A new citywide map identifying 43 vacant storefronts across Newton — many in the city’s village centers — is giving officials and prospective business owners a clearer look at where new businesses could take root.
When Economic Development Director Lauren Berman and Deputy Director Cheryl Lappin joined the department earlier this year, vacant storefronts quickly emerged as a recurring concern raised by City Councilors.
Berman said the department began exploring the Massachusetts Vacant Storefront Program, which helps municipalities revitalize downtown and commercial districts by encouraging businesses to occupy long-term vacant spaces. The program allows cities and towns to offer refundable tax credits to businesses that move into eligible locations.
Under the program, municipalities must identify specific vacant storefronts and outline a plan to revitalize those spaces and the village centers where they are located. Berman said Newton is still evaluating whether the program is worth pursuing and whether the City has the capacity to apply.
“Given that Newton is a village-based community, we really wanted to do what we can to invigorate village centers,” she said.
Berman said vacancies can feel especially noticeable in Newton’s village centers. Unlike many municipalities where commercial activity is concentrated in one downtown area, Newton’s businesses are spread across 13 village centers.
The department first worked to clearly define what qualifies as a vacant storefront, then began manually collecting data and reviewing existing sources.
Mapping the vacancies
Two interns from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government – Artemis Huang and Bryanna Ruiz – assisted the City in creating the map of vacant storefronts.
Huang said that despite the constantly changing commercial property market in Newton, the project represents the most comprehensive consolidation of vacancy information currently available.
Huang said the team verified many vacancies through on-the-ground reporting, visiting storefronts to confirm whether spaces were empty or had leasing notices posted in their windows. They also compiled information from commercial real estate platforms such as LoopNet and Crexi, along with records maintained by the City’s Assessing Department, Economic Development team, and the City Clerk’s Office.
The team identified 43 storefronts that are currently vacant across Newton. Many of the vacancies are concentrated in village centers such as West Newton, Newtonville, and Newton Centre.
Before completing her internship earlier this year, Huang also worked on a related project mapping the types of businesses that operate across Newton’s commercial districts.
“It kind of complements the vacant storefront map,” she said. “If I’m a café owner, I can check the existing businesses map to see where there is a need for a cafe…Then I could go to the vacancy map to see if there’s space available.”
Huang said prospective business owners could use the vacancy map to identify potential locations in Newton. For example, someone opening a bakery could filter for spaces that previously housed bakeries, where some equipment or infrastructure may already be in place.
Huang said some municipalities maintain vacancy maps but update them less frequently. In Cambridge, where she lives, she said the map is updated less often, so some spaces listed as vacant may already be occupied.
Huang added that while Newton’s village centers often appear vibrant, a closer look reveals a number of vacant spaces that could represent opportunities for new or expanding businesses.
Bittersweet
In Newton Centre, where the vacancy map lists seven empty storefronts, one new business is preparing to take over the space of a longtime neighborhood staple.
In December, the boutique clothing store Pink Domino closed its Newton Centre storefront after more than three decades in business.
The space will soon be filled by Something Sweet, a new candy shop opening this spring in Piccadilly Square above Rosenfeld’s Bagels.
Alexis Isenberg and her business partner Emily Yale hope the candy store will serve as a gathering place for the community.
“We’ve both been, I guess you could say, candy-obsessed since we were children, and opening a candy store has always been a dream of ours,” she said. “I think since we met we’ve been talking about candy.”
The store will offer about 100 varieties of candy and include a rentable party space for events such as birthday parties and book clubs.
Isenberg said small independent businesses help sustain village centers by offering unique products and experiences.
“It’s nice to be able to go into a store and find things that you’re not going to find in your average shopping center where you have larger brand names,” she said. “Everyone in this general vicinity has a unique product or a unique concept.”
Isenberg did not grow up in Newton, but her business partner, Emily Yale, did. Yale told her she used to shop at Pink Domino while growing up.
She added that the building has long been a recognizable part of Newton Centre and has not changed much externally over time.
As Isenberg and Yale await their grand opening, they have begun selling candy online. For now, they are using their homes as temporary headquarters.
“We figured why not give people a little sneak peek and opportunity to see what we can do and what we can offer, without having the option to shop in store,” she said.
Berman said the vacant storefront issue is only one piece of a larger shift affecting Newton’s commercial areas. Another growing concern is the rise in empty office spaces across the city’s village centers, which the Economic Development team is also working to address.
