0 Pop-up Retail Lands in Dewey Square

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Looking for some coffee to get your day started? Well, if you make the pilgrimage from South Station to the Financial District through Dewey Square, a lone vibrant dome could be your new best friend. Nespresso is the latest to venture into the pop-up retailing experience in Boston.

From the BBJ:

“Nespresso is hoping that one sip of the caffeinated beverages under the brownish-yellow dome in Dewey Square — the former site of Occupy Boston — will encourage coffee lovers to spend $299 for the VertuoLine coffee-espresso maker machine. Buyer beware: The cost to operate can run another $50 for a milk frother and between $6 – $9 for a box of coffee pods.”

Additional information on the pop-up retail shop from Nespresso in Dewey Square is provided on the Boston Business Journal’s post.

0 Starbucks Opens Waterfront Retail Location at Boston’s Fan Pier

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Starbucks has crossed the Fort Point Channel into the Seaport with its new location at Fan Pier.

Credit: fanpierboston.com

From the WSJ’s Market Watch:

“Lease agreements have been reached with each of the new tenants to occupy more than 21,450 square feet of existing space on the lobby level of Fifty Northern Avenue, one of two build-to-suit towers – along with Eleven Fan Pier Boulevard – housing Vertex Pharmaceutical’s global headquarters…Starbucks Coffee Company’s Fan Pier location will occupy 2,100 square feet of street floor space, which is expected to open in the summer of 2014.”

0 Burnham Building in Millennium Tower Lands Fashion Retailer

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Burnham office Building at the Millennium Towers Complex

Credit: Banker & Tradesman

Another new lease for the Downtown Crossing, this time its retail. Headquartered in Dublin Ireland, www.primark.com was founded in 1969 and today operates 250 store in eight countries.

From Banker & Tradesman: “Fashion retailer Primark has signed a long-term lease for 112,000 square feet at the Burnham Building in the Millennium Tower complex at Boston’s Downtown Crossing…Dublin-based Primark’s first U.S. store will occupy four floors in the eight-story Burnham Building, including 70,000 square feet of retail floor space.

View Listings: Downtown Crossing Office Space

0 Boston Residents: Text In Your Choice to Fill Storefront Vacancies

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

This is a very interesting idea. I would love to see the results and read the texters’ suggestions; I imagine they would likely differ from the residents of the community. Either way, a great reach out program.

Credit: Boston.com

According to Boston.com, city officials are looking to use crowdsourcing to “help reduce the number and duration of business vacancies, increase community involvement, and promote innovation, according to municipal workers spearheading the pilot program.”

Back bay commercial space at 360 Newbury St. in Boston

360 Newbury Street

We’re using our Twitter feed (@bradviors) to garner opinions on what you’d like to see occupy 360 Newbury Street.

Tweet your suggestions using #360Newbury in your message.

You can see the responses here: 360 Newbury Street

0 129 Tremont Street Lands New Capital One 360 Café

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BostonSF.com

A bank becomes a coffee shop. Well, I walked into this establishment for a quick meeting and I must admit, it was pretty cool. I got a cup of coffee and a quick bite to eat and I sat down to watch the comings and goings of the operation. In the 20 minutes I was there I noticed moderate coffee customers, but I didn’t notice any bank customers. Not sure why, but I sure this will become the rage as more of us are looking for service and convenience. After all, who would have thought 10 years ago that a bank would open in a supermarket and have office hours on Sundays.

An article on BostonSF.com notes additional details of the new establishment at 129 Tremont St.:

The café features a full service coffee bar, LCD video walls incorporated into an all glass façade, and a warm and inviting ambiance. Venetian plaster, faux brick walls and a wood slat ceiling define the space. Polished concrete floors are intricately inlaid with an elliptical reclaimed wood floor product. The café offers music and Wi-Fi to customers, as well as information on Capital One services via multiple LCD displays throughout the space. All of this while hiding the inner workings of a fully functioning café in the background.

