Artistic, hip & trendy place in MA to open Cafe/Venue? (Boston: for sale, loft)

[anouk_pantoufle]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I'm sure syracusa will get some crap from other posters, but the gripe about Boston's suburbs is well founded and I agree. Obviously there are some exceptions and as you get further from the city, you find some more independent spirited small towns, but I'd avoid the bulk of suburbia.

This is so true! I live north of Boston, and that's the one thing my son (who is attending college & will be, forever it seems - he hopes to go to med school ) is always complaining about. There is a real lack of little coffee shops and bookstores (or the combo) to linger and enjoy an afternoon, maybe have an interesting conversation. The only alternative seems to be to take the drive to Cambridge/Somerville area.

By the way, Irfox, I've enjoyed your posts for quite some time. I've toyed with the idea of relocating in the past (Central & Western MA, in addition to New Bedford area) and I'm exploring the possibility once again. Hard to find a decent place these days when one is on a fixed income... but I think I'd do better a bit away fr the Boston area.

I'm sure I'll be posting my own questions soon.

[blehman]

Simple, Sturbridge!

Good access, route 20 and The Pike, and a good amount of tourists!

[skydiveintohell]

Originally Posted by blehman

Simple, Sturbridge!

Good access, route 20 and The Pike, and a good amount of tourists!

Sturbridge Coffee is expanding as we speak, to include a large outdoor seating area!

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by syracusa

If I may insert a related comment here...clearly not a direct answer to your question but something that may spark some discussion that could help.

Just the other day my husband and I decided that it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, when anybody in their right mind, NOT SICK in a variety of ways (workaholism or addiction to indoor electronics would both qualify as sick) had to be outside, sipping some coffee or what have you at an outdoor cafe, coffee shop, etc. and just enjoying life a little bit for God's sake (lack of commas intended).

We live in Lynnfield and even though we knew of no such specific place nearby, we didn't lose our optimism (the sunshine was making it impossible) and decided to go look for such a place in any of the surrounding towns: Wakefield, Reading, Stoneham, etc.

End of story: we drove like complete idiots until we had to admit that such a place was not to be found anywhere close to where we live: sanctimonious, puritan, narrow spirit suburbia. They call these "small towns" but these areas have anything BUT a true small town feel.
They are modern suburbs all right, with people who obssess over "great school districts" and nothing else, thinking that if they raise their children in such "pristine" yet excruciatingly boring places, their offspring will somehow grow up to conquer the world. I continue to have my doubts.

We ended up in a Mom and Pop coffee shop in downtown Wakefield, that has 3-4 small tables inside and nothing outside, even though their commercial space has a large sidewalk in front where plenty of tables could have been accommodated for the "weirdos" who, horror of horros!, want to just hang outside on a beautiful summer afternoon, during the week-end.

This is one of the aspects that contributed to our disappointment with Massachusetts after less than a year of living here. I had been told that suburban Mass is not like suburban Georgia and that these are more like small towns with charm and a life of their own. For me such charm would mandatorily include a few coffee shops and cafes where locals can relax and have a conversation over a cup of coffee.
It's part of civilization.

I am aware that not ALL Massachussets is like this and that some places defined as "hip" (like Salem, for example) would have more to offer in this respect.

I, however, still don't understand why a place has to be "hip" in order to have a coffee shop with some outdoor sitting for the locals.

So if you want to open something in the area I mentioned, perhaps a few souls will be grateful to you.

End of vent, thank you for listening.

Right. If you want artsy, and hip, go to suburban Georgia. LOL. Seriously, is all this drama really necessary? Seriously, Northampton wouldn't be a bad option. Consider Greenfield.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

Right. If you want artsy, and hip, go to suburban Georgia. LOL. Seriously, is all this drama really necessary? .

I don't think that syracusa said that suburban Georgia was hip and trendy at all anywhere in that rant. What I read was that most Boston area suburbs (with a few execeptions) are no more "trendy" than any suburban area anywhere else. Aside from the history and architecture of some buildings, I don't disagree. Northampton and Greenfield aren't suburban communities and thus aren't included in the rant against suburbia. There are many other towns in MA that fit that bill too.

[teachertype]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Northampton and Greenfield aren't suburban communities and thus aren't included in the rant against suburbia. There are many other towns in MA that fit that bill too.

Northampton and Greenfield are the county seats of Hampshire County and Franklin County respectively. As such, they qualify as small cities and have suburban towns around them.

[syracusa]

Originally Posted by lrfox

What I read was that most Boston area suburbs (with a few execeptions) are no more "trendy" than any suburban area anywhere else.

Yeepee!
Some people can read, and others can't.

[Lowerdeck]

Originally Posted by blehman

Simple, Sturbridge!

Good access, route 20 and The Pike, and a good amount of tourists!

I wouldn't consider Sturbridge to be hip or trendy. It is upscale, and there would be a market for a cafe/coffee shop. But it is not like a Northampton/Greenfield/Amherst vibe.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by syracusa

Yeepee!
Some people can read, and others can't.

I suggested Northampton or Greenfield. Somehow you brought up suburban Georgia. Actually what the original poster wanted was an artsy hip place to open a cafe. Northampton and Greenfield have atypical "suburban" environments fit for a cafe. I'm sorry you and your husband were not able to find a suitable cafe anywhere in north suburban Boston. It's all what you make of it. Newsflash: Not every town in Mass. looks like a scene from "Gilmore Girls", but they're still a little more authentic than the stripmalls and McMansions of suburban Georgia. BAD COMPARISON!

[syracusa]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

Not every town in Mass. looks like a scene from "Gilmore Girls", but they're still a little more authentic than the stripmalls and McMansions of suburban Georgia. BAD COMPARISON!

GOOD ENOUGH COMPARISON.

While Ma towns DO indeed LOOK more authentic than the strip malls and McMansions of suburban Georgia, they seem to have exactly AS MUCH zest for life and things going on in them as suburban GA has.

If you re-read my post without the customary knee-jerk hostility against anyone who dares to explicitly critique anything, you'll see I wasn't talking about look.
I was talking about life and liveliness.