2017 Year In Review: New and Improved Businesses

New Biz On The Block

The South End has long been a culinary and retail destination in Boston. From a fine-casual Lebanese restaurant to a hip new knitwear studio, we're highlighting the newest and improved South End businesses of 2017.

These businesses opened (or will open) in the South End:

Anoush'ella Saj Kitchen serves fresh and flavorful Eastern Mediterranean Food

Anoush’ella Saj Kitchen* - 35 West Newton St.

Area Four at the Troy – 264 East Berkeley St.

Area Gallery - 460 Harrison Ave.

Avery Property Management – 597A Tremont St.

Barre3* - 1511 Washington St.

Cou Cou* – 24 Union Park

Dahlia Gallery – 524 Harrison Ave.

Ethos – 477 Harrison Ave. #1A

Eye Adore Threading* - 467 Shawmut Ave.

Fez Home Designs - 75 Thayer St.

Fountain Street Fine Art - 460 Harrison Ave.

Frenchie – 560 Tremont St.

Infusion Art Glass - 460 Harrison Ave.

International Poster Gallery - 460 Harrison Ave.

Jugos – 503 Massachusetts Ave.

Longtime South Ender, Jamie Golden (pictured), opened Barre3 studio on Washington Street in 2017.

Kabinett - 29 Thayer St.

Kodomo – 579 Tremont St.

Little Panda Daycare* - 51 Waltham St.

Mida – 782 Tremont St.

Miniluxe – 536 Tremont St.

Muscarella’s Market – 570 Tremont St.

Oka Arte - 46 Waltham St. (courtyard)

OKW Fashion – 450 Harrison Ave. #65

Phillipo Style Hair Studio – 485 Harrison Ave.

Pop-Up Holiday Store by Sault* - 251 Shawmut Ave.

Reebok South End Showroom – 655 Tremont St.

Sara Campbell - 460 Harrison Ave.

Shun’s Kitchen – 520 Columbus Ave.

Smile Bar – 303 Columbus Ave.

Walden Local Meats opened in late 2017 and offers a changing variety of specialty cuts, in-house sausage blends and marinated products.

Swet Studio – 480 Tremont St.

T Mobile (at Laconia Lofts) – 1180 Washington St. #103

The Elsewhere Salon* - 33 Waltham St.

The Third Piece – 631 Tremont St.

Walden Local Meats* - 316A Shawmut Ave.

World Depot - 460 Harrison Ave.

AC Hotel at Ink Block (Under Construction) – 225 Albany St.

Bootleg Special (Coming Soon) – 400 Tremont St.

Burro Bar* (Coming Soon) – 1357 Washington St.

Café Lyon* (Under Construction) – 1750 Washington St.

Champions Kick Boxing* (Coming Soon) – 1250 Washington St.

Southern Proper at the Girard (Under Construction) – 600 Harrison Ave.

These businesses enhanced their spaces to better serve the South End:

Anita Kurl* (1661 Washington St.) – Owner Kandace Cummings gave Anita Kurl a huge makeover in 2017. Kandace and her staff do a phenomenal job here to make you look your best, and now they have the space to match!

Anoush’ella Saj Kitchen* (35 West Newton St) – not only did they open, but thanks to the City of Boston's Office of Small Business Development and Washington Gateway Main Street, Anoush'ella was able to install attractive signage and awnings on Washington Street.

Bank of America* (1762 Washington St.) – Bank of America renovated their ATM at the corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Washington St. with guidance from Washington Gateway, creating a safer place for South Enders to bank. BofA increased their storefront and now have 3 ATMs with state-of-the-art technology. They completely renovated the interior, added new interior and exterior lighting and added a full-time security person.

Community Bike Supply (496 Tremont St.) - Since 1977, the family-owned business has supplied and repaired bikes for residents of Boston. Community Bike Supply is the largest resource for bikes in Boston, and with their 2017 expansion and renovations, they're even bigger and better!

Don Quijote Market* (1639 Washington St.) - Don Quijote Market is the oldest minority owned bodega in the City of Boston owned by Freddie Blanco and co-managed Luis Blanco. Thanks to a partnership between lighting company ThinkLite and Washington Gateway, new low-cost interior energy-saving lighting was installed at Don Quijote Market. They also completed major interior renovations. Support your local market!

Jaho Coffee and Tea* (1651 Washington St.) – Jaho Coffee underwent a major overhaul of their interior. We LOVE stopping by to grab a coffee and we often end up just staying for meetings and socializing because the new space is so nice. Thank you, Jaho!

