Rendering of interior for Caffè Nero's 733 Centre St. location showing window onto Blanchards.
Business

Caffè Nero Jamaica Plain: Here’s What It Would Look Like

By |

Caffè Nero, a chain of European coffee houses aiming to open on Centre Street beside Blanchards, showed the Jamaica Pond Association renderings Monday night. Take a look. Two local business organizations — JP Local First and the JP Business & Professional Association — have come out against the family-owned coffee house opening in JP. On Monday night the Pond Association voted strongly not to oppose Caffè Nero. Here are the rest of the renderings.

2,164 Views
Carlos B. Icaza, second from right, died Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. Here he is seen at the June 2014 meeting of the JP Business & Professional Assoc. at Spontaneous Celebrations.
Obituaries

Carlos B. Icaza, Carpenter and Neighborhood Advocate

By |

Carlos B. Icaza, well-known in JP for his civic work with organizations like the JP Business & Professional Assoc., died Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014. According to his death notice at legacy.com, "Born in Hampden, Conn., Carlos was a reader, thinker, writer, adventurer, storyteller and troublemaker." Icaza was a union carpenter and president of Just Small Jobs Inc.

A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 at The Parish of All Saints, 209 Ashmont St., Dorchester.

1,590 Views
Morning Memo
The patio at Tres Gatos

JP Biz Group Meets Wednesday at Tres Gatos

By |

Good morning, neighborhood. Here's your Morning Memo for Wednesday, July 16. JP Business & Professional Assoc. Meets: The business development and networking group holds its monthly meeting Wednesday at Tres Gatos, 470 Centre St. The meeting starts at 12:30 p.m., but a free lunch will be laid out starting at 12:15 p.m.

Bend Rep. Liz Malia's Ear: Liz Malia, JP's longtime JP state representative for the 11th Suffolk District, has office hours the third Friday of each month at JP Licks, 659 Centre St., from 8-9:30 a.m. The next session is this Friday, July 18.

1,316 Views
Screen grab from video of Mark Estano singing "Let It Go" during cabaret at UForge Gallery on Saturday, April 19, 2014.
Morning Memo

Outdoor Movie Series Begins Thursday With ‘Frozen’

By |

Hello, neighborhood. It's gonna be a hot one today. Here's your Morning Memo for all things JP for Wednesday, June 18. "Frozen" Kicks Off "Screen On The Green" Series: On Thursday, JP Centre/South Main Streets begins what I hope will be a new tradition — outdoor movie nights at the Loring-Greenough House. The first selection is Disney's "Frozen."

1,445 Views
Business
Blue Frog Bakery in Jamaica Plain

You Might Be Surprised What JP Biz Owners Say About a Minimum Wage Hike

By |

You'd expect the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to be against raising the minimum wage. And you'd be right. But what about business owners right here in JP? It's a more complicated picture than you might think. While it's true that Jamaica Plain votes well to the left of much of the country, small business bottom lines are still bottom lines.

1,865 Views
Morning Memo
Michael LeBlanc of Utile speaks to a crowd of 60 at Curtis Hall on Wednesday, April 9, 2014.

Help Design Library Renovations on Wednesday Evening

By |

Hello neighborhood. Here's your Morning Memo for all things JP for Wednesday, May 21. Help Design the JP Branch Library: The JP Branch Library on Sedgwick is finally (fingers crossed) getting its long-delayed renovation. You know, for little things like making it fully accessible to all Bostonians. Wednesday evening is the second community meeting to help the design team flesh out exactly what improvements will be made.

1,244 Views
Morning Memo

Public Auction Set for Noon Wednesday on Egleston Commercial Building

By |

Good morning, JP. Here's your morning memo for Wednesday, April 16. Egleston Commercial Building to be Auctioned: According to a legal notice in the Metro, at noon Wednesday there will be an auction of 3152-3160 Washington St. That's the building that houses Pin Bochinche and three other local businesses. I hear through the grapevine there might be a protest at the auction based on the concern that a new owner might jack up rents.

1,181 Views
The Hubway station in front of Bank of America in Centre/South on April 9, 2014.
Transportation

Hubway Station Moved From Post Office to Bank of America

By |

If you didn't like car parking spots being taken up in front of the post office by a Hubway bike station last year, you might be happy they're now taking up auto spots in front of Bank of America. In a departure from the bike sharing service's usual policy of not consulting neighborhoods over placement of the bike-rental stations, Hubway reached out to at least two neighborhood organizations to figure out where the station should go. In negotiations brokered by JP resident and Boston Bikes director Nicole Freedman, Centre/South Main Streets and the JP Business and Professional Assoc. picked — for now — a spot in front of Bank of America. It's a temporary placement that could be moved pending a future community meeting in May or June, said Andrew Zarro, executive director of Centre/South Main Streets.

1,840 Views