Despite the busier weeks leading up to winter break this year due to the new academic calendar, administrators are encouraging students and faculty to shop in Harvard Square for their holiday needs as part of an effort to support local businesses through a tough economy and to meet the University’s sustainability goals.
First Printer Restaurant, Bar, and Grill expects to open its doors April 1, replacing the now-empty Herrell’s Ice Cream on Dunster St. After 27 years of serving ice cream, Jeffrey Stanett decided to convert Herrell’s and expand the existing location into a casual restaurant due to financial pressure from rising costs and increased competition in Harvard Square, from J.P. Licks in particular.
Students who used to grab lunch at Z Square will have to wait a few months longer for its successor to open. Despite earlier projections of a December opening, the 14 JFK St. space that previously housed Z Square café will likely remain empty until early spring, according to Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association.
Though Black Friday in Harvard Square lacked the typical 5 a.m. rush of shoppers searching for dramatically slashed price tags, dispersed sales for smaller items did draw some bargain hunters to local storefronts. Harvard Square’s stores stuck to their normal opening times, but store owners said that more shoppers than usual flocked to search for deals.
In the 60s, one of the hubs of the folk boom was Cambridge. The epicenter of this nascent movement was Harvard Square, where you could find a Boston University dropout named Joan Baez making her mark at the legendary Club 47 (now Club Passim).
This month, Harvard Square will return to its folk roots and celebrate the area’s role in developing of folk music with special events and displays of archival photos in stores fronts around the square.
THERE WAS ONCE a quirky pizza joint called Ruggles that made pizza with cheddar instead of mozzarella—an interesting if not compelling culinary proposition. Years ago—many years ago—Ruggles occupied a small storefront on Mass. Ave. in the heart of Harvard Square.
The popular TV show hits the Square
After 75 years of family-run operation, Bob Slate, Stationer is seeking a buyer for its three stores in Cambridge—two in Harvard Square and one in Porter Square. Founded by Robert Slate in the 1930s and handed over to his sons Justin and Mallory over 30 years later, Bob Slate has been a notable presence in Harvard Square, selling an eclectic mix of paper, cards, pens, and other stationery items.