Seiyo's new bar space, added in 2017

Seiyo Sushi and Bar* (1721 Washington St.) - Seiyo has some of the best sushi around, and now they have a bar! Stop by and check out their beautiful expanded space.

South End Buttery* (314 Shawmut Ave.) – The South End Buttery is like our second office, and that is all thanks to the beautiful renovations they completed in 2017. The food and drinks are phenomenal here too!

Stella* (1525 Washington St) – Expanded seating at Stella in 2017 means that there's more room for more people to enjoy their delicious food and drinks in 2018!

Tadpole (58 Clarendon St) – Tadpole is an independently-owned modern children's store, and in 2017 they underwent major renovations. If you're in the area and looking for your children or a gift, check out the new space!

* denotes Washington Gateway Main Street district businesses

New Year, New You

New Year's gets us amped up to make some serious health and fitness changes, but there's so much pressure to fulfill those resolutions... Fortunately, we have some stellar fitness studios that can help us shed that holiday dinner weight and get back into shape this winter.

Barre3

Longtime South Ender, Jamie Golden, opened Barre3 in 2017. Barre3 is functional training with a twist. Rooted in three fitness disciplines—ballet barre, pilates and yoga—barre3 workouts will have you feeling strong and balanced inside and out. Barre3 known for building lean muscles, a strong core, and long-term postural benefits. No experience required. Classes are designed to make everyone feel welcome and get a great workout. 

1511 Washington Street

Endurance Pilates and Yoga

Endurance Pilates and Yoga is Boston's premier fitness studio offering small group and private training in Endurance Pilates, Barre Boston, Power Vinyasa Yoga, HIIT, Tabata, TRX and Hardstyle Kettlebell. They offer Classical Authentic Pilates on the highest quality Gratz equipment. Endurance teachers are not just "instructors" They have completed a minimum of 1,000 hours of training and will provide the highest quality, technically specific and most beneficial workout for your time.

1636 Washington Street

Recycle Studio

Recycle is Boston’s original indoor cycling studio. This boutique studio opened its doors in 2011 and relocated to a newly renovated studio on Union Park Street in 2016. Recycle offers a variety of different types of indoor cycling classes that are well choreographed, athletic and set to candlelight. Recycle has showers, towels, luxury bath products, complimentary shoe rentals and offers childcare 3 days a week. Recycle was voted 2017 Best Indoor Cycling Studio in Boston by the Reader’s of Boston Magazine.

18 Union Park Street

Sadhana Yoga

Sadhana Yoga aims to provide a supportive space where the South End and surrounding communities can practice yoga. Sadhana welcomes people of all ages, abilities, and walks of life. It is their core belief that by practicing yoga and taking the time to nourish ourselves inside and out, we will lead healthier, happier lives. When we are nourished, we are better versions of ourselves for our family, friends, and neighbors, thus creating a happy and healthy community that is ready and willing to make changes for the better. Feel good, do good!

15 Worcester Street
 

Shawmut Yoga

Shawmut Yoga classes are friendly and non-competitive. Whether you live, work or play in the South End, Shawmut Yoga is the perfect place to work on your strength and flexibility, balance the weight of your body, reduce stress and restore a sense of calm to your day.

280 Shawmut Avenue

Scenes from the Holiday Soiree

Thank you to Chef Allen Campbell, our sponsors Gerding Edlen, Stonegate Group, Related Beal in partnership with Ink Block and KEEL Vodka and thank you to all of you for making the 1st Annual South End Holiday Soiree on Dec. 20th a success. Together, we raised over $15,000 to support the WGMS Clean Streets Initiative.

1st Annual South End Sexy Sweater Soirée

TICKETS>

Celebrate the launch of another South End business with great neighbors, music and cocktails. Don't miss out on your chance to sample bites from Chef Allen Campbell's brand new prepared foods line, enjoy great cocktails neighbors and friends and JUST ADDED: DJ David Gallant will be spinning classy tunes with some holiday classics mixed in.

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!!

Brought to you by Allen Campbell, Gerding Edlen Development, KEEL Vodka, Related Companies, Related Beal, Stonegate Group, Vibrant America and Ink Block Boston.

Food is fuel for life. No one embraces and promotes this more than noted wellness chef/author Allen Campbell. In step with the growing wellness food movement, and in conjunction with the launch of his second book, The Game of Eating Right, comes the Allen Campbell curated AVAIL™.

