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A barista serves a customer at 1369 Coffeehouse on Friday in Central Square. (Photo: Nicholas Miller)

A wave of labor organization among Cambridge and Somerville cafés could expand this month as employees of 1369 Coffeehouse in Central and Inman squares decide in a National Labor Relations Board election whether to unionize.

The vote, which began June 1, comes exactly a year after employees of Pavement Coffeehouse, a café with eight shops across the Boston area, including one in Harvard Square, sent a letter to owner Larry Margulies declaring their intention to become the first unionized coffee shop in Massachusetts.

Since then, workers at two other local cafés, Darwin’s Ltd. with four Cambridge locations, and the Somerville sister shops of Diesel Café, Bloc Café and Forge Baking Co. and Ice Cream Bar, organized.

All four unionization efforts have been organized by the New England Joint Board of Unite Here.

The spike in coffee shop organization follows a period in the pandemic that employees say illuminated the importance of their labor, leaving them seeking greater power and stability at their cafés.

Food service workers “are constantly being shown by the industry and [the public] that [they] are disposable, that anyone can do [their] job,” said Emma Delaney, an organizer for NEJB and a former Pavement employee. But their work providing services at the height of the pandemic showed that they are “100 percent essential workers,” she said.

Taiyaki NYC is expanding to Cambridge alongside the first Massachusetts location of its sibling doughnut shop, the Dough Club

Popular Seaport District ice cream shop Taiyaki NYC — which expanded here in 2019 from New York — will open its second Massachusetts location in Cambridge’s Harvard Square, and this one will share space with Taiyaki’s mochi doughnut shop sibling, the Dough Club. They’ll be located in the former Mint Julep storefront at 6 Church Street, a prime location steps from the Harvard MBTA station.

The shops specialize in social media-friendly (but also tasty) treats. Taiyaki is known for its fish-shaped ice cream cones with red bean or custard fillings, colorful swirls of soft serve, and toppings like unicorn horns. The shop also serves fluffy piles of souffle pancakes and hot, iced, and frozen matcha, hojicha, and taro drinks.

This will be the Dough Club’s first appearance outside of New York, where it has a trio of shops. On the menu: a rotating array of pon de ring-style mochi doughnuts with, of course, plenty of cutesy toppings. There are milkshakes, too, as well as retail bags of mochi waffle and pancake mix.

It looks like an ice cream shop and a doughnut shop that are both based in New York City may be coming to a storefront in Cambridge.

According to an article in Cambridge Day, Taiyaki NYC and The Dough Club are planning to open in the Harvard Square section of Cambridge, moving into the space on Church Street that had been home to Mint Julep, a boutique shop that moved to a new location on Brattle Street. Taiyaki NYC and The Dough Club are both part of Daruma Hospitality Group, with the former offering ice cream in fish-shaped cones (and having a location in Boston’s Seaport District) and the latter featuring mochi doughnuts.

The address for the proposed Taiyaki NYC and Dough Club in Harvard Square is 6 Church Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for Taiyaki NYC can be found at https://taiyakinyc.com/ while the website for The Dough Club is at https://www.thedoughclub.com/cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc

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.