Wellesley Business Buzz: The Painting Place is coming to town; Scalliwags daycare arriving soon; local farmers extend reach

January 28, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Here’s a round-up of the latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

The Painting Place coming to Wellesley

The Kid’s Place, a 7-days-a-week Needham-based studio established in 2000 that offers a slew of artsy drop-in activities from painting pottery to making slime, is rebranding itself as The Painting Place and moving a few miles down the road to Wellesley. The building in which The Kid’s Place resides is being torn down.

“The rebranding is the positive I’m taking from the negative of losing my current lease,” says The Kid’s Place and The Painting Place’s Samara Helfman. To be clear though, Helfman’s business will continue to serve kids even as it expands its audience to more adults, including local college students.

The name change should make The Painting Place more welcoming to grown-ups who want to drop in or arrange parties, corporate events, etc. The new space is much bigger than the old one, Helfman says.

the painting place

“We are keeping The Kid’s Place alive during the transition as we want to maintain kids’ painting and birthday parties,” she says. “We’re going to focus on both kids and adults instead of primarily kids.”

The Painting Place will relocate to 380R Washington St., behind where White’s Bakery will soon open at Playhouse Square. Legit Activewear, which is now on the Belclare strip at the other end of town, used to be in that spot.

If all goes according to plan, the business will open in Wellesley in March.

Scalliwags Daycare opening in Wellesley

A new daycare center with the rascally name of Scalliwags is readying its space at 445 Washington St., in that complex across from Whole Foods where Zoots and a nanny/tutoring business used to operate.

Scalliwags is seeking employees now to engage with your infants and toddlers.

scalliwags wellesley

Summer camps registration has begun

But don’t panic. And don’t be fooled by Busy January Kids who claim they “just want to hang out and chill all summer.” Those kids will quickly turn into Summer Bored Kids by the beginning of July. Find out all about summer camps here in Wellesley and beyond on our Summer Camps page.

Beth Israel Deaconess Healthcare headed to Wellesley

Look for Beth Israel Deaconess Healthcare to come to the Wellesley Professional Building at 372 Washington St., in March. They’re accepting new patients and making appointments now.

It looks like the team includes a handful of team members previously with Newton-Wellesley Primary Care (We’d had inquiries about Drs. Elisabeth Brewer, Edward Shashoua and Genevieve Anand, for example, and they are now listed as being on the Beth Israel team. For at least Drs. Brewer and Anand this will mark a return to a building where they worked years ago for the Marino Center).

Beth Israel

Farmers to You adds a third Wellesley spot

Farmers To You, an online farmers market, is adding Wellesley Office Park as a new pickup site. Customers can order food from local farmers currently delivering to more than 25 pickup sites and hundreds of homes in the Boston area, will open its third site in Wellesley at the Wellesley Office Park at 55 William St., on Thursday, January 31. The 2600+ tenants at the office park will have the opportunity to order food from local farmers and pick it up in tote bags each Thursday from 3:30-5pm. Farmers to You also delivers at Babson College and at the Wellesley Farmers Market at 309 Washington St.

Charity Buzz

Wellesley resident lacing ’em up against Bruins alums for charity

Wellesley resident Michael Ryan will be among the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute doctors, researchers, and staff who will play a charity hockey game against Boston Bruins alumni to benefit the Jimmy Fund, which supports cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber. The Dana-Farber Rink Rats’ game will be held Saturday, February 2, from 2:00 p.m – 4:00 p.m. at Warriors Ice Arena in Boston. Ryan is in development at Dana-Farber.

To support a participant or for more information, please visit www.jimmyfund.org/rinkrats.

Rink Rats 2

Boston Marathon cycling fundraiser

Come Cycle for a Cause with Boston Marathon-bound Wellesley moms Kim Ebeling, Mona Marimow, Dorothy Strzelecki and Kate Wallace and sweat for something meaningful. On Wednesday, January 30th at 7:30pm the runners-in-training are teaming up with B/SPOKE Wellesley for a charity ride. 100% of the proceeds will go towards their Boston Marathon fundraising efforts for the Good Sports Organization and the Shawn Thornton Foundation. Purchase tickets here.

