The lineup for Boston Calling 2025 is very diverse and spans the worlds of rock, pop, country, and hip-hop.
Taking place May 23-25 at the Harvard Athletic Complex, headliners for the festival include Luke Combs on May 23, Fall Out Boy on May 24, and Dave Matthews Band on May 25.
Some of the support acts for Combs on May 23 include Megan Moroney, Sheryl Crow, T-Pain, and TLC. Supporting acts for Fall Out Boy on May 24 include Avril Lavigne, Cage the Elephant, The Black Crowes, and All Time Low. Lastly, supporting acts booked before Dave Matthews Band on May 25 include Vampire Weekend, Sublime, Public Enemy, Remi Wolf, Goth Babe, and Tom Morello. (The full lineup is listed below.)
Like in previous years, local food vendors will be on hand to feed the festival masses. Boston Calling’s website states that over 30 local food vendors will be participating and “Serving up everything from New England lobster rolls to Southern BBQ.” A full list of food vendors can be found here.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Hannukah themed pop-up bar in Boston is shining a light on the holiday that is very often overshadowed by Christmas.
Maccabee Bar’s award-winning bartender Naomi Levy created this pop-up back in 2018 after seeing numerous Christmas pop-up bars and feeling left out.
“Maybe none of us really get over the trauma of not getting to sit on Santa’s lap, you know?” Levy said. “I thought to myself, what if we just made Hannukah the whole thing and really made it be seen and feel like something special?”
The pop-up is located at the bar Noir in Harvard Square, with another location in New York.
The entire place was decorated blue and gold, with menorahs and dreidels placed all over.
Maccabee’s cocktail menu leaned into the Jewish holiday theme, with drinks such as Hey Judith, Hebrew Hammer, and Latke Sour.
Speaking of latkes, the bar serves those too, but not the typical potato kind – these have cheese in them.
“The original latke was cheese,” Naomi said. “In ancient, ancient times that’s what they had, they had a lot of dairy.”
By Sean Smith, BostonIrish Contributor December 29, 2024
Dervish will be the special guest artist at BCMFest (Boston Celtic Music Fest), which takes place Jan. 16-19. Photo by Collin Gillen
Cathy Jordan, the lead singer of traditional Irish band Dervish, doesn’t require a lot of convincing to visit Boston, so she’s more than happy that she and her bandmates will be in town this month for Boston Celtic Music Festival (BCMFest).
“Boston is such an extension of Ireland it’s like another county,” said Jordan in a recent interview. “There’s such a huge Irish diaspora in Boston and the Greater Boston area, and there has been so much great music played there down through the generations.
“The audiences are always fantastic, so when we see Boston on the tour schedule, we’re always delighted because we know for sure for sure it’s gonna be a great night!”
Dervish will be the special guest for the 22nd edition of BCMFest, which takes place Jan. 16-19 at venues in Harvard Square in Cambridge and Davis Square in Somerville.
A program of Cambridge non-profit Passim, BCMFest is the annual showcase for Greater Boston’s rich offerings of music, song, and dance from Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, and other Celtic communities. BCMFest features traditional acts and others that draw on contemporary sounds and ideas; full-time, professional touring acts; and local session musicians, highlighting performers from across the generations.
Dervish will headline the BCMFest Nightcap finale concert on Jan. 18 in the Somerville Theater, a performance that will include collaborations with local musicians and dancers.
BCMFest 2025 also will feature Rakish – the fiddle-guitar duo of Maura Shawn Scanlin and Conor Hearn – as the inaugural Brian O’Donovan Legacy Artist, honoring the late Brian O’Donovan, a towering figure in the evolution of Boston’s Celtic music scene. Known for its seamless connection of Celtic and Americana-influenced styles, Rakish will serve as the festival’s resident artists, appearing in a variety of settings. In addition, Scanlin is the musical director for the Nightcap concert.
