We Need to Come Together on Retail and Restaurants

Whether you want to believe it or not, our amazing one square mile of beautiful Boston lacks something. We are practically devoid of retail shops and restaurants to satisfy our growing population of families. When a recent realtor friend of mine told me that the Charlestown market has very little on the market – and that folks are clammering to upgrade or move-into town, that made it clear to me that we all need to take our lack of shops even more seriously.

We have a few shops that are sincerely trying to provide products to our community that make sense (OB, Bunker Hill Florist, Haven, Charlestown Liquor, Ace, Whole Foods). I own Olivia Browning and am currently the President of the Chamber of Commerce. Our Chamber is strictly a volunteer chamber and we have no legislative power in the city.  What we do have, is heart.  We have a Board willing to work with folks and help them navigate the hurdles of opening a store or restaurant. We have new people working at the BRA and the Neighborhood Development Council that want to assist Mom & Pops. There are city loans, and city personnel willing to help with paperwork. Bill Nickerson has some interesting options for funding – and realistic too. But without anyplace for folks to rent or buy for commercial purposes, what does it matter?

I get asked every single day what is going into the old Citibank. People assume that I have some idea, or that the Chamber is notified, of what is going in anywhere in town. There are rumors of lots of things – everything from a Cumberland Farms to a Daycare center in City Square. But I ask – is that what we want? I don’t know for certain, but my guess is that our community would prefer some traditional retail shops.  Competition is GREAT for a community like ours. It gives our residents choices and it allows for competitive pricing. A string of shops in City Square, with options like a “Central Bottle”, would be ideal. We need space for existing businesses like Haven and the Cycling Studio to have storefronts. We need the ability for businesses that want to grow, to grow. Their smaller spaces could make way for more businesses. Popular places like Charlestown Yoga could expand – and maybe help to make room for others.

Local Moms and Dads and all families need to remember that kids grow up fast. We need shops and restaurants that cater to all ages of life.

Olives closing is not great for our community. Putting aside whether or not you like Todd English or his empire, his Olives was a destination restaurant for many years. It brought big money into the community-which translates into 68% of his revenue helped our corner of the city, specifically.   Olives was on everyone’s go-to list. People walked and drove and took taxi s across the bridges for the food. A destination restaurant is crucial for our part of the city – and every single other Boston neighborhood has one or two at the very least. Our restaurants are fabulous and do a great job – but we need more choices. 

I don’t want Olivia Browning to be an Island. I want life and happiness and options in City Square and down Main Street. I don’t want to struggle on snowy and rainy days. This winter has hurt your local shops and restaurants that ARE open. People don’t venture out to a store in -14 degrees for a card, unless perhaps, they can get a cup of soup or something like that, next “store”. Again, we have great coffee shops, but nothing in a cluster that gives residents and visitors and tourists a place to gather all together.

No one group in our 02129 zip should work alone on this development. We are all citizens of this amazing, historical part of the City. Townies and life long residents continue to support all that is open.  I know many of them remember a vibrant and pulsating business district.  Newer families want options so that they can stay in our little town and get anything and everything that they want. These options exist over every single bridge we cross to leave Charlestown.  

If we, as a community, want to help build a business district, we are going to have to work together to create a culture that is warm and friendly with possibilities.  The BRA is not the same BRA as it was years ago. Their resources are real. They don’t want to come into Charlestown unless they are welcome – and I think many have to take a look at the options that are currently available to Mom & Pop start-ups. The Neighborhood Development Council is also a great place to get help. Sign grants, city assistance with permits, etc.

We have a new Mayor, a few new Board Members on the Charlestown Chamber, NEW members, and a community hungry for retail and restaurants. We will need options for parking, but I don’t think that can be the leading discussion. People will walk and people will pay for parking. The North End, South End, East Boston, the Waterfront and other sections of Boston are THRIVING examples of this.

Our square mile is historic and beautiful. We deserve to have options as a community. We also need to work together to have the Bunker Hill Mall redone. If shops faced out onto Main Street and smaller store square footage was added, that would also be a great area of our town to “freshen up” and expand. Most facilities built at the same time have had a face-lift. Why doesn’t our community demand this from New England Development? Wouldn’t it be magnificent if we had a shopping/restaurant area in the Navy Yard, City Square and Main Street? Wouldn’t it help our community with jobs and tax money and foot traffic?

I don’t have a concrete plan, I have a vision, I also know that I am willing to work on a better and comprehensive plan, with my local community leaders and friends and politicians, to get growth started that will benefit all of our residents. We CAN work together to do this and I believe we MUST, if we are going to keep evolving. We owe it to all the people that have tirelessly helped to grow our community.