Back
Bay
In
Every City
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2 Albright-
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Duck
Tour buses frequently quack theirway
down the shopping artery of Newbury Street.
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Kressel and Mauet both stress that Newbury Street
and the Back Bay have lost the one-of-kind stores that it used
to have.
For example, Mauet said, there used to be a little quirky restaurant
on Newbury between Clarendon and Dartmouth called Travis’ Restaurant.
Leo Travis was both the owner of the restaurant and the building
that it was in. When Travis passed away, the restaurant died with
him. While he was alive, he was able to operate the store because
he only had to pay himself rent.
Today, Back Bay renters are in a market that values rental space
no matter the size. Smaller, privately owned businesses are pushed
out by the upscale and wealthy businesses that can afford high
rents.
“It’s all market driven,” said Mauet. “Landlords
have different attitudes. Renters chased out the funkier types
of businesses.”
On Memorial Day this year, the Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop, open
on Newbury Street for 29 years, will close because it can no
longer afford the rent. Victor Hugo specialized in used and rare
books.
“
Most of the business has always been regulars and that is partly
why we have lost so much business,” said Vincent McCaffrey,
the original and current owner of the bookshop. “The regulars
have left and the Back Bay has changed into a different community.”
Back Bay natives said that a vital part of the community on Newbury
Street is the 1,000 or so residents who live above the shops and
restaurants. They feel that it is essential to maintain this mixture
of residents and business as it was in the old days, when stores
were in the bottom floor and their customers lived above.
“It’s important to keep the mixture,” said.
Mauet.
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3 A Community for tourists?-
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