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With a new owner, Brattle Square flower shop relocates just down the street.

Several months after Brattle Square Florist was slated to close, the beloved flower shop has opened in a new location just steps away from its former storefront.

Longtime manager and new owner Stephen Zedros said he worked until 11 p.m. the night before to prepare for Wednesday’s grand reopening at 52 Brattle St. in Harvard Square.

“This is the perfect place,” said Zedros. “I think we’ve landed in the right spot. There are a ton of mom and pop stores on this block too, so it feels like old Harvard Square.”

The new location, just two blocks and across the street from the old one, is the latest development in the 105-year history of the florist, which began when Zedros’ grandparents opened Gomatos Brothers Fresh Produce in 1917. It later became Brattle Square Florist, and over the years, the shop has developed into a mainstay of the Harvard Square community.

Zedros said while it was difficult to break the news of the move to customers who had visited the 31 Brattle St. location for decades, many patrons were happy that the flower shop would remain open at all.

In late December, former owner Randy Ricker announced that Brattle Square Florist would be closing due to increasing costs, the labor shortage, and uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Inspired by his family legacy and community support, Zedros decided to take over as owner in early February.

Elements of the florist’s former location remain at the smaller 1,200-square-foot store, including its classic brick façade and hanging plants. An hour after the new spot opened its doors, the shop had already had nearly 15 customers, Zedros said.

“[The customers] are incredibly loyal and supportive people,” he said. “Being able to keep the place alive and keep the store running was my priority, and it worked out.”

Supply chain issues and the skyrocketing cost of certain blooms still persist, Zedros said. But he remains optimistic for the store’s next 100 years, with goals to “keep everybody here employed, and keep [Brattle Square Florist] the way it used to be.”

Concerns of shopkeepers, elderly are being brushed off

I was glad to see Diti Kohli’s story prominently featured in the Globe (“In this street fight, it’s bikes vs. businesses,” Page A1, May 25).

I had heard about the removal of parking spaces in Porter Square from concerned retail store owners and worried that the entire shopping district would be lost without any meaningful debate or, for that matter, the knowledge of people who rely on so many stores and restaurants in the area.

The Boston Calling music festival at Harvard University returned for the first time in three years with a line-up of big names and local favorites, including Wellesley native Cam Meekins.  Performers and the audience were ready to rock, groove, or whatever the vibe might be, rain or shine.

The festival, cancelled the past two years due to the pandemic, was still feeling the effects of COVID-19 right into this year’s event. It lost Day 2 headliner The Strokes the day before they were to perform due to a positive COVID-19 test. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard was a late COVID cancelation, too. Nine Inch Nails, the headliner for Day 1, graciously agreed to perform a second night in place of The Strokes, with Metallica wrapping up the event on Sunday, taking on the Celtics-Miami Game 7 NBA conference final. Due to health considerations, the festival did not have its usual indoor respite from the weather in the hockey arena, where in the past comedians and podcasters have entertained.

GBH’s Molly McCaul was on the ground, covering all three days of Boston Calling. They bring you notes from the field, along with highlights across social media, of the return of the monster music festival after a two-year pandemic hiatus.

Friday, May 27th

As gates opened at 1:00 PM on Friday, the crowd began to get a lay of the land before the music started at 2:00. With four stages set across the sprawling Harvard Athletic Complex, there was certainly a lot to take in.

That evening, after sets from the likes of Paris Jackson, The Struts, Cheap Trick, and Haim, concert attendees waiting to see Avril Lavigne were notified that Saturday’s headliners, The Strokes, would have to back out due to a positive COVID test in the band. Emotions were strong as Nine Inch Nails were announced as their replacement.

This past weekend, Boston Calling made its long-awaited return to Harvard University Athletics Complex after two years of cancellations, and for a moment — as Friday’s overcast skies gave way to a sunny afternoon just as the main gates opened — it appeared that the festival’s luck might be changing for the better.

It had been a rough three years: calling off the fest in 2020 and 2021, finding three replacement headliners for 2022, planning a major event amid swelling COVID variants. But as Paris Jackson and Pom Pom Squad warmed up Friday’s early crowds, the mood was optimistic. By the time British glam-rock act The Struts swaggered across the main stage, it became downright celebratory.

The new coworking space will take up 21,500 square feet and is expected to open this December.

Industrious is partnering with developer Carpenter & Co. to open a new Cambridge location within the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. 

The new coworking space will take up 21,500 square feet and is expected to open this December. 

“The Harvard Square community is a tightly knit and flourishing ecosystem perfectly matched for the ambiance and productivity we deliver at our Industrious flexible workplaces,” said Doug Feinberg, senior director of real estate at Industrious.  

Bike lane expansion worries small business owners along Mass. Ave. as city pares street parking.

CAMBRIDGE — Daniel Spirer is a self-proclaimed “Porter Square institution.”

He crafts gemstone rings and keshi pearl necklaces inside a brick storefront on Massachusetts Avenue. But an initiative to reconfigure the busy street — by removing parking in favor of bike-friendly infrastructure — has soured Spirer on the city where he set up shop in 1982.

Over 85 percent of his income comes from out-of-town customers who arrive in cars, Spirer said. When Cambridge scraps the parking spots, he believes, he will have no choice but to move.

“The problem I have is THAT I ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS and I know when it won’t work. So you can congratulate yourselves,” Spirer wrote in a letter to the City Council. “You’ve managed to drive me out.”

It’s time to dust off the discarded tennis racket, dig through the closet for a forgotten Tommy Bahama shirt, and say “hello, old friend” to the summertime blues. While far from the most physical activity (although a three-minute blitz game is sure to get your heart rate up), chess is a fine addition to your repertoire of sunny, by-the-river or in-the-park activities.

The game has exploded in popularity over the past few years with help from 2020′s record-breaking Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit” (or as I like to call it: 1.d4 d5 2.c4) and the streaming Internet celebrity tournament series “PogChamps.” Board and accessory sales skyrocketed throughout the pandemic, grandmasters are now livestreaming for fans on Twitch, and it looks like the uptick in popularity isn’t just a fad: Free online game site Chess.com reported 5.3 million new users in the last quarter of 2021 alone. If you’re dying to show off your vicious Stafford Gambit prep, or your tactical mastery, or just your love of the game, here are four places in the Boston area where you can play chess.