On a typical workday at RARE Restoration, Seth Barrett would arrive at the shop to see that his four in-house employees already had all the tools and machines up and running. He’d spend the first half of the day interacting with customers and returning projects to them. He’d then go downstairs to his workshop and… Continue reading ‘We’re out of work, and I’m frightened’: An uncertain economy may spell the end for RARE Restoration, a conservation-minded Brookline Village repair shop
Category: Business
Nonprofits and businesses on Station Street bring bustling art scene to Brookline Village
When Gateway Arts moves from its longtime home on Harvard Street to the Studios on Station Street on July 1, it will be the latest sign that the arts scene in Brookline Village is on a post-pandemic rebound. Gateway, which signed a 10-year lease late last year for more than 9,000 square feet of space… Continue reading Nonprofits and businesses on Station Street bring bustling art scene to Brookline Village
La Voile in Washington Square closes after ten years
The Washington Square French restaurant La Voile has closed, 10 years after it opened at 1627 Beacon Street. Owner and chef Jérôme Bergere, whose Back Bay location will remain open, said a number of factors led to the decision, including swirling national and local policies, but also plain economics. The restaurant’s 10-year lease ended, forcing… Continue reading La Voile in Washington Square closes after ten years
Coolidge Corner Theatre thrives on nostalgia as repertory films draw crowds
An eruption of laughter bursts from the crowd of more than 400 people as Paul Newman cracks a raw egg into a beer and starts drinking it. “That is disgusting,” a man in the audience says. Newman loudly burps, and a second wave of laughter erupts. The audience had gathered for a March 29 screening… Continue reading Coolidge Corner Theatre thrives on nostalgia as repertory films draw crowds
A 12-year-old Brookline baker serves up sweet treats and raises thousands for charity
When Emerson Harvey turned 11 earlier this year, she knew exactly what dessert she wanted to serve her 15 guests: Cupcakes and a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and colorful decorations. And that’s exactly what she got. The baker behind the creation was 12-year old Tasneem Abdel-Dayem, the owner and creative talent behind Sweet Street… Continue reading A 12-year-old Brookline baker serves up sweet treats and raises thousands for charity
Since the 60s, an unassuming Boylston Street shop has made some of the most famous recorders in the world
The screeching sounds of cheap plastic recorders may conjure up chaotic memories of elementary school music class, but a finely lathed wooden recorder and a semi-decent plastic one can produce a wide range of melodies in the hands of a trained musician. And for that, many of those musicians find themselves in Brookline. For six… Continue reading Since the 60s, an unassuming Boylston Street shop has made some of the most famous recorders in the world
Cutty’s opens its doors again after years of takeout-only operations
The bright orange paint and Tara Lewis paintings covering the top half of the walls in Cutty’s Brookline sandwich shop are fresh. Owners Rachel and Charles Kelsey spontaneously decided to hire painters instead of doing it themselves at the end of December. Hiring painters was the first big step toward a major decision for the… Continue reading Cutty’s opens its doors again after years of takeout-only operations
A new type of rock band comes to Brookline
School of Rock, which was popularized by the 2003 Jack Black film and now bills itself as the largest musical school franchise in the country, has come to Brookline. The school offers classes in the different genres that inspired rock music: blues, R&B, gospel, country and jazz. It employs a performance-based approach that places students… Continue reading A new type of rock band comes to Brookline
News in brief: Recreation Department awarded for equity initiative, Chamber seeking votes on businesses of the year
The town Recreation Department was awarded for its equity initiative by a statewide organization last month. The department won the Agency of the Year award for program outreach at the Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association Conference on March 19. Over two years, using funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the initiative awarded nearly… Continue reading News in brief: Recreation Department awarded for equity initiative, Chamber seeking votes on businesses of the year
Gastonart and Frame set to close Putterham Circle store in April
After six years in Brookline, Gastonart and Frame will close its Putterham Circle location on April 26, the business announced Friday morning. Owner John Gaston said that, despite the closure of the Putterham location, the custom framing business is “strong and growing” at its other locations. The company could not come to an agreement with… Continue reading Gastonart and Frame set to close Putterham Circle store in April
