35
Town Manager Kevin J. Mizikar says Shrewsbury hates to see the Christmas Tree Shops go, and there is no word on the future of the spot that has been the local home of the retail chain store for more than 35 years. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, Christmas Tree Shops is in the midst of liquidating its remaining stores. The assessed value of Olde Shrewsbury Village, the shopping center where Christmas Tree Shops is located in town, is estimated to be $15,943,200, while the annual real-estate tax generated from the full 161,000-square-foot development is $209,175.
82
A Grafton Street building that once offered an auto repair shop will soon be a source of flavor for Spanish cuisine lovers. After License Commission approval, Bocado Tapas Wine Bar will expand its main area at 82 Winter St. into the adjacent brick building on Grafton Street that was home to Harry Heitin Auto Radiator Co. Michael Covino, the president of Bocado's owner company, Niche Hospitality Group, said the restaurant will use the whole 2,500-square-foot area of the building and will also look to build a 750-square-foot patio, for which approval was granted by the commission.
64
Promising to bring a more upscale version of North Indian cuisine to Worcester, Bombay Lounge recently opened to serve food at 64 Water St. The Canal District building previously hosted Maddi's Cookery and TapHouse, which closed in November. The restaurant will serve North Indian dishes as well as staples familiar to Americans such as butter chicken and chicken tikka masala, along with vegetarian options. The restaurant has not yet received the license to serve alcohol at its bar. Owner Dev Patil said it expects to be serving alcohol in a couple of months.
54
There’s a new ice cream joint in Southbridge. One that comes with a scoopful of a mission. Scoops of Hope recently opened its doors at 54 Foster St., sporting a menu with a variety of different ice cream flavors and sundaes, in addition to a rich list of grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs. With roots from Center of Hope Foundation Inc., a local foundation, the ice cream shop looks to hire people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who will work partial hours at the shop. The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
195
The former site of a Big D and Price Chopper supermarket at 195 Mill St. has been a recurring gripe of city councilors and nearby residents. Recently, District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj and her challenger in the upcoming election, Jose Rivera, have urged action on the property. Haxhiaj said the site represents years of lost redevelopment opportunities. Rivera sent a letter to City Manager Eric Batista calling for something similar to downtown's 2016 urban revitalization plan for the site. In his letter, Rivera said the creation of such a plan would allow for the Worcester Redevelopment Authority to use eminent domain as a tool to encourage development.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Business Matters: Central Mass. by the Numbers