The Comings and Goings of Harvard Square Businesses

Since the end of 2024, Harvard Square’s business scene has undergone some major changes — from new businesses opening to long-standing establishments closing their doors. Here’s what’s new and what’s gone in the Square.

Lovestruck Books

Lovestruck Books, an independent bookstore founded by Rachel Kanter, opened in Dec. 2024. The bookstore — located on 44 Brattle St. — sells primarily romance novels. Denise A. Jillson, the executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, said that the opening of Lovestruck is much to the “fanfare and delight” of Harvard Square.

Blue Pinkham, a media production assistant at the Derek Bok Center’s Learning Lab and a customer at Lovestruck Books, said she enjoyed visiting the new bookshop with her colleagues.

“I’m a big fan of reading, and I heard it was opening up, and there are a few of us in the office who like to read,” Pinkham said. “When it opened up, we took a look around, and it’s super cute.”

“It’s interesting to have something that’s specifically romance-themed,” Pinkham added.

Customers can also buy drinks from Lovestruck’s in-house coffee and wine bar, a partnership between Kanter and George Howell of George Howell Coffee. Howell opened the first of his cafes, the Coffee Connection, in 1975 in Harvard Square — so the relationship between Lovestruck and George Howell Coffee ties together the old and the new of the Harvard Square business world.

“It’s just so much fun that George is still around and making great coffee and great connections and partnerships,” Jillson said. “So he has partnered with Rachel Kanter, the owner of Lovestruck, to bring great coffee into a great bookstore.”

But with new additions in the Square comes the closure of others.

Anthropologie

Clothing store Anthropologie closed in Jan. 2025 after 14 years in the Square. Though the exact reason for their closing is unknown, Jillson said in an interview with Cambridge Day that the chain location’s sales likely dropped.

“It’s never a happy moment when a business closes,” Jillson said in an interview with The Crimson.

Despite this, Jillson is excited to see what becomes of Anthropologie’s location, the Design Research Building on 46 Brattle St. The building, designed by American architect and Harvard Graduate School of Design faculty member Benjamin Thompson, features five stories and glass walls that cause it to appear like a display case.

“It’s such a great space that building — the DR building design research, is a widely acclaimed building here in Harvard Square, architecturally interesting building,” Jillson said.

“So I’m not sure what’s going on, what their next move will be, but we’ll look forward to that,” Jillson added.

Whitney’s

Whitney’s, a dive bar which had called Harvard Square its home for 71 years, closed its doors at the end of Dec. 2024.

Prior to its closing, Whitney’s was involved in a legal battle against its property owner, Mayhaw LLC. Whitney’s said that they were evicted because of noise complaints. Mayhaw LLC, however, accused Whitney’s of failing to pay rent.

Jillson says that the historical significance of Whitney’s makes the closing all the more unfortunate.

“They’ve been here since 1953 — you can’t replace that,” Jillson said. “We were really hoping that there could have been a way to save it. But unfortunately, that has not been successful.”

– Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at kevin.zhong@thecrimson.com.

– Staff writer Jaya N. Karamcheti can be reached at jaya.karamcheti@thecrimson.com.