AVAIL will provide convenient, wellness-focused foods for healthy, active locals of Boston. The creative chef-driven concept reflects the times, the trends towards more mindful living, and significant shifts in our eating habits.

Chef/Author Allen Campbell

Allen is also the author of the TB12 Nutrition Manual, and widely known as the “chef of peak performance”. Through his culinary acumen, various publications, speaking engagements, consulting and highly publicized work with athletes, actors and entertainers, he has revolutionized traditional culinary artistry by maximizing health benefits and sustainable practices Allen’s food philosophy begins with one simple concept: whole foods are needed to support a healthy body, mind and spirit.

Proceeds from the South End Sexy Sweater Soirée will support the WGMS Clean Streets Initiative, providing services above and beyond the City’s services to ensure Washington St. is a healthy place to live, shop, work and play. Learn more at gatewaymainstreet.org/cleanstreets.

For information on Clean Streets sponsorship opportunities, please email andrew@gatewaymainstreet.org

South End Holiday Stroll 2017

The 9th Annual South End Holiday Stroll is December 6th from 4pm to 8pm.

Visit your favorite local businesses, where they will be giving discounts and freebies to reward you for shopping small and shopping local for the holidays.

See the map below for participating businesses. They will also have red balloons outside on December 6th. We will be updating regularly as we get more businesses to participate!

Retailers! Sign up here to participate.

Love Your Block - South End Neighborhood Cleanup

The Annual Fall Clean Up is scheduled for Saturday, November 18th 9am-12pm.

Help the South End shine through the neighborhood clean-up. Many South End/Bay Village neighbors and civic organizations participate in this yearly tradition to spruce up our neighborhoods. We look forward to working with anyone who's interested in taking part this year. Dept. of Public Works will help with street sweeping especially for the leaves, providing tools (brooms, rakes, trash bags, etc.) and trash removal post-clean up.

The Blackstone Franklin Square Neighborhood Association has organized tool pickup with the city. If you would like to volunteer on November 18th, please email Toni Crothall, BFSNA President and let her know.

In 2015, the City of Boston kicked off the Love Your Block mini-grant program thanks to Cities of Service. Love Your Block is now a permanent Boston program, including: mini-grants, neighborhood cleanups (formerly Boston Shines), and (eventually) community tool sheds. As always, the Office of Civic Engagement continues to urge Bostonians to revitalize their neighborhoods, one block at a time. The City of Boston's neighborhood beautification volunteer opportunities unite neighbors and communities through physical service, university engagement, and youth development. Neighborhood cleanups are not only for the Spring and Fall! Get your friends, family, coworkers, or organization together to volunteer. You can now work with the City of Boston to plan cleanups all year long. It's fine if you don't have a specific project already in mind! The City will help determine the best project for your group. Request a neighborhood cleanup here.

South End Businesses Get Out The Vote

The City is holding a general municipal election on Tuesday, November 7th. Don't forget to vote! You can find your polling place here.

Besides heading to the polls because it's the right thing to do, there are some other surprising benefits to getting your "I voted" sticker. Our local businesses are encouraging South Enders to get out and vote. Here are some South End freebies and discounts that customers with their "I voted" stickers can take advantage of on election day:

Ash and Rose

Ash and Rose is offering 10% off to their voting customers at their SoWa Boutique, 460 Harrison Ave Suite C6.  Ash and Rose features apparel & accessories made with organic fabrics & fair-trade practices - civic duty plus social responsibility!

Bark Place

Calling all dogs! Bring your owners to Bark Place, 1721 Washington St, on election day for a FREE dog treat, but only if they're a good boy or girl and have their "I voted" stickers!

Bar Mezzana

Dine at Bar Mezzana, 360 Harrison Ave, with your "I voted" sticker. Promotion TBD.

Barre3

Barre3, 1511 Washington St, is offering one FREE class for anyone who brings their "I voted" sticker in from election day, Nov 7th, through Friday Nov 10th. Exercise your right to vote then exercise at Barre3!

Blackbird Doughnuts

On election day, your "I voted" stickers gets you a FREE mini doughnut at Blackbird Doughnuts, 492 Tremont St. Blackbird has our vote for the best doughnuts.

European Wax Center

European Wax Center is offering a FREE brow wax for anyone who comes in with their I VOTED sticker on. This offer is for election day November 7, 2017 and only for the location at 1387 Washington St, Boston 02118.  Phone 617 236-0050 to book an appointment and mention this offer. Or book online at waxcenter.com.