0 Boston Emerges as State’s Tech Startup Hub

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Has Boston really become the state’s capital for startups? Well yes. This came to be for two primary reasons; public access and cost of real estate. Downtown Crossing, DTX, is serviced by the T’s Red, Green Orange and Blue lines. Combined with the Silver Line and a short walk from South Station it offers employers a great recruiting tool as they vie for new talent.

Economics. Plain and simple. DTX is the last real value play within the Class B market and is what most startups are seeking. Opportunities can still be achieved with in the upper $20’s PSF while most buildings are pricing in the low to mid $30’S PSF.

Click to view or download as a high resolution pdf

The Boston Globe’s niche online business publication, betaboston.com, notes the following:

Last year…Boston accomplished a previously unheard of feat in the tech world by having more venture capital deals than Cambridge — for years the center of gravity of the startup scene in Massachusetts. And a large number of those deals went to companies located outside the Innovation District, in neighboring business zones such as the Financial and Leather districts and Downtown Crossing.

0 Boston Office Market Maintains Strong Results for Landlords

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Wil Catlin

155 Federal Street

The Boston Office market continues to produce strong results for landlords. The low rise Class A and Class B market in the Financial District continue to offer a value option to prospective tenants.

According to news site, news.gnom.es, “First quarter 2014 marked Greater Boston’s fourth consecutive quarter of positive absorption. The market also posted its highest four-quarter positive absorption total since 2007, with 3.6 million square feet absorbed from second quarter 2013 through first quarter 2014.”

The article quotes 542,000 SF of positive adsorption in Boston in the First Quarter. You can read the full article, here.

0 7-9 Channel Center in Seaport Slated for Renovation

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Berkley Investments is bullish on the Seaport with their soon-to-be-renovated 7-story, 10K SF floor plate building. This building is targeting funded and stabilized technology companies.

According to the Boston Business Journal, Berkeley is rehabilitating “9 Channel Center, a 7-story office and retail building totaling 77,000 square feet in the growing Seaport neighborhood. The interior and exterior rehab will include the installation of new building systems and the addition of as much as 4,000 square feet of street-level retail. The building’s brick and beam architecture will be restored. The design also calls for a new atrium lobby, retail storefronts and a roof deck. The building’s floor plates will span approximately 10,000 square feet.”

Details on the design and tenant plans for 7-9 Channel Center are included in the BBJ article: office rehab in Seaport.

0 Sweetgreen Opens Location in Boston Seaport

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

From 11:45 AM to 1:45 PM the Boylston Street location for Sweetgreen is mobbed. My office is a ½-block away, so I frequently walk past their location and see the line out the door for those crazed salad fans. Yes, I too am a fan and appreciate fresh food served quickly for a competitive price. The Seaport location will attract a following that no doubt will see similar long lines out the door. Enjoy!

According to a report on the Boston Business Journal, “located at 372 Congress St., the 1,655-square-foot eatery joins the neighborhood of local firms Life is good, Rue La La, and Zipcar….Sweetgreen says it prides itself on preparing foods from scratch on location, not from a commissary, using ingredients from local farms that are prepared and cooked daily.”

More information is available in the BBJ’s coverage, here.

0 Former Dunkin’ Donuts Location in Financial District Lands New Occupants

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Commercial space for rent at 176 Federal Street in Boston

Credit: chartercm

A recent instance of this trend is evident in the move of Pret A Manger made to snag the 2,000 sq. ft. space in the Financial District, formerly occupied by Dunkin’ Donuts.

The BBJ reported on the new occupants of 176 Federal St. in the Financial District, noting it may be just the first of many similar moves for the London-based eatery, “Pret A Manger has been looking to expand in Greater Boston with plans to open a dozen cafes over the next five years. James O’Mara, an attorney representing the eatery, said Pret A Manger will be opening a shop as early as this spring at 101 Arch St. in Boston’s Downtown Crossing at the former Men’s Wearhouse.”

Additional information on the location at 176 Federal Street is available on the Boston Business Journal.