Square Businesses Close, Many Replaced by Chain Stores

At the curtain call, the stage that is Harvard Square has played host to many entrances and exits this year.

Both renovations and the more mundane concern of leases have made this year's alterations into both a tragedy and a revival. From renovations that gave the Square a facelift at center stage, to upsets in the wings, next year's playbill will read quite differently from last September's.

Chief in the drama were the renovations of Read Block, home to Cambridge Savings Bank (CSB). The renovations aimed to restore the outside of the building to the way that it looked originally, in 1896.

Since purchasing the building in 1994, CSB has been interested in renovations because the building showed signs of extensive deterioration. To make sure the multi-million dollar renovations preserved the building's intended exterior, CSB consulted the Cambridge Historical Commission and historical experts. The building has been reproduced with the exact colors as the original, and every exterior detail is exactly the same as when it first opened.

During the summer of 1999, the block will become fully occupied. The renovated building will house an Abercrombie and Fitch, Pacific Sunwear and Finagle-A-Bagel.

While these tourist friendly shops have made a dramatic entrance, other student-friendly spots suffered in the action. Scoops and Beans, a popular ice cream joint at 54 JFK St., closed last August.

Scoops and Beans, which rivaled Herrell's among the student set, closed because it could no longer afford to pay the rent. The ice cream shop earned its popularity because of its many flavors of Christina's ice cream and larger seating area.

Rising rents were the major player in the closing of Scoops and Beans and other small businesses. The higher prices partly result from the abolition of rent control in the Square about two years ago.

"Some of those stores signed a 20-year lease, and when that lease comes to terms, some of the owners can't afford to renew it. I think it's unfortunate," said Donez Cardullo of Cardullo's International Foods Market in Harvard Square.

Many restaurant owners in particular say that it is difficult to maintain a business in Harvard Square because of the diversity of customers.

There are many tourists, students, and professionals who comprise the consumer population of Harvard Square, and they all have changing tastes, according to Sue Kuelzer, the co-owner of Grendel's, a restaurant which has inhabited the Square for many years.

"It takes constant attention by the owners," she says. "Somebody has to be there all the time and make sure it's keeping up with what styles are and what tastes are."

Another establishment that has left the square was the Sony-Loews Janus cinema, which went out of business in October.

The theater had one screen, and had been open since 1975. The theater likely closed because of competition with other large Square theaters, such as the five-screen Sony Loews on Church Street. The theater's lease expired, and the owners decided not to renew it.

Delhi Darbar, a Holyoke Street eatery popular among students, closed on November 15 because of a lack of business. Another risky venture, a Tibetan restaurant, has since taken its place.

Another major loss for Harvard Square this year was the Mass. Army/Navy store, which was located next door to Store 24 on Mass. Ave. The store relocated to Central Square after opening in Harvard Square nine years ago.

The store closed because Central Square offered a more attractive 3,000 square feet versus an awkward 10,000 in Harvard Square. Although many employees lost their jobs because of the store's downsizing, those still employed at Mass Army/Navy spoke enthusiastically about the move, according to Rachell Sanel, manager of the Harvard Square store.

"We'll have people versed in different areas. [In the Square] we had people who didn't know as much. For example, customers would explain their camping needs to one staff member, and then would have to tell someone else where they're going camping and for how long," Sanel says.

Last December, Cambridge Savings Bank announced that an Abercrombie and Fitch store would open in the Read Block building at the focal point of Harvard Square.

At that time, other tenants for the building had not been determined. One definite was that the legendary Tasty would be closed. Indeed, the Square's only 24-hour diner, closed in October. In February, it was decided for certain that the 81-year-old Tasty would remain closed for good, giving way to Finagle-a-Bagel and Pacific Coast Sunwear--Read Block's newest residents.

Owner Peter Haddad did not want to go through the hassles of re-opening the restaurant after an extended closure, even though Cambridge Saving Bank offered him low rents.

According to G. Pebble Gifford, president of the Harvard Square Defense Fund (HSDF), smaller businesses did not have the presence to open in Read Block.

"We begged them to try and find some local entrepreneurs that wanted to be in Cambridge. We'd hoped for small tenants, but [the bank] wants a big anchor and [Abercrombie and Fitch] can pay big bucks," she says.

Many people think that the renovations of Read Block will be a positive influence for the Square. Stores like Abercrombie and Fitch will undoubtedly attract a different type of consumer than the Tasty did.

"There will be another shopping option, and it's a bold step for the company," says Randy J. Gomes '02, who has worked at other Abercrombie locations. "Its aim has been more homogeneous--white, middle class. Harvard is a diverse environment and [A&F] can broaden its scope."

Although there are many stores that have departed the square this year, a few new ones--in the mold of the more mainstream chains that will move into Read Block--have arrived. In November, Friday's American Bar opened at 16 Eliot St., the site formerly occupied by California Pizza Kitchen.

"We specifically picked Cambridge for a new Friday's because the area draws business professionals, students and shoppers alike who like to hang out with their friends and celebrate in style," says Sandra Mix, general manager of the bar.

HSDF attempted to block the bar from settling in the Square. They argued that bars create too much noise late at night.

The changing face of Harvard Square has meant in many cases that restaurants and stores that catered to students are moving out to make way for consumers from outside the immediate Harvard Square community.

Associate Executive Director of the Harvard Square Business Association Cindy Miller says business owners must pay attention to the changing consumers.

"Harvard Square is one of those 'If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere' [environments]," she says. "If you don't do it right, there's always somebody else waiting to welcome your customer."

Opening

Abercrombie & Fitch

Finagle-A-Bagel

Friday's American Bar

Pacific Sunwear

Closing

Delhi Darbar

Mass. Army/Navy

Scoops and Beans

Sony-Loews Janus Cinema

The Tasty Crimson Seth H. Perlman I SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM: Scoop's and Beans ice cream shop on JFK Street-a student favorite-was one of several small Square businesses to close last fall after failing to pay its rent.