NEEDS SOMETHING NEWBURY
City should focus on famed street as shoppers go elsewhere
Boston’s famed Newbury Street needs some love from the city in the form of more Open Newbury days, where the street is shut down to traffic and it encourages shoppers to visit.
Taking a stroll down the street recently it was surprising to see so many businesses gone. The big shocker was Starbucks. If the coffee giant can’t make it, no one is safe on that street.
Numbers from City Hall show that the number of storefront vacancies has doubled since 2014 — from 13,437 to 29,621 square feet, a jump from less than 2% to more than 4%.
Andrea Starr owns Eyestarr, a dedicated lash and brow boutique. She has been on Newbury Street for 12 years and has seen the changing climate.
“Seasonally it is busy. We have a good reputation, but we are certainly in the winter lull. It seems like more people are gravitating toward the Seaport and Fenway,” Starr said. “I remember back 12 years ago Newbury Street was a ‘to do’ with more cafes and stand alone shops and boutiques.”
The price to park doesn’t help either. The city charges a whopping $3.75 an hour to park. The area may be dense but the city should have a more holistic approach to parking considering these shop owners are struggling. Plus the city would make more in sales tax if more people returned to the once famed street that is a shadow of itself today.
It reminds me now of Faneuil Hall. When I was a kid Faneuil Hall was thriving. Today you are lucky to find a Bostonian there. It is pretty much only a tourist trap or a walk-through. If the city doesn’t take action, Newbury Street will have the same outcome.
The mayor has held Open Newbury Street since 2016. The event usually is held three times in the summer — typically one Sunday each in July, August and September — a great way to let shoppers walk the city without any cars. It would be a way to gin up business in Q1 when they really need it.
The city is open to discussions of expanding the Open Newbury Street events to more days of the year, with the support of retailers on the street.
Andrea Starr is certainly in favor of it.
“Open Newbury should be done more. The city needs to be better about it. We need to support our small businesses more,” she said. “I am lucky because I have my clients who come see me all year long so my business is more steady. I don’t know how others make it on this street without loyal customers.”