Our roundup of the latest Wellesley business news:
Truly’s bringing Peet’s back to town
When Peet’s Coffee & Tea in Wellesley Square closed in March of 2021 to make way for another bank, regulars and other residents mourned the loss. It was especially frustrating to learn later that popular ice cream & frozen yogart shop Truly’s had designs on that space, and a plan to keep Peet’s products available, but couldn’t quite pull things off.
Now a year and a half later, Truly’s has revealed that as part of its expansion into the space at 39 Grove St. next door to its current 35 Grove St., shop, it will be bringing Peet’s products back to Wellesley after all. Truly’s anticipates opening the new shop in February, according to owner Steve Marcus, who says Peet’s will be training Truly’s staff on its products.
“Truly’s will offer a substantial line of hot and cold beverages by Peet’s, plus hot ciders and hot chocolate concoctions made in house, baked goods, and an ever expanding line-up of ice cream offerings (approximately 35 flavors daily),” Marcus says.
Mary Dusenbury, senior director of marketing at Peet’s, said in a statement:”We have long been a part of the Massachusetts coffee community, and are excited to partner with locally loved Truly’s, to bring Peet’s best coffee back to the Wellesley community.”
Marcus said Truly’s will be changing its hours of operation to accommodate those looking for their early morning Peet’s, as well as other offerings. “We’ll try to catch people’s first cup,” he says, noting its hours of operation do need to take into consideration that residents live above.
Truly’s has been in talks with local bakers to bring unique treats to the shop when it opens at the next door location. “These will be no frozen pucks…these will be one-of-a-kind baked goods,” he says.
Another big change at Truly’s will be availability of year-round seating inside and outside, Marcus says.
Truly’s expanded its outdoor seating this year with a parklet in front of its future shop location, which is being designed to help lessen the familiar queuing of patrons on the sidewalk (as was discussed briefly during a recent Select Board meeting approving the business’s expansion at about the 1-hour, 13-minute mark of the Wellesley Media recording).
Truly’s also continues to make efforts to get a better handle on trash, and has invested in a solar-powered trash and recycling compactor.
The new Truly’s space is about 1,000 sq. ft. vs. 750 sq. ft. for the existing shop, and a big difference is that the property will be designed so that Truly’s can actually use most of the space for customers. The existing shop will be used as more of a production center, and possibly for catering.
Hopefully by the time the new shop opens some of the supply chain issues that have haunted all restaurants will be lessened. While Truly’s has been able to get the products it needs, it’s taken more work to do it. “There are some things we can’t do without—cups, lids, spoons, straws…” said Marcus, who put in a plug for cones over cups for their environmental edge.
One thing that Truly’s has had no shortage of is local students looking to work there, a tradition embraced by Marcus and his son Jeffrey, who manages Truly’s. “We are all having a blast and continue to believe that the community still recognizes and supports locally-owned (1-location) businesses,” Marcus says.
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We visit a Wellesley artist’s studio
There’s something evocative about a jewelry artist’s home studio being located in Wellesley’s Poet’s Corner. Alfred Tennyson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Ralph Waldo Emerson all have streets named for them in that area, and all produced many essays and poems that centered on nature.
While Susan Ohrn doesn’t compare herself to her neighborhood’s namesakes, her inspiration, too, is drawn from nature. “My latest collection, Flora Nordica, was inspired by a trip I took to Sweden. My mom’s parents come from Sweden, and I speak Swedish and studied it in school. We have family there and go back and forth often,” she said.
During her last trip to the Scandinavian country, Susan was struck by the wildflowers in bloom during her visit, along with the folk art in which flowers take center stage. Working at her jeweler’s bench as sunlight pours in from three walls of windows that enclose the heated side-porch studio, Susan shapes silver and gold into floral designs both delicate and bold.
“To create each of the pieces, I start from scratch on the computer,” she says. Using jewelry-designing software, Susan first drafts her work in a digital form before she takes tools to the sterling silver and 18k gold that will become wearable nature-based jewelry. Her goal: to create sculptural pieces that celebrate her Scandinavian ancestry with elegantly sparse expression and clean lines.
Susan learned the craft of creating beautiful designer-quality pieces as an executive and designer at Tiffany & Co., DeBeers Jewelry, and Swarovski. Her designs are available online at Susan Ohrn Jewelry.
Yum, Papa Razzi
We really enjoyed our recently Friday lunch at Papa Razzi in Wellesley Lower Falls (16 Washington St.). The restaurant had a healthy buzz, with patrons enjoying meals at tables and the bar, but it wasn’t so crowded that we couldn’t be seated right away.
We ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with fresh mozzarella and arugula pesto on ciabatta, classic chicken soup, and orecchiette with broccoli rabe, fennel sausage, garlic, chili flakes, and pecorino cheese. It all hit the spot, plus the manager swung by to tempt us with upcoming menu items that sound absolutely autumnal.
More: Where to eat in Wellesley
