Update: Q's Nuts in Somerville Is Closing; Hearth and Hug Bakery to Replace It

[Ed note: This article was updated on May 13 to reflect the fact that a bakery is taking over the space.]

A Somerville shop known for its gourmet roasted nuts is getting ready to shut down.

According to a post within the Davis Square Facebook group page, Q's Nuts on the eastern edge of Davis Square is closing its doors, with a photo out front at the Highland Avenue store confirming this. One of the notes out front mentions that the Boston Public Market location will remain in operation, as will the company's online business (and its products are also available via its local wholesale partners).

After the news cane out, a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page mentioned that Hearth and Hug, a bakery with a location at Boston Public Market, will be taking over the Q's Nuts space.

The Q's Nuts company first started out in 2000, with its Somerville shop debuting in 2012.

The address for Q's Nuts in Somerville is 349 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA, 02144. Its website can be found at https://qsnuts.com/

[June 25 update: According to its website, Q's Nuts in Somerville is now closed.]

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H Mart Is Opening in Somerville's Davis Square

It looks like an Asian supermarket chain is going to be opening a new location in Somerville, confirming chatter that has been taking place for a number of months now.

According to an article in The Tufts Daily, H Mart is planning to open in Davis Square, moving into the space on Elm Street that had been home to a location of bfresh. The article states that employees at locations in Burlington and Cambridge mentioned the upcoming opening, with one worker indicating that it could be opening sometime this summer. (An earlier LLC filing seems to confirm the planned opening as well.)

In addition to the Burlington and Cambridge locations, H Mart (which first started out in Queens in 1982) also has two other Boston-area outlets in Brookline and Quincy, and another one may be coming to Medford as well.

The address for the new location of H Mart in Davis Square is 240 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144. The website for the company can be found at https://www.hmart.com/

[January 9, 2025 update: According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, H Mart is slated to open in Davis Square today.]

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bfresh in Somerville's Davis Square Has Closed

Another outlet of a local group of small grocery stores has shut down.

According to an article from Cambridge Day, bfresh in Somerville's Davis Square closed on October 12, with Caroline Medeiros--who is the external and corporate communications manager for sibling grocery chain Stop & Shop--saying that "Stop & Shop has made the difficult decision not to renew the lease for our bfresh store....The store was not meeting financial expectations." The Elm Street shop opened in early 2017, joining other locations in Allston and Brighton, neither of which are in operation anymore, though Nichole Davis of WBZ 1030 tells us that a location of Stop & Shop in Newton is now a bfresh location.

The address for bfresh in Davis Square was 240 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144.

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[More restaurant openings/closings from the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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The Boston Shaker in Somerville Has Closed

A Somerville shop that sold supplies for making cocktails while also having mixology classes has shut down after 15 years in business.

According to its website, The Boston Shaker on Holland Street is no longer in business, with a note on its home page saying it was "due to unfortunate circumstances beyond our control" while also thanking its customers for their patronage over the years. The shop, which was located on the edge of Davis Square, sold a variety of items including shakers, strainers, mixes, bitters, garnishes, glassware, books, and more, and craft cocktail techniques classes were held as well.

The address for The Boston Shaker was 69 Holland Street, Somerville, MA, 02144. Its website is at https://www.thebostonshaker.com/

NOTE: We need your help, as Leslie Hurwitz, who is the father of Marc (the founder of this site) is dealing with health issues and some major related expenses. Please donate at https://gofund.me/76d8ba28, thanks!

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[More restaurant openings/closings from the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square Has Been Purchased by Broadway Marketplace in Cambridge

A landmark butcher shop that declared bankruptcy last year and subsequently squelched rumors that it was closing has been sold, but it is apparently not going anywhere.

According to a thread within the Davis Square LiveJournal blog, the people behind Broadway Marketplace in Cambridge have purchased McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square, with a phone call to a manager at Broadway Marketplace confirming this. The person we talked to said that the Elm Street shop will remain McKinnon's, though it was not mentioned what changes will be coming--if any--to the store.

In November of 2015, McKinnon's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and rumors soon came out that the shop was shutting down; the store responded in its weekly ad that "there is no truth to the rumor that [the shop] is closing," and it has remained open since the filing.

