...it's still a pity that when 300 people are pouring out of The Center for Arts in Natick after a sold-out evening show, they all walk back to their cars passing nothing but dark storefronts (as we did last night). On Valentine's Day, no less! How many of those patrons would have been happy to extend the evening by ducking into a cafe for an after-theater snack, dessert or coffee/tea!
I realize that in general, it probably doesn't make sense for many businesses in Natick Center to stay open until 11 or midnight; there's hardly the after-theater foot traffic you'd get in New York. But what a missed opportunity for the specific weekend evenings when TCAN has a full house! Wouldn't it be great if there were a cafe or dessert place right by the center, which could coordinate with TCAN, find out when they expect large crowds, and then advertise to the patrons that night to come in after the show?
[...] Planning Livable Communities …it’s still a pity that when 300 people are pouring out of The Center for Arts in Natick after a sold-out evening show, they all walk back to their cars passing nothing but dark storefronts (as we did last night). On Valentine’s Day, no less! How many of those patrons would have been happy to [...] Go to Source Tags: [...]
ReplyDeleteYeah. A pumpkin coach with white horses and footmen would be pretty excellent too! Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteI walk to TCAN (and the library, post office, etc) from my house. I know more than one local property owner worked hard to get an "open in the evening" tenant but had not takers. On the "smart growth" front, for the many folks coming to shows from Boston, public transportation's not an option, since the schedule for commuter rail (just a block away) doesn't have an inbound return train until 1 am. What a waste of infrastructure!
ReplyDeleteSee what'd I tell you?
ReplyDeleteYou touch on an important point. The legislature recently passed and the Governor signed HB 4831, a bill to provide an additional 8 permits for on-premises alcohol in Natick Center, which most restaurants require to be economically viable. When this was first proposed a year ago, the town was almost at its quota because of the Mall expansion, with a hotel and another restaurant on deck.
ReplyDeleteNow we are below quota since a couple of license holders have not renewed (Vinny T, Finale) but eventually demand will come back, and this will help promote investment and vitality in Natick Center.
Parking and alternative and public transportation are also part of the solution; it all has to work together. As I said to the exec director at TCAN once, the music bone is connected to the food bone, and the food bone is connected to the parking bone. :)
This is one advantage Amazing Things in downtown Framingham has over TCAN. There ARE several places where you can have food and drink, within walking distance, before or after an Amazing Things show. I had high hopes that Brazzille on Hollis Street, my favorite downtown eatery, was going to get a lot of business from Amazing Things, but alas, they closed in 2008 after less than 2 years in business.
ReplyDeleteAmazing Things is a coffeehouse with no-name acts, in the middle of a troubled neighborhood. Thanks, but no thanks. TCAN has the best of local talent but also features big names like J.D. Souther, Poco, Paula Cole, Judy Collins, Roger McGuinn...people I actually want to see. Why don't places like the Dolphin, the Bakery on the Common and other downtown restaurants get it?
ReplyDeleteYeah. A pumpkin coach with white horses and footmen would be pretty excellent too! Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteIt's still a good venue if you prefer. There are other areas worth checking out as well.
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