Category — Newtonville

Down Under Yoga 306 Walnut Street, Newtonville http://www.downunderyoga.com/ Justine Wiltshire Cohen, a Newton Highlands resident, established Down Under Yoga in 2004. With 25 teachers, Down Under Yoga offers three different levels of instruction, many styles of yoga and Master Classes with some of America’s most senior yoga teachers.

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Newtonville Books’ owner Mary Cotton sent out an appeal to customers and other supporters late last week.  Heading into the last year of their current lease, the bookstore is asking patrons to become members. The goal, having 500 paying members, will help the bookstore determine its plans for the future and that includes whether to renew its lease.

As an important fixture of village life in Newtonville and beyond, Newtonville Books is an excellent example of what makes for a strong village community.  Bookstores are what sociologist Ray Oldenburg calls a “great good place,” an informal gathering place that encourages community life. His popular book The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community discusses how these places we share are integral to the health of a community.

As profiled on our site recently, Newtonville Books offers a public gathering space for readings, workshops, and book club discussions. Their upcoming event calendar alone includes at least 10 events, including a visit this Thursday Feb 24 from internationally recognized author Alice Hoffman reading from and signing her latest book The Red Garden.

Isn’t this is the type of village center business we want to see MORE of in Newton? If you would like to support this merchant and exercise your vote for great village life, please consider stopping by Newtonville Books, and become a member (individual memberships are $50; family memberships are $75).   I was happy to pay this small price to help ensure the survival of this fantastic local bookstore and healthy village centers.

As reported in the Boston Globe earlier this week, Eunice Feller of Bread & Chocolate will appear in an upcoming episode of the Food Network show “Throwdown! With Bobby Flay.’’

Mark your calendar (and set your TiVo) for 8:30pm on Wednesday, March 9, when Feller takes on celebrity chef Bobby Flay in a Boston cream pie battle. Of course, we’re rooting for the home team.

Feller and her husband Steve reside in Newtonville and run the bakery and cafes in Newtonville and Newton Highlands. Not to get sentimental, but the Newtonville cafe was the first village business profile posted on our Newton Villages website last year.

Newtonville Books 296 Walnut Street, Newtonville www.newtonvillebooks.com Mary Cotton, a Newtonville resident, owns and operates Newtonville Books, an independent bookstore established in 1998 and featuring books for adults and children.

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DIVA 331 Walnut Street, Newtonville www.adornmentdiva.com Donna Soodalter-Toman of Waban opened DIVA (Donna’s Infinite Variety of Adornments) in Newtonville in 2010. DIVA offers jewelry from all time periods and at all prices, including: designer contemporary, estate, vintage, and antique.

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In case you missed it in the holiday frenzy (we did), an article in the December 13 issue of STUFF Boston praised the mezze platter at Newtonville’s Karoun as one of the top 25 eats in the Boston area:

Its selections may be standard, but this Armenian gem tucked away in Newton adds a special homemade touch (it’s been in the same family for 30-plus years). From the spicy tang of baba ganoush to the handpicked grape leaves, they lay a fresh, flavorful Middle Eastern spread.

See the complete article, The Ultimate Food Coma: The 25 best things we ate this year. No other Newton restaurants got a similar nod, but it’s a brand new year.

And the reviewers didn’t even mention the belly dancing. Visit Karoun online or at 839 Washington Street.