Flock

Vote then head over to Flock, 274 Shawmut Ave, for 10% off!

Flour Bakery - South End

At Flour's South End location, 1595 Washington Street, your "I voted" sticker gets you a FREE small coffee on election day.

Fomu Ice Cream

Voting never tasted so sweet. Visit Fomu, 655 Tremont Street, on Nov. 7 for a FREE mini scoop.

Formaggio Kitchen - South End

Congrats on voting and making your voice heard! Now treat yourself to a FREE Lakota cookie with your "I voted" sticker at Formaggio, 268 Shawmut Ave.

Gifted

This local artist-owned shop for jewelry, cards, baby items, clocks, pottery, home decor & other gifts. True to its name, Gifted, 2 Dartmouth Street, is the perfect place to find a gift for family, friends, yourself, anyone! On election day, customers with an "I voted" sticker will receive 20% one item.

M. Flynn Jewelry

If you haven't checked out this phenomenal jewelry and accessories boutique and custom design studio, there's no better day than election day to check it out. Sisters Megan and Moria Flynn have been making and selling beautiful pieces in their flagship store, 40 Waltham St, since 2009 and on Tuesday they're giving 10% off to any customer with an "I voted" sticker!

Niche

Vote early and then head right over to Niche, 619 Tremont St. The first 25 customers will receive a FREE 2" succulent.

Polka Dog Bakery

Our dogs LOVE Polka Dog Bakery, 256 Shawmut Ave, and Polka Dog Bakery LOVES voters. Head over on Nov. 7 to get a FREE 2oz tube of Chicken Littles or Lucky Duck treats for your furry friend.

SAULT New England

Sault, 577 Tremont Street, is back again this year to support civic engagement and shopping local in the South End. The perfect place for classic & vintage apparel, accessories, grooming products & gifts for men, and on election day your sticker gets you 20% off!

Skoah

Check out Skoah, 641A. Tremont Street, on Nov. 7. Anyone wearing their "I voted" sticker will receive a FREE Pep Talk Body Lotion. While supplies last!

Table and Tulip

Vote, get your "I voted" sticker, then get a FREE flower at Table and Tulip, 461 Shawmut Ave.

Uniform

Uniform, 511 Tremont St, is giving away a surprise gift on Nov. 7. We don't know what it is, but based on their stylish menswear offerings, we can't wait to find out!

Scenes from the "Nimbus" lighting - Oct. 18, 2017

Nimbus Franklin Square

You may have noticed some peculiar activity in Franklin Square over the past few days: caution tape, climbing ropes and tree climbers and a strange mass of white orbs suspended over the fountain. It's just us! Washington Gateway Main Street is proud to announce that our newest artistic light installation is near completion and ready to light up Franklin Park. A few minor adjustments today and we will be up and running.

"Nimbus" is an artistic light installation created by artists Claudia Ravaschiere and Michael Moss, renowned Boston artists, with recent works in the Fort Point neighborhood. Their newest creation,"Nimbus," consists of 26 orbs that hover above the fountain and will illuminate the park with various colors each night.

From the artists: "Our goal in making art for the public realm is to evoke a sense of discovery as people encounter the unexpected in a familiar space. We hope to rouse curiosity in passersby, increasing their capacity to observe what the park offers: a contemplative area to experience the green and the beauty of the earth in an urban setting.

We used the iconography of a cloud to create a sculptural light piece above the Blackstone Fountain in Franklin Square. We found our inspiration in one of NASA's earliest environmental satellite programs, first launched in the mid-1960s, the Nimbus Satellite Missions. The Nimbus program and the data that was collected allowed scientists to measure the Earth's radiation for the first time and observe solar radiation entering and exiting the Earth's system. These observations helped to verify and refine the earliest climate models and observation of the polar ice caps. The contribution of the Nimbus satellite program and the study of the data from these missions provide vital information on global warming today. We hope that by making reference to the this early program, those that encounter our "Nimbus" will be inspired to study further the history of this program, global warming and the importance of urban green space."

Washington Gateway Main Street would like to thank Claudia and Michael for creating such an innovative and impactful piece of art that will adorn the park.

Special thanks to the intrepid tree climbers, Eric Whipple, Andrew Joslin and Sean O’Brien and the Blackstone Franklin Square Neighborhood Association and Capital One for helping make this possible.

#NimbusFranklinSquare

American Therapy Booth