Mad Minis now at Roche Bros.

Tired of novelty ice cream treats that are either so enormous you could gain weight just looking at them, or so lacking in quality that you just can’t even? Wellesley High School graduates Mark Robinson and Lee Gavris were, so they decided to do something about the well-documented yet largely ignored frozen dessert problem.

The pair co-founded Little Something Foods, LLC and launched Mad Minis. Their goal: to capture the taste and quality of the cold treats they gobbled down durning their formative ice cream years, when they bopped around from Bailey’s on Central Street to Friendly’s on Linden Street over to Sunshine Dairy on Washington Street and on to  Brigham’s in Wellesley Hills. Mad Minis contain no artificial ingredients and at only 60 calories per cookie, they’re what the company calls a “permissible indulgence.”

Over the past several years what once seemed like a crazy leap of faith has grown to include placement in all sorts of big-name stores, including Mad Minis’ recent inclusion in the freezer section of Wellesley’s own Roche Bros. in Linden Square.

We tried them out and the goodies were mad good. The guys obviously have spared no expense on high-quality chocolate, and the fattest of butterfat for the ice cream component. The portion size is great for kids and those trying to avoid supersizing their treats intake

So next time you pop in to Roche, why not see how a couple of locals are shaking up the novelty ice cream game? Mark still lives here in Wellesley, Lee has settled in nearby Newton, and the Little Something Foods office is located in Wellesley.

Spring Cleaning for a Cause

With many families in need of basic necessities, it is more important than ever to open your hearts and donate to Welcome Home, a local home goods pantry. Welcome Home provides families experiencing hardship with basic household items so they can live with dignity.

DATE: May 15-23

DROP-OFF LOCATION: PoppinIn, LindenSquare

NEEDED: New or like-new household items such as glassware, bakeware, towels/sheets, pots/pans, small appliances

Please direct any questions to: [email protected], 617-454-4795

Parklets getting new homes

Wellesley Assistant Executive Director Amy Frigulietti shared plans at this week’s Select Board meeting for new parklets—mini outdoor eating areas—in Wellesley Square. The town last year received state grant money for barriers and other gear designed to cordon off temporary outdoor eating areas, and last year set up the equipment at Clocktower Park in Wellesley Hills.

This time around the town is instead looking to set up parklets outside the Juniper restaurant, expanding that restaurant’s outside eating area, and in front of Old School Pizzeria, which shares that chunk of Central Street with a few other eateries. For Juniper, the story is rather heartwarming: Other merchants petitioned the town to encourage this project, as what’s good for Juniper is good for stores along that stretch, especially in light of Peet’s traffic being no more.

Select Board members did have some questions about the safety of the spot in front of Old School, as drivers coming into the Square at that juncture are often jockeying for position, but the town’s traffic and safety experts have given it the go-ahead.

The town is also looking at options for making the barriers used to set up the parklets a tad prettier than during the pilot last year.

The consensus among the Board was that the more outdoor eating options the better, as long as sidewalks are still passable by pedestrians and options are accessible to all.

Laidback making move to the Mall

Laidback is moving from its location at 588 Washington St., in Wellesley and heading over to the first floor of the Natick Mall effective June 1. There, you’ll be able to cozy up in their Infinity Massage Chairs.

Hopefully, with the return to offices for more people, the outfit will also be able to return to working with HR and wellness departments at businesses to bring massage chairs on site to help relax employees.

We appreciated Laidback’s Swellesley support during their time in town, and wish them the best of luck in their new spot.

Meanwhile, the word on the street is that a professional services firm will be moving into the soon-to-be vacated Belclare space.

Save the dates: Linden Square, Wellesley Square sidewalk sales

Linden Square in Wellesley will hold its annual Sidewalk Sale on Thurs., May 20 – Sun., May 23. Loads of merchants will have their goods out all day, and some sale items will be discounted up to 70%. Don’t miss the discounts at this fun yearly event.

Wellesley Square Merchants will hold their next monthly Sidewalk Saturday event on May 22. Central Street will be closed 10am – 5pm. from Grove Street to CVS, creating a pedestrian-friendly, family-fun event. Live music will be part of the fun in front of CVS and further down the street in Central Park (near the Wellesley Square post office).

Additional dates for Wellesley Square Sidewalk Saturdays are: June 19, July 17, August 21, September 18.

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.

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Hipstitch open house

Wellesley has officially welcomed the Hipstitch sewing & knitting studio to Church Square. Hipstitch has expanded into Wellesley at 20 Church St., from its Newton location, which is still going strong.

Thanks to the very crafty Abby Glassenberg for sharing these photos from the open house.

Bobbles & Lace leaves Wellesley, opens in Newport

You’ll now need to head to Newport, Newbury Street, or Nantucket if you want to get your bobbles or lace in person. The Bobbles & Lace women’s clothing and accessories shop has bid Wellesley farewell, thanking customers for 5 years of patronage at its 93 Central St., in Wellesley Square.

Looks like another empty storefront in which artists might be able to show their stuff…

Wellesley Article 21’s passage paves way for smaller restaurants to serve booze

Town Meeting this week almost unanimously approved Article 21 (202 to 1), which authorizes the Select Board to hit up the state to allow restaurants with less than 50 seats to serve alcoholic beverages. The town sees this as one way to attract smaller restaurants to empty storefronts, and to give existing restaurants and food-related businesses an opportunity to expand their services.

