Time to make the donuts in Washington Square?
Reliable sources tell us that Dunkin’ Donuts is returning to Washington Square. I wish it weren’t so. Do you recall years ago when Dunkin’ Donuts had a Washington Square location? Parking, trash and traffic were all problems; sometimes big problems. This time it will be worse.
It’s not just the parking, traffic and litter. Washington Square has become one of those “best of” neighborhood shopping areas; the kind of community setting where you know the store owners and most of them have just one location. Washington Square has just enough parking and people who live and work here keep the area clean and livable.
The business owners of Washington Square live in Brookline or a nearby town and there is a mutual appreciation between store owners and their customers. Sure, we have a Starbucks, but in this Starbucks, like other small community Starbucks everyone seems to know each other and many of the baristas that are there today have been there for years. We even have our own locally owned, single location coffee shop called Café Fixe with an owner who is on site every day. And before you call me an elitist, answer this question honestly: Do you see more Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts branded trash on the sidewalks and streets?
It’s our market economy that made Washington Square what it is today. Washington Square is filled with local store fronts and not too many chains, outdoor café’s with dining alfresco and sidewalks that invite neighbors to walk their dogs and stop and chat.
Maybe we should be pleased that our neighborhood is “important” enough to get our own Dunkin’ Donuts. Count me out. To me, it’s a big disappointment and a loss for the neighborhood. Now if they could bring back “Fred the Baker” (Time to make the donuts actor) then maybe I could deal with it.
3 Comments
Where will they be located?
I recall, a few years back, when I ran a local Brookline-based business and there was a Dunkin Donuts (DD) in Washington Square, I received a call from a business owner who did a majority of his business in Brookline. I ran my business from home and for security reasons, invited very few people to my home office. My prospect, a mover, ran his business from his truck. As a result, I suggested that we meet at Starbucks. His reply was – “I’m not a Starbucks kind of guy”. We ended up meeting at the former DD at Washington Square and he signed the deal! Over the many years that we did business, I found my “blue-collar” client to be a pleasure to do business with.
My point is that, YES – Brookline is a “high-net-worth community” and Washington Square has evolved, in the past few years, into a more upscale destination for people with disposable income who want to spend their money at our eating and drinking establishments. However, let’s not lose sight of the fact that there are people who don’t identify with Starbucks, Cafe Fixe or Athans – for whatever reason(s) and want their coffee in an atmosphere that they find less intimidating.
Don’t get me wrong, I was VERY happy when McDonald’s closed down their Coolidge Corner location but what ended up going into that location? Citibank! Did that or any of the other half-dozen banks in that area do anything to make you feel better about shopping in Coolidge Corner? NO!
Brookline has an “affordable housing” requirement for developers. I think that we need to look at Dunkin Donuts as a diversity issue. I want Brookline to continue to be a diverse community. Having a Dunkin Donuts in Washington Square will help make people of ALL backgrounds feel welcome (even if I prefer a higher quality cup of coffee and have stopped eating sugar).
Ray Hoffer
Griggs Rd.
Brookline, MA
Washington Square doesn’t “run on Dunkin”!