Our round-up of the latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Poppin In at Linden Square

We popped into Poppin In, a new trendy fashion shop in Linden Square with a California vibe at a laid-back price point. Owners Rachel and John Gilli have deep roots in the area. They live in Weston, along with their three teenage daughters who must be the envy of every kid in school right now. When mom and dad open up a clothing store stocked with literally everything you’d actually want to wear to school, that tends to happen.

There’s plenty of fashion for everybody with brands like Billabong, Amuse Society, Sisstrevolution, and more, as well as swim suits and resort wear.

“Everything is roughly 30% off the price tag,” Rachel, a past president of Boston Children’s Hospital League said of the pop-up shop. “We have mostly women’s clothes, and a small men’s section. We want people to come in and have a fun time shopping.”

Store hours: Mon.-Sat., 11am-7pm & Sun., noon-5pm

Chase Bank site becomes sign central

Chase Bank, which is filling the space at 9 Central St. in Wellesley Square recently vacated by Peet’s Coffee, has filled windows of the building with colorful signs heralding is pending arrival.

Those not so enamored with JPMorgan Chase’s investment record turned out on Saturday with signs of their own. More than 50 protesters, including a contingent of high school and college students, were among the demonstrators.

“A new Chase Bank branch will be moving into where Peet’s Coffee was and we felt we would use this opportunity to raise awareness about the fact that JPMorgan Chase Bank provides far more overall funding worldwide for both current and new fossil fuel projects than any other bank in the world,” said Sydney Stearns, a Wellesley College sophomore. “Even though the fossil fuel sector is only a small percentage of Chase’s portfolio, any funding to this industry is problematic for the future of our planet.”

The demonstration, which encourages bank customers to cut up credit cards and close accounts at offending institutions, is part of a national effort to bring attention to fossil fuel’s financial backers. Among their targets are those funding the company extending the Line 3 pipeline across Native American lands.

Chase shared the following statement with us regarding its efforts to support sustainability:

“The commitments we announced in February 2020 reflect our ongoing efforts to help address climate change and promote more sustainable development. This includes financing to support climate action and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, backing market-based policy solutions to reduce carbon emissions, expanding restrictions on financing for coal mining and coal-fired power, and prohibiting project financing for new oil and gas development in the Arctic. We’re building capacity within our business to tackle these challenges and look forward to working with our clients and other stakeholders on ways to grow our impact over time.” (More on JPMorgan Chase’s February 2020 commitments.)

Demonstrators, organized via 350 Metrowest and Northern 350, will be back in town on April 17 and 24 from 10:30am-noon. They’ll be found at the intersection of Rte. 135 and 16 in Wellesley Square.

And a shout-out to some women who make Wellesley go round

We are still celebrating Women’s History Month with a nod of respect to some of the town’s women-owned businesses. Fun fact: Swellesley’s a women-owned business, too. Here’s a partial list below, with more to follow in our next Business Buzz:

Comina

Owner: Amy Nicholas
Elegant and contemporary high-end furnishings and accessories
566 Washington Street, Wellesley Square

Crepeberry

Owner: Amelia Childs
Accessibly vegetarian fare
352 Washington Street

Magic Beans

Owner: Sheri Gurock
Toys, baby gear, strollers, and more.
Linden Square

Scalliwags

Owner: Lorraine Cronin
Infant Toddler Childcare
445 Washington St.

Wellesley Books

Owner: Gillian Kohli
A destination for readers
82 Central Street, Wellesley Square

Forklift enters Wellesley meal-delivery scene

The team behind Forklift Catering has launched  Forklift Provisions, geared toward those looking for help hosting small gatherings, a more special meal than one might normally make, and an opportunity to have fresh, easy meals at home throughout the week without ordering multiple takeout dishes or spending hours at the stove each night. Dishes are available a la carte, and in full meals, and are each meant to serve four people. The company now delivers to Wellesley.

Got tips on business openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: [email protected]

Also email us if you’re interested in sponsoring our weekly Wellesley Business Buzz roundup.

Bank branch to close in Wellesley

In an unusual twist for a town that boasts banks galore, a branch is actually leaving Wellesley Square. Cambridge Trust execs have notified account holders that as of July 12 the 40 Central Street branch will close for good. A branch in Portsmouth, NH will also be shuttered. Both the Linden Square and Lower Falls offices will remain open, along with the rest of the bank’s approximately two dozen locations.

Cambridge Trust came to Wellesley Square last June as the result of a merger with Wellesley Bank. As a Central Street fixture for 45 years, many in town will recall Wellesley Bank as a place where the candy flowed freely and friendly tellers were always ready to update a young person’s passbook savings account. Many of the Wellesley Bank staff stayed on once the merger went through and became Cambridge Trust employees. So now what?

Senior VP Kerri Mooney in a letter said, “I am pleased to let you know that our Wellesley Square team will continue to serve your banking needs from other locations within our banking office network.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post made mention of safe deposit boxes at 40 Central St. That branch, in fact, does not have safe deposit boxes. We apologize for the error.

When one bank door closes, another one opens

As we reported late last year Chase Bank, which burst onto the Wellesley scene in 2019 at 294 Washington St. (which used to house a Santander ATM), will be expanding its presence in town when it moves into the recently closed Peet’s Coffee & Tea location.

In the interest of balance or karma or something like that, we’re thinking a coffee and tea house would be just perfect in the Cambridge Trust spot.

Bank deal of the Century

Century Bank, which has a location on Washington Street in Wellesley Hills, has agreed to be acquired for $642M by Eastern Bank, which has clearly been feeling left out without a Wellesley presence. Expect to see the signs change on the family-owned Century Bank branch in Wellesley and be replaced with Eastern Bank signs once this deal is finalized.

And a shout-out to some women who make Wellesley go round

We are still celebrating Women’s History Month with a nod of respect to some of the town’s women-owned businesses. Fun fact: Swellesley’s a women-owned business, too. Here’s a partial list below, with more to follow in our next Business Buzz:

Gretta Luxe and Grettacole Salon & Day Spa

Owner: Gretta Monahan
Fashion and beauty.
94 Central Street, Wellesley Square

Joel Bagnal Goldsmiths & Jewelers

Owner: Jill Sudman
101 Central Street, Wellesley Square

Lash L’Amour

Owner: Cynthia Tsang
576 Washington St., Wellesley Square

Skinscapes

Owner: Mary Marie Barrett
Clinic. Laser. Skincare.
31 Central Street, Wellesley Square

Kenzie & Hope

Owner: Shani Defina
200 Linden Street, Linden Square

Got tips on business openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: [email protected]

Also email us if you’re interested in sponsoring our weekly Wellesley Business Buzz roundup.