Brad Wasik of Wasik’s Cheese Shop spoke at Town Meeting in favor of the article. His family would love to open a bistro, but that’s not feasible with the current 50-seat minimum to serve alcohol, he said. “The economics for running a small restaurant just don’t work without the sale of alcohol,” he said.

Fear not—Heroes moves into Wellesley Square

Heroes Fitness has opened up at 98 Central St., behind B. Good. Personal trainer and business owner Connor Griffin says the company is all about helping clients increase their health and well-being through customized training programs that never repeat the same workout. At 26 years old, Griffin is something of a personal training prodigy who taught at gyms all over Boston before striking out on his own.

Heroes got going a couple of weeks ago on Zoom with a soft opening for those seeking hard bodies, and will soon start in-person classes.

Although that corner of Wellesley Square already has its share of heroes on hand, what with the fire department there and all, the populace can always use a few more champions around, right?

Welcome to Wellesley, Heroes Fitness.

Art gallery pops up on Central Street

Wellesley Women Artisans are displaying their work at 90 Central St. in the middle of Wellesley Square for the month of May, and the artwork of Wellesley College students are being shown in spaces next door and across the street. An outfit called Art Wellesley has organized these and other displays downtown, coordinating with local property owners.

The Wellesley Women Artisans show features work by a dozen artists, and the exhibitors will staff the show from 11am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The show also features a tribute to Wellesley veterans, spearheaded by the Wellesley Celebrations Committee, which puts on Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend.

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.

The combination of Wellesley’s high rents and loosening-yet-still-strict alcohol rules makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to even consider opening cool new restaurants here.

“You’re charging Boston rents… and [you’ve got] Wellesley regulations,” says Wellesley resident Jeremy Sewall, the chef/owner of Boston’s Row 34 restaurant.. “Those are really things that don’t always add up.”

Sewell spoke during a well-timed panel discussion (recording embedded below) on “Nurturing Wellesley’s Restaurant Scene” orchestrated by the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber. The Chamber which has been stepping up its Wellesley focus, brought together restauranteurs and reps from Wellesley town government and the real estate industry.

Chamber President Greg Reibman kicked off the panel with a general discussion of the restaurant scene in light of the pandemic (it’s looking up, there’s a long road ahead as people gauge their returns to indoor dining, restaurants face challenges with hiring staff in light of reduced public transportation and other issues).

But where it really got interesting was when restauranteurs talked about their hopes and dreams, and what it might take for Wellesley to become a more restaurant-friendly town. Wellesley’s Select Board on Monday, March 22 will discuss Article 21, which would reduce the number of seats below 50 required for a restaurant to get an alcohol license (See also: “Nearly half of Wellesley’s available restaurant alcohol licenses are gathering dust”). Just how far below 50 remains to be seen.

Sewell says Article 21 would be a necessary step, confirming for Reibman that not being able to get an alcohol license as a restaurant would be a “non-starter.” But Sewell, who hasn’t found a way to make the math work on opening a restaurant here, added that plenty of other hurdles remain if Wellesley wants to attract a greater diversity of restaurants. This would include addressing the “cringe-worthy” intent-to-dine rules (needing to order food to buy an alcoholic beverage) and restrictions on bar seats, among other things.

“Today’s restaurant model is not what it was 10, 20, 30 years ago,” he says. One suggestion he has for the town, which has been reluctant to have straight-out bars, is to come up with rules that would specify limits on food vs. alcohol revenue, say 60%-40%, or whatever Wellesley deems appropriate. Another idea would be to have town employees who can really handhold possible new restaurant owners through the entire tangle of Wellesley rules in order to succeed, he says. Without creative thinking, it will continue to be easier to run restaurants in neighboring communities.

Jay Spencer, who owns French Press Bakery & Cafe in one of those communities, says his business benefited from Needham becoming more flexible with its alcohol licensing and related rules. His team closed a pricier and bigger bistro, and focused instead on its popular small cafe, which has a total of 25 indoor/outdoor seats, once that establishment was able to sell alcoholic beverages. “Having food and beer and wine together gives you a different level of service and gives you a different level of profitability,” he says. “And you need that for survival.”

Wellesley’s restrictions not only block potential newcomers but cramp the style of existing Wellesley retailers like Wasik’s Cheese Shop, which got a license to sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption back in 2014. Brad Wasik says his family has toyed with expanding beyond its retail shop and opening a small cheese-and-wine tapas bar with far fewer than 50 seats, but the rule limiting bar seats to 10% of overall capacity is a killer if you have a small place and want to maximize your occupancy.

Laura Wolfe, who along with husband John own The Cottage and the new Wellesley Tavern, doesn’t want Wellesley to become overrun with restaurants, not that that’s close to happening under current conditions. She says there is plenty of room for more of them to revitalize the town.

“Wellesley’s got too many vacancies, and we need retail to come back, we need little boutique restaurants to come back…,” she says. “Just to create that sort of intimacy Wellesley had when I grew up in town and all the stores were busy and it was really a great destination.”

• Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture