Miso Market closing?

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

I passed it yesterday and there was a sign in the window saying the building was going to be demolished so they are essentially being forced out. This is sad as I liked them very much, but does anyone know why the building's being demolished?

Comments

[ron_newman]

The building just got two new tenants, too -- Sleepy's and AT&T. I had hoped that guaranteed the Miso building against demolition, at least until those leases expired.

[42itous.livejournal.com]

I assumed Sleepy's and AT&T were placeholders, just so the storefronts wouldn't be empty -- like Mac&Moore was allowed to use street-level space in that building between tenants. But maybe I was wrong...

[teko.livejournal.com]

Both of those tenants do indeed seem like placeholders; Sleepy's hasn't even bothered to put up a proper sign, and the AT&T store, I've found, isn't even a 'real' AT&T store -- it's just a reseller without permanent staff.

[ron_newman]

I did not know there were different kinds of AT&T stores. If I ever need one, how do I tell the difference between real and faux ones?

[teko.livejournal.com]

It was a surprise to me, too, when I went in to ask questions about my phone and service. They told me, "We're not a corporate store, we're a reseller, so we can't answer any customer service questions or help you with your phone. We just sell phones, that's really it."

They told me the nearest 'corporate store' is the one at Cambridgeside Galleria.

[bareblueskin.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know if Miso is relocating? I love their shop and would hate to lose it as a community resource. I saw the sign yesterday too but was weighted down with packages and fighting the rain, so I didn't stop to inquire.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Really? http://davis-square.livejournal.com/3037025.html said they were good for the next 3 (2.25 now) years.

good for the next 3 years

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

I'd thought so too, and so did they, I guess. But apparently this is no longer true, according to the sign in the window.

[sovay]

I passed it yesterday and there was a sign in the window saying the building was going to be demolished so they are essentially being forced out.

Bah! They're the only place I know around here where I can buy palm sugar.

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

Whole Foods sells at least two different kinds, although it's not in walking distance from Davis like Miso is.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I am about 80% certain that the palm sugar in my house right now came from Stop and Shop down by the 93 onramp.

[contradictacat.livejournal.com]

THIIIIIIIIS. If you ever want any food that could resemble Brazilian or Afro-Carribean or anything like that, head either to the Stop and Shop on 93 or any of the bodegas east of McGrath. Hell, even some of the markets in Magoun. Once you get past Trum Field, it gets a ton easier to find stuff like palm sugar.

[pywaket.livejournal.com]

There's a place in Union at the intersection of Somerville Ave and Stone St called Pao de Acucar that has it.

Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen it at the Market Basket in the Goya foods aisle.

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

So... anybody know the answer to my original question... *why* the building with Miso Market etc. is being demolished? Is there something wrong with it?

[teko.livejournal.com]

Seems like the building owners would like to build a larger building that could include condos as well as retail.

See: http://davis-square.livejournal.com/3037025.html

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

That's the usual reason, "To build something that is bigger."

[teko.livejournal.com]

To play devil's advocate, I can't really blame them for wanting to improve/enlarge the building. It's an old, one-story structure with a weird basement office that's not very desirable, and they're in a prime location near Porter. If I was a building owner, and had the zoning options this guy has, you bet I'd want to build a larger, better building in that space.

But I'm not, so I'm sad that Miso Market's going away.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

My guess is that at this point, nearly 100% of Somerville (like so much of metro Boston) is less built up than would be the economic equilibrium. That is, every landlord is chomping at the bit trying to get relief from some zoning restriction on how big a building they can have on their land.

But I'm not, so I'm sad that Miso Market's going away.

Now that I think of it, ironically, the artificial building restrictions increase the chances of Miso Market going out of business forever. If the landlords could build what they want, there would be more retail space around and retail rents would be lower. Now, there's an artifical constraint on the number of stores that can exist in Somerville, and only the most profitable N stores can afford places there.

[ron_newman]

Retail stores need to be on first floors. Allowing commercial property owners to build taller buildings may be good for other reasons, but it won't increase the amount of retail space available.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

I've seen some retailers on second floors, usually places that people go to as destinations, rather than on an impulse. But of course, if landlords could build up, then the land space with retail would increase, as houses and double- and triple-deckers were converted to mixed-use blocks.