Independent pharmacy opens in Washington Square, offering alternative to crowded chain stores
Days before New England Pharmacy & Wellness opened, owner Sepideh Amirifeli was already fulfilling prescriptions and getting to know patients. The independent pharmacy opened Thursday at 1655 Beacon Street in Washington Square, bucking a national trend. Nationwide, nearly one in three pharmacies have closed since 2010. Amirifeli, who lives in Brookline and goes by the… Continue reading Independent pharmacy opens in Washington Square, offering alternative to crowded chain stores
Brookline’s poetry scene thrives in local venues
Walk into any café, bookstore, or library in Brookline, and you’ll find writers at work—graduate students on theses, aspiring novelists, and poets lost in their lines. These spaces offer more than just coffee and quiet; they foster a symbiotic relationship between local businesses and the writers who bring them to life. When Angela Divaris first… Continue reading Brookline’s poetry scene thrives in local venues
Group pushes to memorialize Aaron Feuerstein, long-time resident and CEO who put workers first
Aaron Feuerstein died in 2021 a national hero, celebrated for his efforts to support workers when his textile factory burned down in 1995. Now, a group of Brookline residents wants to make sure his legacy is enshrined here, where he lived most of his life. As CEO of Malden Mills, the Lawrence based firm that… Continue reading Group pushes to memorialize Aaron Feuerstein, long-time resident and CEO who put workers first
‘The story behind the story’: Why top authors and literary stars keep coming back to the Brookline Booksmith
When Kelly Andrew was growing up in Connecticut, she went to Brookline Booksmith many times to hear authors talk about their work when her family would visit Boston. Now that she’s a best-selling novelist herself, she returns there to talk about her own work. She was at the Coolidge Corner mainstay Thursday night for a… Continue reading ‘The story behind the story’: Why top authors and literary stars keep coming back to the Brookline Booksmith
Development plans could mean another disruption for Japonaise Bakery
It’s been only a year and a half since bakery owner Takeo Sakan reopened Japonaise Bakery & Cafe, after sinking over two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars into a renovation. Now his landlord, who also owns the space housing The Wine Press next door, is making plans which could mean the popular bakery… Continue reading Development plans could mean another disruption for Japonaise Bakery
Q&A: Local author Nicole Graev Lipson on female archetypes, romantic friendships, and how her new memoir was born in Brookline
The final essay in Nicole Graev Lipson’s new memoir is a philosophical and emotional read. “Memento Mori,” which was published as an excerpt recently in the Boston Globe, captures a bedtime conversation with Lipson’s eight-year-old daughter Nora, who is asking for another story, and eventually questions what happens when we die. “If there is a… Continue reading Q&A: Local author Nicole Graev Lipson on female archetypes, romantic friendships, and how her new memoir was born in Brookline
A Brookline couple’s dog grooming ordeal highlights gaps in state regulation
Cristian Sosa and his spouse Diana Lopez were struggling to find a trustworthy groomer for their six-year-old Yorkshire terrier Camila when they moved to Brookline from Las Vegas in 2022. By December 2023, Camila was in dire need of grooming, so they dropped her off at Tails Inc. in Jamaica Plain and assumed everything would… Continue reading A Brookline couple’s dog grooming ordeal highlights gaps in state regulation
Boston Ballet School to acquire Brookline Ballet School
The Brookline Ballet School will be acquired this summer by the Boston Ballet School, a larger regional organization with locations across the Boston area. Trinidad Vives and Parren Ballard, who founded the Brookline Ballet School and have been running it for the past 15 years, recently took jobs at the Washington Ballet School in Washington,… Continue reading Boston Ballet School to acquire Brookline Ballet School
Q&A: Best-selling romance author Tessa Bailey on Brookline, love at first sight and her favorite tropes
Tessa Bailey’s new novel “Dream Girl Drama” might hit close to home for Bostonian romance readers. Hockey player Sig Gaulthier works hard for everything he has, putting his blood, sweat, and tears into earning a spot on the Bearcats — the professional team based in Boston (a fictionalized version of the Bruins). Chloe Clifford is… Continue reading Q&A: Best-selling romance author Tessa Bailey on Brookline, love at first sight and her favorite tropes
Long-time owner sells Aborn True Value Hardware
After more than four decades of selling supplies and doling out advice at Aborn True Value, Jose Monroy, who has owned the store since 2007, is moving on. The shop changed owners on Feb. 3 when Monroy sold it to Karl Smith, who currently owns a hardware store in Marblehead. “There’s a whole bunch of… Continue reading Long-time owner sells Aborn True Value Hardware