Green Line is the icing on the cake
Union Square has built a reputation as a welcoming place for young, creative entrepreneurs, many of whom have brought a new energy to the Somerville outpost. Now, a planned MBTA stop promises to change the landscape once again.
The Green Line expansion, slotted to be completed in 2014, will connect Union Square to Lechmere Station in Cambridge.
“I think with the Green Line it becomes more of a destination,” said Susan Crandall, a Union Square native and advocate.
Mimi Graney, a Somerville native of 20 years and executive director of Union Square Main Streets, doesn’t need a T stop to see the area’s draw. “I think part of what’s attracted businesses here is that they are able to get a start here, it's not as tough,” she said.
Graney and her organization are dedicated to helping develop creative businesses in Union Square. In the past five years they have helped turn 1,200 square feet of vacant industrial space into creative spaces.
Joshua Kampa, owner of Open Bicycle, opened his shop in Union Square last March despite a down economy. “I had a business plan that I had to modify significantly,” said Kampa. “The community’s been very supportive.”
Development interest is growing, but according to Graney, any new commercial buildings in the area have to at least be 3 percent creative businesses.
In a successful urban market
Karyn Coughlin and Ben Dryer opened Sherman Cafe in Union Square six years ago. In October 2009 they expanded and opened Sherman Market with Jodi Malone. The Sherman Cafe and Market is now a successful hot spot where the diverse community comes to graze.
When did you open the cafe?
Six years ago in Union Square when it was pretty different here. People were still talking about it “blowing up.” There was very little evidence that that was going to happen. A couple of restaurants had just closed. But we liked it and saw a lot of promise in the area.
What do you sell at the cafe?
When we opened we thought it would be a good place to open a restaurant that tried to do fresh, affordable, organic when possible, local when possible, food because no one was really doing that.
Why’d you open the market?
As the years progressed the local business kind of caught fire. We do a lot of shopping for the cafe in the summer at farmers markets. I kind of got the idea that it might be nice to have a store. It seemed a sympathetic business to the cafe. If we were buying food from the farmers directly, why not have food for sale before we cooked it? When a spot with an butting wall to ours became available, we grabbed it.
What do you sell at the market?
Fresh, local, and organic, when possible, food. Milk from local dairies, meat from local farms, a lot of New England chesses, produce in season, obviously now fewer than in the summer, but we still have them! Bread from local bakers, then a lot of products manufactured in New England, not just food grown locally but supporting local businesses.
What makes the cafe unique?
I think it’s a real mission based place. We started off with pretty specific goals in mind. We wanted to offer a place that was affordable and simple, fresh foods. We put a lot of care into the food. I think that’s what really makes us stand out. At the cafe we make everything except for the bread, right down to the mayonnaise- we make it. Using good ingredients. We’re pretty passionate about the quality of food we use. My husband built (the infrastructure). We tired to do everything ourselves right down to the building.
You started the market aspect in a down economy, what hindered and/or helped you?
The place came open about a year and half before that, so we were opening it when the economy was really tanking. Certainly really scary.
Certainly raising money was difficult at that point. We sold shares in the market to people in the neighborhood and raised a good portion of what helped the market open. People put in shares varied between $100 and $5,000 and got back tabs for groceries. We spread the risk among the neighborhood as well as us, which helped a little.
The economy’s bad it’s going to improve. We felt confident about opening this place, because while people are cutting back they’re still eating.
It was a fair amount of just taking a leap.
Why do you think the local community has responded so well to your business?
From the start we tried to be a neighborhood place. Part of the responsibility of a business owner. We do a lot in the community. Union Square is pretty diverse, we tried to be as welcoming to everyone as possible.