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Wellesley author’s book has kids cooking with solar power

January 23, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

Wellesley author Elizabeth Suneby’s latest in a series of socially-conscious children’s book has just been recognized with an award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science as the top children’s science picture book.

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea: How a Science Project Helps One Family and the Planet, written by Elizabeth Suneby and illustrated by Rebecca Green, tells the story of a Bangladeshi boy who sets out to build a smoke-free solar cooker in light of the damage that cooking over indoor fire during the monsoon season is having on his family’s health. The device might also earn him a sustainability award from his school, and instructions are provided in the book on how to concoct such a solar cooker with a pizza box and aluminum foil.

Suneby learned about the issue of 3 billion people cooking over open fires or stoves using wood, coal or other solid fuels while working on the first book she wrote for the Citizen Kid series, Razia’s Ray of Hope: One Girl’s Dream of an Education. To further learn about the issue, she worked with the UN Global Clean Cooking Alliance in the United States and Bangladesh, Solar Cookers International as well as with local Bangladeshi students.

“Each of the Citizen Kid books… addresses one issue to help kids become world citizens,” Suneby writes. “Cooking is a daily activity every kid can relate to — and they should understand and care that for a huge portion of the world’s population, it is a task with many issues,” such as harming the environment, causing health issues, and dis-empowering women.

The book, geared toward kids in grades 3-7, is available locally (autographed editions at Wellesley Books) and online.

kids cooking with solar — Kids cooking with solar

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How Wellesley DPW plans to beet snow & ice

January 18, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

Wellesley snow day #2, 2017

The Swellesley Report has put its best beet reporter on the case and sniffed out what that aroma is that’s been wafting above Wellesley streets in recent days.

We received a message from a concerned citizen on Friday who asked what was with the “dregs of dripping garbage smeared all over the streets lately?” She noticed this in Lower Falls on Washington Street, on Weston Road in Wellesley Square, and on side streets near the Sprague School. She called the cops to see if anyone else reported this, and says she was told “No.”

The Swellesley reader’s message got me wondering about some unusual striping I’d noticed myself on Linden Street this AM, and whether these lines and that odor might be connected. So I nosed around the Department of Public Works, which solved the mystery without skipping a beet.

I knew something would turnip.

The DPW’s Mike Quinn explains that the town has been pre-treating roadways with a de-icing liquid that is 90% salt brine and 10% beet juice by-product (wonder if they got it from Cocobeet in Wellesley Square?).

“The beet juice by-product acts as a sticking agent and catalyst for the salt brine,” Quinn says.

The environmentally friendly mixture helps the town beat down the amount of rock salt it applies and helps the rock salt it does use work better, he adds.

This is actually the third year that the town has employed the beet-infused solution. Before that, it tried a delicious concoction that included molasses. But it didn’t stick with that.

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Sneak peek: We get an early look behind Door No. 7 in Wellesley

December 28, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The newest restaurant in Wellesley is about to open its doors. Door No. 7 in Linden Square is nearly ready to introduce all comers to an upscale restaurant and lounge experience that will emphasize small plates, a raw bar, and craft cocktails, all served up in a classy and sleek atmosphere.

Here’s the important information about when you can get it in:

It’s friends and family day on Saturday, December 29th, meaning a table is available by invitation only.

Then Door No. 7 will be open to all, table availability willing, on Sunday, December 30th.

After that, they’re closed Monday, December 31; and Tuesday, January 1, presumably to avoid the double madness of opening a new restaurant and serving on high-expectation days right from the get-go.

