What's changed over the year?

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

Heya wise-Davisites,

I've been away from Davis for about a year now and will be back in town at the end of May. I'm wanting to know what might have changed (it sounds like a lot from reading the live-journal), what I should check out, what I should avoid and so on.

Also...what's your opinion of the new bookstore in Ball Square -- worth checking out?


Thanks!

Comments

[ron_newman]

The closed businesses tag will give you some idea what has gone away over the past year.

Things I can recall off the top of my head:

Farmer's Bounty closed. A frozen yogurt cafe called iYO is moving in.
Diva Lounge closed. (Diva restaurant is still open.) Amsterdam Falafelshop is moving in (will be the second location of a nascent chain based in Washington, DC)
Namaskar closed. A Punjabi restaurant is replacing it.
Gargoyles closed. The Painted Burro replaced it.
Pulse Cafe closed. A Thai restaurant replaced it.
Saloon and Davis Square Theatre (the old Jimmy Tingle's) both opened in the basement of Foundry.
Cameras Inc. is closing (may already have closed by now). No idea what will move in there.
A used bicycle store called Bike Boom has opened in the alley next to Snappy Sushi.
A whole block of businesses burned and was torn down in Teele Square.

The Armory has a hugely popular indoor farmers' market every Saturday from 9:30am to 2:30pm. Even though it's called a "winter market", it will continue until the end of May.

A bunch of ungrateful and vengeful neighbors caused the state to close down the Dilboy VFW post. We're all hoping they can reopen after a hearing next week. See the vfw tag for more info.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Don't forget Holland. Antonia's closed as did the nail place. And Black & Blues.

Also the inconvenience store at Highland and Willow is going to be Q's Nuts.

[ron_newman]

Right, Antonia's turned into Boston Burger Company. (ETA: but that was three years ago!)

On Highland Ave., Aroma Cafe closed; 3 Little Figs took its place.

The Cafe at the Armory is now open full-time, 7 days a week, into the evening.

Down on Mass. Ave., the small Pemberton Market liquor and convenience store closed. The big Pemberton Farms store next door now sells beer and wine and is open later hours.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I've found some cool stuff at the ball square bookshop and he has events I've not made it to yet but seem interesting.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

It seems a bit of a silly question to me. If you're going to be in the neighborhood, it's not like it's a big deal or would cost you anything to check it out. Even if you hated it, it would be, what, five minutes out of your life? The only places that might actually be worth avoiding are things like restaurants where the visit could cost you a lot of time and money (though even then, there's the potential for an app and a drink to evaluate).

Beyond that, be bold and take the risk! :D

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

Oh Davis....how I've missed you. People in California are just not the same....

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

Super belatedly, I love the Ball Square Bookshop. The owner is friendly and they have a lot of genre books (romance, sci-fi, mystery) which I hate paying full price for.

[ron_newman]

In Porter Square:

Bob Slate Stationer and Mcintyre & Moore Books both closed. Bob Slate reopened under new ownership at a new location on Brattle Street in Harvard Square.
A Japanese grocer opened in what was an empty space above Mcintyre & Moore.
Zing Pizza closed for 'summer vacation' and never reopened. Nobody knows why. Cafe Zing in Porter Square Books is still open.
Pier One Imports will close. A two-story Walgreens will replace it (and the empty ex-Blockbuster Video space above it)
A Michael's craft store is under construction in the basement below Shaw's (the former Decelle's and Burlington Coat Factory space), but won't be open until June.

[magid.livejournal.com]

And the hunting and camping store on Mass Ave has closed/is closing.

[misterthorn.livejournal.com]

...and a Panera opened next to the PSQ Dunkin Donuts. I think that was in the past year.

[ron_newman]

Yep - replaced a Qdoba (which had itself replaced a McDonald's)

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I think a former Zing employee told us that the owner of Zing had a crisis regarding a family member's health. At one point, he was trying to sell the business (it was advertised on "restaurants for sale" listings) but nothing seems to have come of that. So it seems pretty likely Zing Pizza will never reopen.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I'm very impressed by Miso Market, especially by how helpful and friendly the staff are. If you have any interest at all in Japanese groceries, snacks, or prepared foods, I recommend them.

[azure-rhymes.livejournal.com]

same. i went in on a whim and was very impressed by the selection!

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

Also the airplane noise issue has been completely resolved, and the community has found a solution to parking fees/metering that satisfies all stakeholders.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

hahahahahahaha...not.

