The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Le Petit Four bakery reopening on Jan. 21

Let Petit Four bakery, which opened briefly on Christmas Eve morning at 380 Washington St., now plans for its official opening on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 8am.

Here’s the official list of hours from Le Petit Four for its opening week:

The much anticipated French bakery got its formal common victualler’s license approved by the Select Board during that body’s Jan. 7 meeting (see Wellesley Media recording near the start).

We got a sneak peek inside the bakery late last year.

Correction: We originally posted that the re-opening was Jan. 14. Actually it is Jan. 21. Sorry for the error.

Help Oath Pizza donate to California wildfires recovery efforts

From now through Sunday, Jan. 19, Oath Pizza Wellesley is committed to supporting those affected by the California wildfires. The popular Linden Square restaurant will donate 10% of its sales to the American Red Cross to assist in the disaster relief efforts.

To join Oath Pizza in this meaningful cause, show this post when you pick up or purchase in-store & receive a FREE fountain drink with every pizza ordered. https://oathpizzaboston.com or call 781-591-8228

Let’s come together to help California families in need. Thank you for your support! https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/

Charles River Regional Chamber board elects Pitter as chair

The Charles River Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors has elected Angela Pitter to serve as its board chair for the next two years.

Pitter is the founder and CEO of LiveWire Collaborative, a Newton-based digital marketing consultancy in business since 2012.

Pitter has been active in public service, including as a past Newton School Committee member and a current council member of the Black Alumni Leadership Council at Boston University and founding member of Newton Coalition for Black Residents.

Also elected to the board:

• Michelle DeSimone, First VP CRE Relationship Manager at Needham Bank, as first vice chair
• Jeff Cournoyer, Assistant Chancellor and Managing Director Greater Boston at the UMass
  Amherst Mount Ida Campus, as vice chair
• John Karacalidis, COO, The Village Bank, as vice chair
• Dan Brent, VP of Finance and Operations at William James College, as treasurer
• Tali Golan Sherman, director global impact at Tripadvisor, as board secretary
• John Rufo, who served as the chamber board chair for the past two years, will serve as the
  immediate past chair.

Know of Wellesley businesses coming or going? Let us know: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

The latest Wellesley, Mass. business news:

Laurel Grove leaving Wellesley Square

Laurel Grove, the home furnishings and gift store that opened in Wellesley Square in 2020, has announced it is closing shop at this location.

The business initially came to town at 35 Central St. but later moved to 25 Central. Along the way, it closed its Sudbury store.

This week, owners Michelle and Isabelle posted on social media that “It is with heavy hearts that we announce, we are saying goodbye to Wellesley. We have made the difficult decision to close our Wellesley location. We want to thank all our loyal customers, new and old, for all your support. Thank you Wellesley for welcoming us into your community. Thank you Sudbury for giving us the start to this journey that began in 2017….”

A specific closing date isn’t mentioned, though they say they’ll be having a closing sale over the next couple of months.

They say they hope to continue their business online, plus offer design services and do pop-up shops.

Contacts for new Wellesley businesses

Thinking of opening a business in Wellesley? The town has collected resources for newcomers on an economic development page within its website.

It’s that time of year when leases turn over: Let us know if you hear of businesses opening or closing: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

The latest Wellesley and area business news:

Another bank merger & name change

Banks sure do keep Wellesley’s Design Review Board busy.

Brookline Bank, which has two Wellesley locations, has announced a planned $1.1B merger with Berkshire Hills Bancorp that will result in all the benefits such companies in this business always tout when they join forces. The financial institutions say they will announce a new name before the deal is approved, and that will mean trips to the Design Review Board to get new signs approved as Wellesley Bank, Peoples Bank, Cambridge Trust, First Republic have done.

We visit Natick Mall’s new Bosse Enoteca restaurant—and watch some pickleball

Just across the town border, the new Bosse pickleball complex at Natick Mall brings not just 21 courts but several restaurants, including Enoteca. We paid a visit.

Carla Shaw Sustainable Fashion on the move

Carla Shaw Sustainable Fashion is moving from 87 Central St. in Wellesley to 79 Union St., in Newton Centre.

The business had shared Wellesley Square space with ChocAllure and Dena Pavone Collection.

Know of businesses coming or going? Don’t keep it to yourself: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

After more than 22 years in business, Wellesley’s Lemon Thai Restaurant (555 Washington St.) will not renew its common victualler’s license and close by year-end.

