The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:
Wellesley goes pink for the Ellie Fund
Be on the lookout for Wellesley retailers who are honoring National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by turning the town pink with decorated storefronts, and pink-themed events in support of the Ellie Fund.
The support of the Ellie Fund takes place across Wellesley for the entire week of October 1-8. As part of the Wonderful Wellesley campaign to invigorate shopping in town, shops and restaurants will be stepping up and stepping out to turn Wellesley pink for Ellie Fund. Starting October 1 and throughout the month, stores like Natureworks, Isabel Harvey, Sara Campbell, Kenzie & Hope, and more will be decked with pink window displays and balloons. Look for employees at Roosters and The Cottage wearing Ellie t-shirts donated by Custom Ink. Others will be donating a portion of sales on a specific day(s) to Ellie Fund. Some businesses will be rounding up each sale and donating to the charity. More information here on Wellesley Square participants and Linden Square doings.
The Ellie Fund’s mission is to provide essential support services for breast cancer patients to ease the stresses of everyday life, allowing the focus to be on family, recovery and healing. The foundation provides transportation to medical appointments, light housekeeping, nutritional and grocery assistance, childcare reimbursement, nutritious prepared/delivered meals and integrative therapy services free of charge. No proof of financial need, residency, or citizenship is required. To donate to the Ellie Fund, click here.
“Ellie Fund is near and dear to Wellesley businesses and our customers. We are looking forward to Wellesley Goes Pink to raise the awareness and funds needed,” said Demian Wendrow on behalf of the Wonderful Wellesley campaign. Wendrow is the President, Wellesley Square Merchants’ Association and Owner of London Harness and TUMI Wellesley.
StretchLab in Linden Square under new ownership
It’s not a stretch to say that Dr. Jamie Snead is qualified to assess the safety and efficacy of a studio that offers one-on-one stretching as a way for clients to stay limber and prevent injuries. Jamie (as he prefers to go by in the studio) is not only chief of orthopedics at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, he’s also gone through the StretchLab training program, which he proclaimed, “pretty intense.”
The idea behind the one-on-one stretching is that certified “flexologists” work with clients individually to identify tightness and body imbalances, and customize a stretch routine. The goal is to experience the freedom that comes with having a wider range of motion and flexibility.
Jamie, along with his spouse and business partner Kelly, came across a StretchLab franchise when they were on vacation in Arizona a couple of years ago. They tried out a sample stretch and were impressed. “When we got back here we looked into it, and ended up buying the existing Wellesley Linden square franchise,” she said.
One of the flexologists gave my twitchy hip flexors a 30-minute workover while I was there for the studio’s grand opening. Although I still need a hip replacement (they’re flexologists, not miracle workers), I came away feeling that my joints benefited from the attention. Most importantly, the young woman working with me listened. As she stretched me out, there was no pressure to endure any pain, and she made no sudden movements during the session.
Business: StretchLab
Location: Linden Square, Wellesley (across from the CVS drive-in)
Phone: 339-217-0217
Sign up now for Wellesley Youth Soccer
Registration is still open for Wellesley Youth Soccer’s pre-K through third grade in-town programs and for the additional professionally led development program for grades pre-K through fifth grade.
Sign up today at www.wellesleysoccer.org or email admin@wellesleysoccer.org
Wellesley Books author visit
In-person author visits are back at Wellesley Books, so I stopped in to see best-selling dynamic author duo Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone on their tour to promote their joint effort, A Merry Little Meet Cute. With frank scenes about mental health struggles, the progressiveness of sex work, queer self-acceptance, and more, the holiday-themed novel isn’t your average rom-com romp. What it does have in common with that genre is romantic fiction fun, hi-jinks, and hilarity.
Julie is the author of the Y/A book Dumplin’ (and its Netflix adaptation starring Jennifer Aniston), about a self-proclaimed fat girl who takes on her small Texas town’s annual beauty pageant. Sierra, as she delicately put it at the reading, writes “a little on the spicier side. I tend to write a little more of the forbidden stuff.” Medieval bodice rippers that include ancient and sexy secrets are right in her wheelhouse.
It all started in the back of a van
Julie and Sierra were a kick at the sold-out reading, treating the audience to the story of their own best-friends origin story. Like so many meet-cute tales, theirs started in the back of a van at the start of an authors’ tour. Julie had agreed to go on tour, but had a laundry list of misgivings. “I’m not very good with strangers. And I’m not very good at sharing a room with people I don’t know. I like my privacy,” she revealed to the audience.
Prepared to hate Sierra, her tour roomie, Julie had her lead all prepared. “Hi, I’m Julie Murphy, and sometimes I snore,” she said by way of self-introduction.
“That’s ok,” Sierra said. “I have narcolepsy, and I can sleep through anything.”
That was eight years ago, and they’ve been best friends ever since. A Merry Little Meet Cute got its start when the pair retreated to a little cabin in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma, right before Christmas. It was a place where Julie and Sierra found they could let themselves work in their own rhythm. “These little cabins were always decorated for Christmas, and it really set a mood,” Julie said.
And out of that mood came A Merry Little Meet Cute, which Sierra said is a plus-size rom-com about “an adult content creator who has partnered with an adult entertainment producer with a heart of gold. His work producing adult films isn’t as lucrative as he needs right now. So he figures what if to make a quick buck he breaks into the holiday movie business?”
Of course, the star of the squeaky-clean Hallmark-type movie has to keep her regular gig in adult film-making a secret. Of course, someone on the set knows her secret. Things just might get so steamy in the town of Christmas Notch that snow begins to melt.
Note: Sierra’s Y/A chops notwithstanding, this is not a book for your young adult reader. A Merry Little Meet Cute is strictly for the 18+ year old crowd.
BOOK: A Merry Little Meet Cute
AUTHORS: Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
What’s behind Wellesley’s ‘Real Estate Renaissance’?
The Charles River Regional Chamber on Oct. 6 (12-1pm) presents an online panel discussion on Wellesley’s “Real Estate Renaissance,” the topic of a recent Boston Globe article written by a reporter who interviewed non other than Mr. Swellesley among other locals. The online session is free for members, $20 for non-members.
Wellesley’s real estate action has included new restaurants and retailers, new multi-family developments, plus the early stages of bio labs.
Presenters
- Scott Faber, senior VP of investments, Lincoln Property
- Amy Frigulietti, assistant executive director, Town of Wellesley
- Elizabeth Holmes, director of corporate services, R.W. Holmes Realty
- Joel Kadis, co-CEO & partner, Linear Retail Properties
MORE: Wellesley’s amped-up restaurants scene
