The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

It’s curtains up soon for Tyler & Sash in Wellesley at former convenience store location

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The former Red Apple location has looked a little seedy ever since the convenience store peeled out in June 2018, leaving gum-seeking Hunnewell students adrift on early-release Wednesdays. The storefront likely won’t recognize itself once it gets a makeover from Tyler & Sash, slated to open in February at 540 Washington St. Look for the full-service interior design gallery to rip down the brown paper that currently passes for a window treatment at the Cameron and Washington Street corner location and seriously refresh it with something swanky.

Store hours will be

Tuesday – Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm

Saturday: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Tyler & Sash, Wellesley
Interior design company Tyler & Sash is looking to open in February at the former Red Apple location.

 

 

 

The company also has a location in Winchester where it offers custom shutters, shades, and drapes as well as wallpaper and upholstery “solutions”.

A couple doors down in the former Yogurtology space, Rice Burg is getting closer to opening. The Board of Selectmen on December 17 approved the healthy rice burgers and bowls business for its first foray from food trucks to bricks-and-mortar. Owner Jessica Shen in a move designed to take advantage of practically new equipment left behind by Yogurtology and capitalize on past consumer behaviors, will also offer fro-yo at the 552 Washington Street location, next to Old School Pizzeria. The Rice Burg food trucks will continue to roam the streets of Cambridge and Boston.

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Where to eat in Wellesley

Remember these former Wellesley restaurants?

Beyond Wellesley: Versus arcade bar/restaurant

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Save the dates for half-price sale at Shoppers Corner in Wellesley

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Shoppers Corner, WellesleyThe Schofield Elementary School’s Shoppers Corner half-price sale is coming up. Racks are full of many new donations – winter outfits and outdoor gear. Don’t miss this popular sale. Come early to find great half-price bargains from the entire stock of this season’s winter merchandise.

Shoppers Corner is entirely parent-volunteer run, and sells new and gently used clothing and accessories from infant through adult, with many popular labels.  All proceeds benefit the Schofield PTO.  Located in the lower level of the school, entry to the rear of the playground.

SALE HOURS:

Wednesday, 1/30/19, 8:30am – 12:15pm
Saturday, 2/2/19, 9am – 11am
Wednesday, 2/6/19 for the Bag Sale

Like Shoppers Corner on Facebook to keep up-to-date on all the Shopper’s Corner news.

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Wellesley Business Buzz

Wellesley Shopping scene

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Wellesley businesses that came & went in 2018

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Wellesley saw its share of businesses coming and going in 2018, but the biggest change took place at the Belclare complex on Washington Street on the edge of Wellesley Square, where it was almost all about businesses coming.

The luxury condos at the Belclare filled up in a hurry back at the end of 2015, but the retail spaces remained mostly vacant, despite a few close calls.

Sure, Thirst Juice, located on the Grove Street side of the Belclare complex, did have its last kale in January. Later in the year, however, salon Atelier opened on that same block, and the real action took place on the Washington Street side. There, the Agnes Vision optical shop, Barber Walter’s, Laer Realty Partners, La Mia Moda boutique, CouCou kids’ clothing/fashions/housewares, Legit Activewear all opened for business. Pucker Gallery also made a cameo appearance.

belclare wellesley
The Belclare retail strip during a recent block party

 

On the food front, the big news was Bertucci’s closing suddenly in May, part of a corporate meltdown. While the space behind Playhouse Square remains vacant, White’s Bakery is expected to open soon in the former bank space at that corner of Wellesley Hills. The other big restaurant news was steakhouse Smith & Wollensky opening its first suburban location in Wellesley, in the former Blue Ginger space. Big shoes to fill, big wallets to empty.

Smith & Wollensky, Wellesley
Smith & Wollensky al fresco

 

Sweetgreen has been doing a steady business in Linden Square since it opened in early 2018, and nearby, The Cottage refurbished itself.  The Cottage owners are also prepping for Door No. 7, a fancier restaurant across the street, to open soon. Mark’s Pizza & Subs closed and that building was razed to pave the way for a refurbished Papa Razzi.

Mark’s is busy readying for its new location nearby at 10B Washington St.

marks
Mark’s Pizza & Subs gear ready to get back in action in Lower Falls

 

Fiorella’s, a fast casual Italian eatery, is aiming for a February opening at the former SuSu’s spot across from the Belclare.

Orangetheory might sound like food, but the fitness joint that opened in Wellesley Square is actually a solution to burn calories. New businesses like this are sure to keep Swellesleyites beautiful. And while id. Salon closed its doors in Wellesley Hills, Le Vernis Nail Studio opened in the old 2nd Time Around space in Wellesley Square.

On the fashion front, Fat Face opened in Church Square and Crane & Lion moved into the former Talbots spot in Wellesley Square.

Zoots earned recognition as the most classless closing of the year in Wellesley (2 locations) and beyond, leaving people in a lurch to start 2018, forcing some to drive to the back of beyond to pick up their belongings. Neither Zoots space in Wellesley has been filled yet.

Wellesley zoots
Zoots clothes-ed

 

Alfredo’s Hair Design, near the Lower Fall Zoots, also closed its doors after 30 years (and the word is that Mark’s Pizza & Subs could resurface there).

Alfredo's, Mark's Pizza

Some Wellesley businesses changed locations. Among them: Lyn Evans and Clementine (in the former Xylem space), both in Church Square. FLX Training, formerly near Clementine in that strip between Rte. 9 and Rte. 16, slid down to Linden Square. Page Waterman moved its framing and gallery business to an expanded space on Washington Street. Home Decor Group replaced C & T Paint on Linden Street.