McKinnon's has been in Somerville since the mid-1960s.

The address for McKinnon's Meat Market is 239 Elm Street in Somerville, while the address for Broadway Marketplace is 468 Broadway in Cambridge. (The website for McKinnon's can be found at http://www.mckinnonsmeatmarket.com/)

[Earlier Articles]
McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square Squelches Rumors That It Is Closing

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bfresh to Open in Somerville's Davis Square

A pair of grocery stores that focus on healthy options will soon be joined by a third shop.

According to a post within the Davis Square Live Journal blog, bfresh is going to be opening in the former Social Security Building on Elm Street in a space that another grocery store--Brothers Marketplace (an offshoot of Roche Bros.)--had been looking at, and which World of Beer and Boston Beer Works had also been considering as well. Once it opens, the new bfresh will join another on Harvard Avenue in Allston and a third in Fairfield, CT [ed note--now closed], with the plan being for the store to open later this year. [Ed note: Another store recently opened in Brighton.]

The company that runs bfresh is Fresh Formats, which is part of Dutch retailer Ahold (the same corporation that operates the Stop & Shop supermarket chain).

The address for this upcoming market in Davis Square is: bfresh, 240 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144. The website for bfresh can be found at http://bfresh.com/

[February 20, 2017 update: An email sent today indicates that the new bfresh opens in Davis Square on Friday, February 24.]

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square Squelches Rumors That It Is Closing

A landmark butcher shop that declared bankruptcy last week has allayed the fears of its worried customers as to its exact status.

According to a note at the top of its weekly ad, McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville's Davis Square states that "there is no truth to the rumor that [the shop] is closing," which jibes with a Twitter post from last night that shows an identical message. There has been some chatter of late about a possible closure of the Elm Street store, including a post within the Davis Square LiveJournal that went up three days after we reported that the market was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

As mentioned earlier, McKinnon's has until December 7 to file a statement of financial affairs and the schedules of what they owe.

The address for McKinnon's Meat Market is 239 Elm Street, Somerville, MA, 02144. Its website is at http://www.mckinnonsmeatmarket.com/

[Earlier Article]
McKinnon's Meat Market in Somerville Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

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Brothers Marketplace May Be Coming to Somerville's Davis Square

It looks like a local supermarket chain could be opening a location of its upscale neighborhood market concept in one of the busiest parts of Somerville.

Cambridge Day is reporting that Wellesley-based Roche Bros. is hoping to bring Brothers Marketplace to Davis Square, with the grocery store looking to move into the Social Security building space at 240 Elm Street, which has been empty for several years. If approved, the market--which focuses on "fresh foods and regional artisan products" along with "all the favorites needed for a full grocery shopping experience"--would be the third of its kind, with others being found in Weston and Medfield. A community meeting will take place on the proposed grocery store on September 10.

Over the past couple of years, both World of Beer and Boston Beer Works have showed interest in the Elm Street space, but plans for both ended up falling through.

The website for Brothers Marketplace can be found at http://www.brothers-marketplace.com/

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Q's Nuts Is Opening a Store in Somerville's Davis Square

A Somerville-based company that sells a variety of roasted nuts is going to be opening a store in one of the busiest parts of the city.

The Somerville Patch reports that Q's Nuts will open a storefront at the corner of Willow Avenue and Highland Avenue on the eastern edge of Somerville's Davis Square, moving into the space where Pick and Go Convenience used to be. The article mentions that the store could be open by as early as July, depending on how quickly the husband-and-wife team behind the nut company can get the space ready. Once Q's Nuts does open, expect such items as key lime ginger almonds, Mexican chocolate cashews, cayenne mango pecans, flaming cashews, rosemary sea salted almonds, banana foster pecans, chocolate raspberry almonds, and more.

[August 31 update: Eater Boston is reporting that Q's Nuts will open a week from today (Friday, September 7).]

[September 10 update: A poster on the Chowhound site has confirmed that the retail store for Q's Nuts is now open.]

The Q's Nuts company first started out in 2000.

The address for this nut shop in Davis Square is: Q's Nuts, 349 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA, 02144. The company's website can be found at http://www.qsnuts.com/

Thanks to Eater Boston for bringing this to our attention.

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