Starting Wednesday, January 2, the 150-seat space, owned by Wellesley native Laura Wolfe and her husband John Wolfe, will be open on the daily. The couple also owns The Cottage across the street, as well as two Newburyport restaurants

Door No. 7’s interior was designed by celebrity interior designer Taniya Nayak, who you might know from HGTV and the Food Network. She and her Boston-based firm also handled the 2018 renovation of The Cottage, a project that was all about revamping a much-loved spot by creating a warm and cozy New England atmosphere. Nayak has taken Door No. 7 in a different, sleeker direction. The palette is neutral throughout and the lines are defined. The dining-room seating lends a mid-century modern look to the space, but it’s no time capsule to the past. There’s bleached wood paneling and a floor that’s part polished concrete for the cool factor and part carpeted for sound absorption. The ceiling is designed to further neutralize the clatter and conversation that Wolfe is counting on as part of the sophisticated party vibe she expects to be a nightly thing. “We wanted the restaurant to feel a little bit more urban than The Cottage or other restaurants in the area,” Wolfe said.

When you walk in, the 15-seat bar and that area’s accompanying ten or so tables are right there. Scan the scene, there’s bound to be someone you know. Also check out the liquor lockers, a new concept to me but perhaps not to more sophisticated Wellesley-ites. The idea is that a customer can rent a locker, fill it with whatever Door No.7-provided spirits they love, and their private stock will be there waiting for their next visit. The bartender will personally help with customers’ selections, which perhaps might not be regularly available behind the bar. This “bottle keep” system will be available to about 30 customers, and the fee structure hasn’t yet been set. Maybe if you get in on the ground floor, you could have some input on that.

For the nameless, faceless many of us who will not be renting a locker, look for specialty cocktails with a Prohibition-esque feel to them: A Dangerous Man is mixed up with bourbon, rye, faro amaro, kummel mist, and angostora bitters. The 21st Amendment has bourbon, wood roasted beet and thyme syrup, citrus, and falernum. There is also a wine list; a rotating selection of draft beers and offerings in cans and bottles; and sangria served seasonally.

As for the food, that’s the domain of executive chef Peter Hansen, who once did a short stint on Iron Chef. Hansen handles the menus of all four of the Wolfes’ restaurants, and he will be primarily stationed out of Door No7. “That’s pretty exciting to us and to many of our customers who know all about the amazing things he puts together,” general manager Kayin Peters said. She also noted that over half of the menu items are gluten free.

Raw bar is a big part of the menu and includes oysters, littlenecks, and shrimp cocktail, of course. Also look for scallops cerviche served with smoked tomato, lime, cilantro, and sweet onion; salmon poke with Hawaiian flavors and taro chips; and Maine lobster and avocado with watercress, horseradish, and lime.

Small plates on offer include tempura fried shrimp roll with sweet and spicy chili sauce, roasted peanuts, and baby shrimp; foie gras sliders on house-baked Parker House-inspired rolls with red currant jam, pickled onions, and maple butter; and pomegranate glazed brussel sprouts with toasted hazelnut and local cranberry goat cheese.

Large plates include roasted half chicken with 15-layer taleggio potato, bacon roasted brussels sprouts, and porcini-infused bone broth; Scottish organic salmon, lightly smoked, served with root vegetable lasagna, baby frisse salad, and Meyer lemon vinaigrette; and a burger made with locally sourced dry aged beef topped with aged amish cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle, on a buttered brioche and accompanied with rosemary parmesan fries.

Hansen’s kitchen isn’t wide open to the dining area, but you can glimpse and hear the bustle. It’s all part of the urban feel Door No.7 is striving for. There may be some who will sniff at its suburban location, but everyone else will appreciate the ample parking and the feeling of being transported to a different, cooler reality once they enter the space. When you walk through the first door, look up. I won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s totally fun. Also, don’t miss the pictures of famous actors standing in doorways (get it?). There’s Clint Eastwood, Vivian Leigh, and Elizabeth Taylor. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out who that was in the ladies restroom, and then couldn’t believe it once I was told. Another surprise that awaits you.

Other eateries coming to Wellesley:

Rice Burg

White’s Bakery & Cafe

Fiorella’s Express

Where to eat in Wellesley

Wellesley businesses that came & went in 2018

December 22, 2018 by bbrown Leave a Comment

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.

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.

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.

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.