Economic Woes In Harvard Square
 

Lots of tourists, as well as locals, who frequent Harvard Square have seen evidence of hard economic times coming to this enclave. First the bad news about Out of Town News, and now, yesterday, when DH and I made one of our frequent Sunday jaunts to the Square, we were confronted by the 4 story glass building that housed Crate and Barrel completely stripped of every item inside! It was quite a shock. It is not that I am such a Crate and Barrel devotee, but rather that I cannot imagine what could be moved into such a huge, highly visible space.

This was the last place where I would expect to confront this kind of evidence of the current bad times. It makes me wonder what is next. I know it is not as if people were in bread lines, but it makes me realize that I do not really have any idea of where these hard economic times are going.

Out of Town News is not closing. A company has taken over and will continue to operate it.

As for Crate and Barrel? Well, I'm sure that store doesn't make a profit even at the best of times, given how expensive rent is in Harvard Sq. Not that many students can afford C&B... stores like Urban Outfitters are more likely to survive in H Sq.

Have you walked down Newbury Street lately? I have never seen so many empty retail space before.

Good point, yk about Newbury Street.....I am glad to hear that Out Of Town will not close.

We first moved to MA in 1971. The current, or I should say former, Crate and Barrel was a store called Design Research back then, and was almost a clone in terms of the merchandise it carried.

We were shocked when they virtually went out of business from---what seemed at the time---one day to the next. The difference then was that Crate and Barrel moved in immediately. Now I cannot imagine what retailer can fill up such a tremendous amount of square footage as well as pay what must be astronomical rent.

It is sad to see Harvard Square and Newbury Street hitting on hard times. Of course not sad like people losing their houses/jobs, but sad in a way that diminishes lovely public spaces, that people could enjoy, if only thru window shopping.

And sad for the tourists who come to Boston and Cambridge. Looking at empty storefronts on our lovely streets is not much of a tourist experience.

My sister lives in Cambridge, on Brewster Street, and she has said that many of the restaurants are deserted, too.

Thin

How odd, then, that Crate and Barrel is building a new stand-alone, two-story store in Tampa...

I wonder if, instead of shutting down permanently, they plan to retool the Harvard Sq. store into a CB2, which is their less expensive line? It may be more friendly to the student population there.

Harvard Sq. stores like C&B catered less to students (although students are certainly a core of local economy) and more to faculty, those wealthy enough to live nearby, and those Bostonians and suburbanites who come in to shop and dine.

Harvard Sq. has churned through several kinds of economy and "styles" through the years. Oldtimers will remember when part of its charm was its student-y seediness. I remember Design Research, and it (like AR, etc.) was an offshoot of local productivity and tastes but signaled the beginning of a shift from multiple odd bookstores to home furnishings. Crate and Barrel represented the next wave - went from truly being stuff found in old crates and barrels to the yupscale generic consumer stuff - and along came the era of Abercrombie, etc.

There was a huge shift when the owner of a lot of the older, more dilapidated buildings died and her nephew sold them to developers. The Inn at Harvard is a prime example - a seedy apartment building replaced by a manicured high end hotel.

Hard to imagine what the next phase of Harvard Sq. will be, but the national trend toward empty store fronts will be part of it - is already, apparently.

College towns seem to be struggling in many places, but I'm wondering if Princeton - the upscale-est college town I've ever seen (Burberry etc.) -- is, too.

Thin--so funny! We lived on Brewer Street when DH was doing his graduate work. I remember having some people over one night who had mistakenly gone to Brewster instead of Brewer....That is a lovely part of Cambridge where your sister lives! Alas, we were banished to the suburbs when we became parents and have not managed to find our way back to Cambridge in spite of deep longing. :(

Yes, lots of celebs on that street. Robert Frost used to live there, and Al Capp.

Thin

As I understand it - that Crate & Barrel isn't closing due to the economy. It is a sort of iconic building w/ special "issues" and no longer fits w/ C&B's trend more to furniture and away from small decorator items.

Interesting to know, janis. It just so took us by surprise b/c as I said, we go into the Square a lot and had no idea that this was in the works. It was so odd to see the building stripped bare.