Folks in Newton have been concerned about the proliferation of banks in our village centers for some time now.  Alderman Vicki Danberg, for one, has been leading an effort to change zoning to make it harder for banks to take space in our villages.  The city’s Economic Development Commission is considering a moratorium on banks in the first floor of village center buildings.

Why the resistance to more banks?

A fellow village lover in Beacon Hill tells the story very clearly in a recent blog post. Here’s an excerpt:

They’re out to destroy retail districts. The banks don’t see this as their aim, but this is the result if they infest our neighborhoods with their blank windows…. But these new banks may not want customers…. Real estate broker Ivy A. Turner, however, set the audience straight on why banks want to come. She said they don’t care so much about market share. They want a retail branch that acts as a billboard for their national expansion goals.

Go here to read the full article.

Small businesses throughout the City are celebrating Small Business Saturday today. There’s still plenty of time to get out and enjoy a little more of one of the things that makes Newton special – Our unique collection of merchants.

The following – received from Green Planet Kids (22 Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands) puts it quite elegantly:

“Dear Friends,

Today marks the 2nd Annual “Small Business Saturday” movement, which was created last year to encourage shoppers to support local, independent businesses. It’s a counterpart to Black Friday, which promotes shopping at malls and big box stores, and Cyber Monday, which encourages shopping on the web.

Shopping locally fuels the local economy, creates jobs in your community, and preserves neighborhoods.

For the first time since we started our business in 1990, there are several vacant retail spaces in the Highlands, and there has been quite a large turnover in the past year. Running a small business is very challenging, especially during economic downturns. We work very hard to keep our business healthy and strong, and we have been successful because of your support. We still love what we do, and we cherish our connection to you and your children.

Please consider spending more of your holiday dollars with us and our neighbors, and help strengthen the entire community.

If you see an item online or in an ad or catalog, call us first to see if we have it. We are stocked to the brim, with more shipments coming in every day, and as you know, we carry completely different products from those you will find at the big box stores.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving weekend, we want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support. Without you, we wouldn’t be here doing what we do.

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Annabelle, John, Besha (the dog) and our Wonderful Staff
Green Planet Kids”

Here’s the text of our opinion piece published in last week’s TAB. Although it has my name and John Sisson’s in the byline, it was a group effort shared by the whole Board.

The property considered for development at the Riverside station has long been an underutilized open industrial site situated at an important regional and economic crossroads.  The available access – by car, by local and intercity buses, and by the MBTA’s Green Line – offers an opportunity that has no regional parallel.  The site could bring many benefits to Newton residents: career opportunities, new neighborhood shopping and dining, and housing – all of which would enliven what is now a parking lot, MBTA maintenance sheds, and a rail scrap yard.

Given the site’s location between the Lower Falls and Auburndale neighborhoods, the development also has the potential to reconnect these two areas which have for too long been divided by both Route 128 and by the expansive Riverside T parking lot itself.

[Read more →]

Daddy’s Junky Music officially closed its doors this past Wednesday, shutting the door on one of the last truly local chains of guitar and musical instrument stores in the region. In talking about why this small regional chain failed, Fred Bramante (the chain’s founder) noted competition from online retailers as the prime reason. By buying online, customers saved paying sales tax (ironic perhaps as Daddy’s first store was just over the line in NH in a specific bid to draw Massachusetts customers for tax savings). While Daddy’s is more of a Boston institution, local Newton merchants like the Boston Running Company, Big Sky Bakery & Café, and New England Mobile Book Fair have either closed or are seeking to transfer to new ownership.

Yes, the economy is certainly somewhat to blame, but not entirely. And, since the UPS truck still drops off boxes from Amazon and Zappos throughout our city, what does it say about the commitment to our communities if we lose the merchants and stores that we love? How do we justify allowing the businesses that we wax nostalgic about to disappear?

Local merchants provide goods and services that we need and that are specifically tailored to the local market. In many cases they provide the essential foundation upon which the community itself builds. How many of us recall and treasure the bookstore, coffee house, diner, hobby shop, or even a record store that featured prominently in our lives?

Local merchants are active participants in the community themselves. They are as tied to the community as we are to them. It is much harder for them to pull up stakes and move to a different town than it is for a chain store. Since their success or failure is so tightly wound with that of the community, they are often exactly the ones most willing to invest in that community, through sponsoring local events and helping to fund things like local streetscape improvements.

Yes, the internet is convenient and cheap, but the community loses if that is the only place we shop.

So there are a few things we can do about this. Some of them involve changing regulations to try to either make things easier for merchants or to make it harder for chain stores to come into our village centers. However, this also seems to ignore the basic market reality of the situation.

Local merchants are only successful if people buy their food, services, and goods. Local stores are worth a second (or even a first) look. When you need a lightbulb, try stopping by Swartz or Waban Hardware. Need a book? Try browsing Newtonville Bookstore. The coffee and baked goods at l’Aroma are at least as good as Starbucks, and they have better teas.

Or better yet, try spending a weekend afternoon walking through Newtonville, Newton Highlands, Nonantum, West Newton, or Newton Centre and sampling the stores along the way. In between an excellent lunch and a few fine cups of coffee, I think it very likely you’ll find some new favorite haunts, and maybe even make some new friends along the way. And, you’ll enjoy yourself and help to maintain the village life that makes our city great.

Good news for those of you who missed Last week’s League of Women Voters‘ session on What Economic Development Means for Newton. New TV recorded much of the session and will be broadcasting it this Wednesday. While we are not yet certain exactly what time it will be aired, it will be included in Newton-News at 1, 6, or 10 pm.

The clip should also be available at http://www.newtv.org/Newton-News if you cannot see the show live or Tivo it.