Over on the very active Newton Parents Facebook page (if you’re not part of that community, consider joining), is a picture of a sign that appeared this morning on the door of Peet’s in Newton Centre.
President of Retail Coffeebars John Coletta invited Newton residents to join him at 10am Friday for a discussion (the store closes for good at noon) as to how to stay in Newton. In the letter he says that he feels the community’s frustration and is looking for another location in the city.
Coletta writes that the meeting is designed to “both express my gratitude and get your feedback on how we can quickly locate and build a new Coffeebar [sic] in the area”
Given the note posted on Village 14 from Newton Economic Development Director Kathryn Ellis pointing out that the retail location costs $75 per square foot, this would suggest that the issue isn’t so much about revenue, but about profits. Of course, the lack of seating could be an issue too.
If you’re going, be aware that the parking lot behind Peet’s is undergoing reconstruction.
This is hopeful news. There must be some opportunities. Maybe they can move into one of those empty storefronts on Elm Street in West Newton. It’s starting to get depressing that they’ve been vacant for so long.
Where is the truth? Peet’s says the lease expired. The landlord says it has 18 months remaining. Peet’s says they want to stay in Newton. Landlord says he was told they’re losing money.
Give. Them. Seats.
There are two empty storefronts on Union Street
What a shame if Peet’s leaves. Newton Centre badly needs an attractive place where people can meet, and nothing else quite serves the same purpose. (Starbucks is tiny, and that parent corporation has also announced cutbacks, so who knows if it’s going to be sticking around.) Once a corporate tenant decides it’s not making enough money, it won’t be coming back. And once local rent has been jacked up to corporate levels, it won’t be coming down. Only a really committed effort on the part of City Hall can address this problem. Lacking that, as a thousand people have noted a thousand times, the village becomes ever more an upscale wasteland of banks, real estate offices, and vacancies.
If we really want vitality in Newton Centre, we need to add people. Density.
200-400 more people living within a walk of Peet’s would have improved it’s prospects.
First, Sean is right.
Second, the community outcry on this was so loud that Peet’s heard it in California. The corporate parent sent in this executive to meet with the people of Newton. So on some level, there is change happening because of a grass-roots effort.
Also, I understand that Mayor Fuller is making an effort to be there for this meet-and-greet, so if you want to voice an opinion there will be multiple ears.
@Chuck – what day is the meet-and-greet? Your blog post just gave a time so I thought it was for today and already over, but your comment suggests that it isn’t.
People who aren’t members of that FB group can’t view the page – if there’s info we should know, please post it. Those of us who aren’t Newton parents (or only have adult kids) are unlikely to want to join it.
Sorry about that. 10am on Friday (tomorrow). It’s the last day the store is open.
Simply shoveling in more people isn’t the answer because other variables, like rent, won’t hold steady. I’d be delighted if grass-roots action changed corporate minds here. But I’d be even more delighted if Newton Centre could be made more affordable for people-friendly businesses, and this takes concerted planning on multiple fronts.
@Chuck – you might want to put that correction into the main post, so people don’t read it and assume they’ve missed the meeting.
@Sean Roche
I live 5 or so mins walk from Peets. Trouble is, I have to work (just like many people) and work aint in Newton Ctr!
1) Give them the ability to have more seating.
2)Time for the City to talk with the landlords in Newton Centre and negotiate a way to keep rents at an affordable rate. Glad that the Mayor will attend the meeting. We need to think outside the box.
3)It is sad, that there are empty storefronts in West Newton. I’ve noticed a ton of empty storefronts on Moody Street – which I would suggest, is densely populated so density alone, will not solve this problem. Makes one (okay, me) wonder about this mixed-use concept. Seems like unless it is a big chain, mom and pop stores can’t afford the high rent that these mixed use developers are seeking. We have inclusionary zoning – can there be something in our zoning that would require developers of mixed use projects to subsidize or have a certain set-aside for lower retail/business rents?
4)And about the chain phenomena: I see that Boston City Council is looking at this issue: https://northendwaterfront.com/2018/07/city-councilors-introduce-legislation-to-limit-zoning-for-chain-stores/
@Amy – I agree that it would be good for the city to negotiate that a certain percentage of the store fronts should be affordable. But that alone won’t help, unless the city also streamlines the time it takes for businesses to get permits, etc. – because even at a lower rent, time renting a space that can’t yet earn any revenue gets expensive quickly!
Moody Street is an odd situation – it had been dingy, then for awhile it was really thriving. I think some of the issue wasn’t just high rents, but also creating more retail that was sustainable – there was existing mixed use stock that was full and busy, but then they built more when they were trying to get more upscale and it was too much. I watched the whole cycle, starting when I was a grad student at Brandeis in the 80s.
Reminder: 10 AM Thursday – Town Hall Meeting with Peet’s President John Coletta at 776 Beacon Street, Newton Centre. He will explain why Peet’s decided to close this important location and whether it would consider a new location. Come with ideas for a new location.
Correction:
10 AM Friday – Town Hall Meeting with Peet’s President John Coletta at 776 Beacon Street, Newton Centre. He will explain why Peet’s decided to close this important location and whether it would consider a new location. Come with ideas for a new location.
Read more: Peet’s Reprieve? | Village 14 https://village14.com/2018/07/12/peets-reprieve/#ixzz5L5a6Mctl
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I hear you, Amy. I think that a lot of the new ideas for the city are very exciting, but I worry very much about it backfiring. I keep imagining a stretch on Washington Street of empty storefronts with an occasional bank branch or salon. If those Elm Street storefronts have remained empty for several years, what hope can I have for filling up a much larger stretch of storefronts?
I suppose the economist view is that adding retail supply should depress prices of existing stock, making it more likely a startup artisanal shop, funky cafe, etc could start up in one of the squares here in Newton. But the retail landscape is changing, and I see some empty storefronts in some of those new builds up in Watertown..
Semi related, here’s a great article about what Somerville has done to attract a vibrant arts scene: https://commonwealthmagazine.org/arts-and-culture/keeping-somerville-cool/
That’s an interesting interview. Newton’s art scene is already much better than it was even five years ago. I’m wondering how the new cultural council could get involved like the the one in Somerville. And their “zany” Fluff Festival makes me think we need a Fig Newton Festival!
The vacant store fronts on Elm Street in West Newton I believe are primarily due to the building design. The spaces are very small with glass on the front and back. I honestly can’t think of what type of tenant could make the space work. Perhaps a nail salon, not that we need more of those. It’s really a shame because it’s a newer building and it appears it’s never been occupied.
You’re right, they have never been occupied and it’s been several years since they finished the building. Galaxy Auto Body used to be there and then they moved down the street. Then the lot was vacant and overrun with tall weeds for a long time, so it was exciting when the building finally went up. But now nothing has gone in! I have heard that the rent is unreasonably high given the limitations of the sizes and shapes of each storefront.
I’ve removed a comment here because it posted the entire or nearly the entire content of a Boston Globe article. The Globe and other news sites depend on subscription revenue and/or web traffic to pay for their journalism.
The person who posted this is welcome to republish an excerpt and link.
Thanks. And please support our working journalists.
@Greg
Whoops, I’m glad you caught me on that – the economics of copyright infringement in this instance hadn’t even crossed my mind. Lesson learned.
The link is here:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/globelocal/2018/12/28/zocoffeeshop/8WfzSfGcD6nDmG88QEqn4J/story.html
Thanks Michael. And that was a terrific article about a wonderful place.