vinodivino 899 Walnut Street Newton Highlands, MA 02461  vinodivino.com

Raphael Keller-Go, a Brookline resident, opened vinodivino in 2004.   vinodivino is a real wine shop with 10 employees offering 100+ wines under $20, and without the” blah blah blah”.  [Read more →]

Inna’s Kitchen 19 Pelham Street Newton Centre (617) 244-5345 blog.innaskitchen.com

Inna Khitrik of Auburndale (pictured with son Alex) opened Inna’s Kitchen just a few weeks ago in May 2011. Inna’s Kitchen is a deli, café, and bakery offering Jewish cuisine from around the world. Specialties include falafel, knishes, borscht, corned beef, and many gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian options. They make everything we can from scratch using quality ingredients, including curing their own meat for corned beef and pastrami. A primary focus is making prepared food that is easy to take home and keep in the refrigerator or freezer, especially soups.
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Zoots will be moving a block east down Beacon Street into the space Motophoto vacated in January, according to Lynne Cohen-Friedman at Keypoint Partners. A Capital One Bank branch may be moving into the space that will be vacated by Zoots, she emailed.

With that and Century Bank opening its new branch on Langley Road this summer, Newton Center appears poised to win this year’s coveted “most banks in village” competition.

Big Sky's space on Union Street is available.

Last month, Big Sky Bakery & Cafe closed its Newton Center store and moved to Watertown, opening at 142 Main Street, near the Watertown Public Library. The space next door at 103 Union Street, which formerly housed the women’s fashion store Classic Trends, is also vacant.

Downstairs from the Classic Trends space, a sign in the window announces a new handbags and accessories store called Sarian as “coming soon.”

C. Tsar’s Mediterranean Bistro & Bar 344 Walnut Street, Newtonville (617) 332-4653 www.ctsars.com  Kathleen Malloy of Somerville, established her business in 2002 with her husband. They currently have around 18 staff members. C. Tsar’s interior is cozy with luxe fabrics and is painted with warm Mediterranean tones. The menu features gourmet pizzas, fresh made pastas and other Mediterranean-inspired food at affordable prices.

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A Greek-inspired cafe/bistro called Christina’s is coming to Newton Highlands, as one of our blog’s readers tells us. The owners are currently renovated the Walnut Street space vacated by Dunkin Donuts earlier this year.

Christina’s will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I spoke with the owner this morning, workers were painting the interior columns in the renovated space and finalizing the menu. The restaurant hopes to open up around Memorial Day.

Sadly, the consignment store next door has posted a “going out of business sign.”

Newtonville, as reported in the Newton Tab Blog, is losing both the American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop, a thrift store on Walnut Street, and the Asian grocery across the street, Jin Mi Oriental Food Company.

In Newton Centre, Learning Express is getting a new neighbor, the fitness studio Pure Barre, the national company’s first Massachusetts franchise.

Folklorica  61 Union Street Newton Centre (617) 630-1815 www.shopfolklorica.com Don Gross of Sudbury established his business 1972 in New York City and ended up relocating to Newton Centre in 1992. Folklorica is an award-winning fashion jewelry, home accessory and gift boutique. The shop features an evolving mix of established designers with a consistent offering of styles offered. Value for the price is considered a hallmark at Folklorica.

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