[ron_newman]

A whole lot of change has happened in Union Square, but I don't keep much track of it since I don't live there. A used record store called Somerville Grooves has opened there, along with various new restaurants.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

I really like most bookstores, and I was really unimpressed by the Ball Sq. place. Third-rate SF and bad romance novels seemed to be most of its stock when I went by shortly after it opened. Do any customers have other data?

[ron_newman]

That was what he brought from his previous location in Belmont, but he said he wanted to diversify his stock once he moved here. He bought a bunch of books from me that didn't fit into those two categories.

[trtls.livejournal.com]

Five Horses opened at Sagra/400 Highland
Istanbu'lu opened near Teele Sq. - finally a successful business in flailing location
Masala Nepali and Indian opened in Teele
The Dave's Fresh Pasta people are opening a wine bar pending permits and work being done in the old Black and Blues space
The Square Nail closed and is becoming some sort of conscious-cafe-type thing
A real estate office is opening next to Au Bon Pain
Knucklebones (playspace for babies-small kids) took 1/2 the space of the Caining Shop and Diaper lab moved to next door
Found, upscale consignment opened in the previously Poor Little Rich Girl location
Buffalo Exchange opened next to Anna's (may have been here before a year ago?) (chain from Arizona)


Thanks for asking this question! It's amazing to see how much has changed! (And how successfully the businesses have stayed mostly local!)

[ron_newman]

For your amusement: A similar question asked here in 2006

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

I like the new ball square bookshop, but the prices are pretty high for used books. I found one that I had been meaning to read and bought it since I had been hanging out there for 20 minutes and felt guilty for not buying something and I was a little taken back when he told me it was 12 dollars. (I could have gotten it new on amazon for 10 with prime, and used for 3) I bought it anyway but I learned to look at the prices!

[teko.livejournal.com]

The successful Boston Burger Co. is expanding into the space next door.

The large Social Security office next to Dunkin' Donuts in the square closed and is currently vacant.

Your Move Games closed and became a high-end pet food store with a bong shop downstairs; this unique combination closed soon thereafter.

The old Enterprise Rental space next to the Rosebud is an under-construction "high rise" (cough) office/condo building with tenants unknown.

The Diaper Lab opened next door to what used to be The Caning Shop and is now Knucklebones.

[lac.livejournal.com]

I am happy to hear that about Boston Burger Co...I like their burgers and their garlic parm fries a great deal.

I like Ball Sq Books. He is trying to diversify...and he's not taking in romances for credit because he can't sell them. His aunt's (I think it's his aunt) store in Belmont did very well with romances. But Gil is a really good guy and has ordered me a couple of books I wanted, which has been very convenient and gave me a discount on at least one of them.

[ron_newman]

Are Boston Burger Co. making any progress on that expansion? Seems like they've been working on it forever.

[teko.livejournal.com]

The last time I was in there (a few months back), they said they were still waiting on permits but promised it'd be soon.

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

I asked them the other day and they said it was delayed because they opened up a 2nd Boston Burger Company in the Back Bay. They still plan on expanding next door in Davis though.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Whoa, I don't think I ever knew about the bong shop in the pet food store! It does seem like a good spot for one, though the combination is odd.

The west side of the old Caning Shop is also still vacant, as far as I know. EuroBaby closed and is now a real estate office, and another real estate place is about to open where the cell phone store was on Holland.

[teko.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was bizarre. It was down where the gaming area of Your Move Games was. Turns out that if you open a store within your store it has to have some sort of actual logical connection to the larger store; if he'd opened a dog grooming place or a cat sitter, it would've been OK. A head shop, not so much.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

That's a bummer about Eurobaby, not that I ever shopped there, but it was owned by a woman I used to work with... it was her attempt at starting a business. I wish it had worked out better for her.

[ron_newman]

Earlier DSLJ posts about that pet food and bong store:

A head shop in Davis Square? Could it be?
New Pet Store on Highland?
Bone Appetit - dead and buried

[ron_newman]

I thought DiaperLab moved into the other half of the Knucklebones (ex-Caning Shoppe) building.

[trtls.livejournal.com]

No, they are in a building set further back from the road. The other half of the Caning Shop is still up for renting.

[ron_newman]

The former Comicazi location (before they moved to the larger storefront next door) became a real estate office too. So did the former insurance agency next to Boston Burger Company. That's way more real estate offices than the area needs.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

3 Little Figs on Highland/Cedar-2 of the best sandwiches I've ever had are there! The Market and the Village.

Definitely check it out.