Speaking of decor, Patti Bros., has left Wellesley Square to retrench at its Sudbury base. Miele shut down its Wellesley Square shop.

Other new faces in Linden Square include Verizon, Code Ninjas and Kenzie & Hope. The latter is a fresh twist on Kenzie Kids, which new owner Shani DeFina says re-opened in August after renovations, and is refocused on clothing, gifts and accessories for teens and young women. DeFina says she’ll aim to bring in brands that give back to the community.

kenzie & hope
Kenzie & Hope, Linden Square

 

One summer shocker involved Miss Michelle’s Center for the Performing Arts clearing out of Linden Square after 10 years following an unsuccessful lease renewal. A dog grooming business called Pampered Puppies is moving in. Linden Square also bid adieu to French Lessons, a tenant for 12 years.

miss michelle's wellesley 1

And finally, let’s not forget that Red Apple Convenience store peeled out as mysteriously as it operated.

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Holiday happenings in and around Wellesley

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There are lots of opportunities around Wellesley to get into the Christmas spirit:

Wellesley Free Library

The Wellesley Free Library has lots of fun activities going on all through the holidays. You can find the whole line-up here.

Giant Snowpeople Craft — Wellesley Free Library

Wednesday, December 26 – Saturday, December 29
Drop in from 1:30 – 4:30 on any day Dec. 26 – 29 to construct Super-Sized
Snowpeople (up to 4 feet; tall).
Good for families with children of all ages.

Says You, NatickSays You! heads ‘Home for the Holidays’ this year thanks to Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Join Says You on Thursday, December 27 and Friday, December 28, at the Keiter Center in Natick, for a special live event. If you’ve never tuned in to the popular weekly WGBH radio show, here’s how it works: Take one word, add two teams, create three definitions and throw in a live audience: and that’s Says You! See what happens when two teams vie for accuracy in the most literate and liberal of arts at the hilarious expense of the English language.  Two games will be played with a brief intermission. The seasonal cast includes Wellesley’s own Carolyn Faye Fox, along with Barry Nolan, and Arnie Reisman.

And for those of you who would like to start the laughs rolling a little earlier, tickets are available for an intimate Q&A with the cast before the show at 6:30pm. For details contact Lenny Paul at (860) 510-8158 or [email protected]

WHEN: Thursday, December 27, 7:30pm and Friday, December 28, 7:30pm
WHERE: Walnut Hill School, Keiter Center, 146 Bacon St., Natick, MA
GET TICKETS HERE

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Meet Wellesley’s newest barber…Walter

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Barber Walter's Wellesley
Walter Bishop-Jones welcomes first-time customer Charles to Barber Walter’s

 

Walter Bishop-Jones, who along with wife Kat just opened the Barber Walter’s barbershop and apothecary at Wellesley’s Belclare complex on Washington Street, has come a long way as a barber in more ways than one.

Jones got his license in 2001, but says he started cutting hair long before that. He got his first pair of clippers at age 11 after saving up money from getting good grades, then proceeded to cut everyone’s hair in his Sacramento, Calif., neighborhood “much to the chagrin of my and everyone’s parents.” Getting into the haircut game also spared young Walter from having his parents cut his hair (“there’s nothing worse than that, at least from the mindset of a preteen.”)

Fast forward to this year, when Walter sold off his share of his San Francisco shop, moved to Wellesley (Kat’s a Massachusetts native), got married on St. Patrick’s Day and signed a lease for a new shop at the Belclare, which is suddenly a bustling retail row. The couple has transformed that space in a matter of months from bare walls and pipes (we had a sneak peek over the summer) to a stylish lounge complete with classic barber chairs imported from New York, lots of wood and cubbyholes, a library and a not-so-secret door in the back wall. “Wood, leather, steel and spirit… we definitely went all out, as we plan to be here for generations,” says Jones, who considers his mind and hands his key barbering tools.

Barber Walter's Wellesley

The shop’s services range in price from a $30 buzz cut (30 minutes) all the way up to “a relaxing and invigorating” deluxe haircut and hot towel shave (90 minutes) for $90. The barbershop will also come to you, such as for bachelor’s parties. The business also plans to offer custom services for patrons with special needs and to train staff to accommodate these customers.

Jones says what he likes best about his gig is “the camaraderie and having the privilege being the one guy in the neighborhood that, through networking and due diligence, knows who does what and who needs that.” Barber Walter’s emphasizes on its website its intention to be very community oriented.

But does Wellesley, which already has a slew of barbershops and salons, really need another?

“If you look at the population of Wellesley, Weston, Dover, etc., there is definitely a need!” Jones says. “Now, as far as salons go, first and foremost, I wouldn’t dare compare myself to a salon, as I have just as much respect for cosmetology as I do my own craft. The difference between a Cosmetologist and a Barber is like the difference between having your picture drawn or painted.  Cosmetologists, through skill and knowledge, work to create a tapestry of beauty among women and long-haired men. They are definitely masters of their craft…and I respect them as such.  Barbers tend to be more detailed oriented, as the margin for error is much smaller.”

I did ask Jones the question that had to be asked, too, regarding his namesake, news legend Barbara Walters. Is he a big fan?

“I’m a huge fan…her interview of Fidel Castro (among others) worked to shape modern American foreign policy.  She resides in the hearts and minds of the American populace.”

And in the spirit of Barbara Walters, I asked Jones the really tough question. Who cuts your hair?

“My BEAUTIFUL wife, Kat Jones!”

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