Owner Nipon Tepatiganon said he is thankful to the community for its support over the years, and especially to Wellesley College students who frequented the restaurant or ordered takeout. Lemon Thai was opened in 2002 by a businessman who had left Thailand 20 years before, and wound up opening several restaurants in the Boston area. Tepatiganon took over Lemon Thai not long after.

It was a business started based on the premise that local residents, including students, would be attracted to the healthy and relatively inexpensive restaurant food. Menu items include favorites like pad thai, spring rolls, and steamed dumplings.

The owner, now 62 years old, says he looks forward to spending more time with family, including those in Thailand, which has been hard to travel to in recent years between COVID-19 restrictions and a very busy work life.

Factors contributing to the restaurant’s closure are familiar. There were struggles during the pandemic, and fallout after, namely sky-high prices. “After COVID, food costs doubled or more,” Tepatiganon said. An order of bell peppers that would cost $20 not long ago now cost $50, he said. Lemon Thai raised prices but could only hike them so much. The rise of delivery apps have also cut into profits.

Employees have been hard to attract and retain. Tepatiganon used to work a couple of days at the restaurant per week, but more recently has found himself coming in every day. After hiring a new chef and general manager he was able to get away to Thailand for a month, but the employees left shortly upon his return. 

Competition in town has also steepened with the introduction of restaurants like black & blue Steak and Crab, and the expected arrival of Karma in Linden Square, he said. Wellesley has other Thai restaurants, including Amarin and Coconut Thai, that have been around even longer than Lemon Thai.

There had been signs, literally, that Lemon Thai was on an upswing. The business underwent a renovation, including a new exterior sign, new dishes, and a revamped website. Catering demand was up and takeout has remained popular. “We’d do 100 takeout orders a day on weekends,” Tepatiganon recalls of the restaurant’s busiest times.

Tepatiganon said there is a possibility of a friend opening a noodle restaurant in the space, which abuts Café Mangal.

“I want to let people know nothing’s wrong. I want to retire and am happy to be at this point,” he said.

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The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Jetset Pilates on the way; Heroes Fitness expanding

Jetset Pilates, which has more than a dozen studios across the United States with a bunch more planned, is readying to open at 98 Central St. next to the Lockheart restaurant in Wellesley Square. The fitness business specializes in 50-minute workouts set to music that are designed to help you meet your health goals.

Heroes Fitness, which launched in 2020, is currently at 98 Central St., but has big expansion plans in another part of Wellesley. Owner Connor Griffin tells us Heroes is in the process of building a 4,000 sq. ft. gym on Prescott Street  in Wellesley Hills that will expand the business’s space three-fold. It should be opening there in February. Heroes offers classes and private training, and has just released its most expansive class schedule.

Know of businesses coming or going? Don’t keep it to yourself: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

New version of Wellesley Common sign is up

We’ve been tracking the dramatic fall & now rise of the Wellesley Common sign in Wellesley Square since the distinctive wooden sign was felled during a storm last winter.

A new, less detailed sign made its way through the town approvals process and now is affixed above the Lemon Thai sign at 555 Washington St.

Real estate move

The space at 71 Central St. where Coldwell Banker resides next to Dellaria, is now listed by the property owner as having a lease pending. Meanwhile, Coldwell Banker is on the building permit for 84 Central St. across the street, next to Laughing Monk.

A way to plan for potential tax law changes

From Wellesley’s Larry Derany and Duncan Perry of Smarter Bear Financial:

As a result of the Presidential election, there is more certainty that much of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (aka Trump tax cuts) will be extended past the end of 2025. One area that is much less certain is what will happen with the SALT (State and Local Tax) deduction limitation. The SALT deductions are currently limited to $10,000, which often removes the ability to itemize deductions. There is much discussion about whether the SALT deduction limitations should be raised or eliminated and whether that will happen as soon as tax year 2025.

The next Wellesley Real Estate tax payment is due Feb. 1—be sure to wait until at least Jan. 1 to make that payment. If you make estimated tax payments to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts—the Q4 2024 payment is due no later than Jan. 15, 2025—be sure to make that payment no earlier than Jan. 1. If these payments are made in 2025, they could potentially represent valuable tax deductions in 2025 if the laws are changed.

More financial information of interest is available in our monthly newsletter – it is free to subscribe – smarterbear.substack.com

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