecentoboston.com/

Tonight, Estelle's Boston opens at the corner of Massachusetts Ave and Tremont Street in the South End.

http://estellesboston.com/

The team behind Estelle's is Brian Poe, of the Rattlesnake, et al. Presumably he chose the name as an homage to Estelle's Lounge, long-time South End haunt.
 
There appears to be a fight brewing between Pinkberry and Somerville (or its residents or both). Pinkberry launched a petition to bring the heavenly froyo shop to Davis Square.

They just posted a targeted wall post to Boston/Camberville residents on Facebook:
"We need your help in order to start swirling in Davis Square! If you want your swirly goodness in Somerville, please take a moment to sign this online petition and share with your friends."

THE PETITION

We, the undersigned, support the application to locate a Pinkberry frozen yogurt shop at 263 Elm Street, a/k/a 5 Davis Square in the Davis Square section of Somerville. We believe that there is a need for Pinkberry, despite the presence of other frozen yogurt sellers in Davis Square, because the Pinkberry product and experience are unique, in part, due to the fact that the yogurt is uniquely tangy, the shop is not self-service, and the ambiance and products appeal to a clientele not currently being met by other businesses in Davis Square.
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http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pinkberrydavissquare/
 
I'm not much for restrictions on businesses, and I will say iYO cafe is the best froyo place I've been to. Plus when I went in, the owner was at the register, and you can tell he puts his heart in it. I'd prefer pinkberry not go in but what can you do.
 
Ron Newman said:
I did not know about the petition. What page did you find the link on?
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Thanks for the background info Ron.

Pinkberry themselves posted it on Facebook.

It's absurd to say that Pinkberry will negatively effect Davis Square. They are the best of the best and where there's a Pinkberry, there's a heck of a long line. The local businesses should be begging in favor of them because Pinkberry has the potential to bring in droves of people which means more people to shop at their little local businesses.
 
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