One of the Swellesleyest things we’ve come across of late: Valet parking at the Wellesley Whole Foods.

Though readers say the business is doing it in Dedham, too, so not exclusive to our fine town.

Readers also are giving the valet workers high marks. One wrote on our Facebook page: “The valet gentlemen were lovely. Though I had found my own spot, they offered to bring my groceries to my car, unload and return the cart for me. Made for a pleasant experience.They are hardworking.”

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White’s Bakery sign finally gone

The White’s Bakery sign at Playhouse Square on Washington went up in 2018, then the eatery opened in spring of 2019 and closed about a year later during the summer of 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White’s Bakery signs at 380 Washington St. have outlasted the business here by several years, only recently being removed for… we’ll see. The space housed a bank before the bakery, so it could be anything.

See also: Wellesley’s colorful retail history

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

Sleek Salon sign already gone

The sign for Sleek Salon, at 245 Washington St. in Wellesley Hills, has been removed. The space below the Yama restaurant has housed other salons in the past.

Update 11/20/23: The owner says there are plans for Sleek to resurface somewhere else soon…

Roof deck ‘certainly not planned to be a party place’

We got excited when we saw there were plans to add a roof deck at 112 Worcester St. (in the Park 9 complex), figuring we might get invited to the parties sure to be held there.

But no, Andrew Cohen, an architect for the future home of Synergy Private Health, told the Wellesley Design Review Board that “it’s certainly not planned to be a party place.” Rather, it will be a space for “rest and relaxation,” and for demonstrations of herbs and plants to be grown there for medicinal and wellness purposes.

OK, whatever, it’s approved.

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ChocAllure moves to Wellesley Square

ChocAllure, a fancy chocolate business that’s gotten too popular for its home base in Needham, has made the move to Wellesley Square at 87 Central St. (the Lyn Evans fashion boutique that has been at that location has moved to 376 Washington St. in Norwell). The homegrown chocolate business aims for its official opening on Dec. 3, with a free tasting event, during the Holiday Stroll.

“Wellesley has a great main street with exquisite items and a community that much like the Needham community (where I live), has really embraced ChocAllure,” owner Liron Gal says.

ChocAllure will share the space with 2 other businesses, Carla Shaw Sustainable Fashion, which sells “bio-jewelry” made from plants and coated in 18-karat gold, and Dena Pavone Collection, whose fashion items include some very sparkly boots from Italy.

ChocAllure’s colorful jewel-like chocolates, made with the finest ingredients France has to offer, have gained a big following in advance of the business’s move to Wellesley. She’s also selling her chocolates in Boston’s Seaport at the Snowport winter wonderland.

“I have built a manufacturing facility at home with quite a significant production capacity, but I am missing the connection with customers, so I felt it was about time to test the retail water,” Gal says. The chocolates will still be produced at her chocolate lab in Needham, for which she has permits.

Gal learned the art of chocolate making from world-renowned master chocolatiers (such as Jean Pierre Wybauw, Ramon Morato, Luis Amado, and more), and trained in both Europe and the United States. The former technology executivet says she has “developed techniques that even those chocolatiers were surprised with- I took my background in pastry (I was originally trained as a pastry chef), and applied it here to chocolates making. She described all of her chocolates as “miniature composed desserts, inside a chocolate shell,” boasting flavors like strawberry cheesecake, creme brulee, and caramel popcorn.

 

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Chamber breakfast focuses on health, housing & sports

The Charles River Regional Chamber‘s line-up of speakers and awardees at its annual Fall Business Breakfast hit on seemingly all the hot issues—housing, healthcare, and sports (see video embedded below).

The local business and nonprofit community packed the Boston Marriott Newton on Nov. 2 to network and hear from distinguished guests (disclaimer: We’re a chamber member).

The morning’s highlight was the chamber’s recognition of Newton’s Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control from 2021 to mid-2023, with the R.L. Tennant Award, the organization’s highest honor. Walensky shared insights into what it was like heading the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic after she took a job that “I knew would be the hardest thing I had ever done.” Walensky had been chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Harvard Medical School professor of medicine. She gave lots of credit to her Newton community for support during the darkest days of her tenure at the CDC through kind gestures such as leaving cookies or hand cream at her home. Walensky also thanked Newton leadership and employees, including the police, for providing security, as well as her colleagues and other healthcare professionals for many of their unsung services at a time of severe understaffing and deficient data systems.

Earlier during the meeting, attendees heard from Larry Seamans, head of FamilyAid Boston, an outfit that focuses on helping families find housing at a time when tens of thousands are in temporary shelters. To put the homelessness crisis in context, he had attendees raise their hands if any of numerous examples (“How many of you had family members who came here to escape tyranny?” etc.) cited applied to their own lives and backgrounds. The many families living in shelters “are a reflection of our own past,” Seamans said, before highlighting FamilyAid’s plan to open a 2-acre family navigation center in the middle of Newton in the spring that will provide job training as well as temporary housing for up to 100 children and parents. Many area organizations have stepped up to support this effort, he said.

The event ended with an interview by local sports commentator Michael Holley of Boston Celtics President Rich Gotham, who took on the challenging role of replacing NBA legend Red Auerbach in that job. The Celtics were undefeated at the time of the breakfast, and part of the discussion focused on the glory days as well as the potential for big things from the team this season. They also delved into what makes for good leadership both on the court by players, such as retired Celtics player Kevin Garnett, and in the back office. Gotham referenced having self awareness as a leader to accept questioning of the way you do things, and preached that “you have to empower yourself” as an employee, not being afraid to have opinions and stand behind them.

Linden Square Starbucks is back

A reader reached to make sure people know that the Starbucks in Linden Square, rammed into by a motorist last month, is back in action.

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

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The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Hedi’s Furniture heads out of town

We first paid Hedi’s Furniture a visit upon its opening in 2021, noting that “Owner Mohamed Elelimy has filled the space with tasteful, high-end offerings…” That space, located at 572 Washington St., has now largely been emptied as Hedi’s Furniture focuses on its bigger location in Chestnut Hill.

Hiring was a challenge in Wellesley, says Elelimy, who adds that plans for an out-of-state branch (in a location familiar to many in Wellesley) will be announced soon.

Unique salon opens in Wellesley

With all the salons & nail joints in Wellesley, you better be unique if you’re going to open a new shop. So there you have it, Unique Nail & Spa has moved into the former Home Decor and C&T Paint space at 139R Linden St.

Lacrosse Unlimited plots its move

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

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Simply Stated slides into ex-European Manor space

The former European Manor space at 556 Washington St., has been filled by an outfit called Simply Stated that has operated in Needham on Great Plain Avenue.

While we haven’t been in yet, from the outside you can see that the home decor and gifts shop (which also offers interior design services) is ready for Christmas, and also has everything from a big giraffe to various pillows.

The store schedule posted on the door says the shop is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-5pm.

New barber in town

Barber Walter’s in Wellesley has hired Tim Bowen as a new barber at its 576b Washington St. Bowen has spent more than 20 years working as a barber in Cambridge.

Sun Life sticks with Celtics

Sun Life, the Wellesley-based insurance and financial services firm, has renewed as an official community programming partner of the Boston Celtics through the 2027-2028 season, collaborating on community programming in Greater Boston and Southern Maine. The contract extension includes a new relationship between Sun Life and the Celtics’ NBA G League affiliate in Maine.

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