The festival line-up also includes: Hanneke Cassel; Matt & Shannon Heaton; Scottish Fish; Copley Street with Owen Marshall; Ed Pearlman, Jacqueline Schwab, and Laura Scott; Torrin Ryan & Amy Law; Casey Murray & Molly Tucker; Marty Frye, Sarah Collins, and David McKinley-Ward; the Adam Hendey Band; Elias Cardoso; the Rose Clancy Trio; Magpie; Isabel Oliart and Friends; the Clare Fraser Trio; Sarah Ann Hajjar & Alan Chiasson; the Coyne Family Band; the Simon Lace Trio; Fox River; Joe Keane; Mrs. Wilberforce; Ken Pearlman with Janine Randall; Helen Kuhar & Rose Jackson; Jen O’Shea; Riko Matsuoka; and Clara Rose & Raphaella Hero.
Tickets and all festival details, including updates, are available at passim.org/bcmfest.
This will be the second year of BCMFest’s new format, which includes a headline act for the Nightcap concert and additional venues for performances and sessions. BCMFest events take place in Harvard Square’s Club Passim, as well as The Burren, The Rockwell, Crystal Ballroom, and Somerville Theater, all in Davis Square.
“There was a lot of excitement about the events in The Burren, The Rockwell, and Crystal Ballroom last year,” says festival director Summer McCall. “Having these venues as part of our Saturday Dayfest program really seemed to bring a new energy to the festival, and quite a lot of people who hadn’t experienced BCMFest before, and the Nightcap concert in the Crystal Ballroom that featured [Quebec band] Le Vent du Nord was a perfect ending.
“We’re continuing to add some touches to the new format this year, in ways that affirm the special music community we have here in Boston, and we’re so happy to welcome Dervish – one of the most exciting and accomplished Irish bands of the past few decades – to be a part of BCMFest.”
Originally formed in 1989, Dervish has performed all over the world, represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest, served as cultural ambassadors to China (where they held an impromptu session on the Great Wall), and, in 2019, received a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. Their most recent album, “The Great Irish Songbook,” featured classic Irish songs sung by special guests like Steve Earle, Andrea Corr, Vince Gill, Kate Rusby, Imelda May, and Rhiannon Gidden.
In addition to Jordan, who also plays bodhran and bones, Dervish’s members are Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin), Michael Holmes (bouzouki), and Tom Morrow (fiddle).
Dervish has built its compelling sound around the instrumental and song traditions of Sligo, Leitrim, and North Roscommon, which Jordan describes as “very high energy. It’s fast and furious, highly ornamented and very wild.” She pointed out that Sligo-born musicians like Paddy Killoran, James Morrison, and Michael Coleman were the first to make recordings of traditional Irish music after they had resettled in New York City in the 1920.
“And then the recordings of their music traveled back to Ireland and became very popular all over the country,” added Jordan.
But the band has proved quite comfortable in other kinds of musical settings: They’ve covered contemporary material, including “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves, the 1971 hit single by Cher, and performed in large festivals featuring acts like Iron Maiden and Sting. Jordan doesn’t find this at all baffling.
“When you think about it, all types of music were influenced by the various folk music and traditions around the world, and these were very strong foundations on which to build other music,” she explained. “Traditional Irish music in and of itself is a very strong, powerful music to listen to; its roots go very deep, and people can relate to that.”
McCall, the festival director, said the launch of the Brian O’Donovan Legacy Artist – made possible through the Brian O’Donovan Legacy Fund, established by Passim and the O’Donovan family – adds a further dimension to BCMFest while honoring the work of Scanlin and Hearn, who as Rakish combine a solid grounding in Irish and American folk traditions with a shared interest in, and love for, chamber music and jazz.
A two-time US National Scottish Fiddle Champion, Scanlin wields the technical range of an accomplished classical violinist, and the deep sensitivity of a traditional musician. Hearn, a native to the Irish music communities of Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, has played for a number of traditional music acts and bands.
In addition to BCMFest, the duo have appeared at Front Row Boston and “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” and played across the country, as well as at the Celtic Colors festival in Nova Scotia. Last year, Rakish released its third album, “Now O Now.”
“Brian’s influence on us and the community was so deep and simultaneously so widespread that it’s kind of hard to describe succinctly,” said Hearn and Scanlin in a recent interview. “Of course, it’s the ultimate honor to be connected with him in this way this year. He always made us feel really loved and supported, so it feels special and kind of nostalgic for BCMFest to support us and believe in us in this specific way, the way he did. Playing music in Brian’s honor feels like the truest way for us to show our gratitude to him and keep his legacy alive.”
With more than a decade of BCMFest experiences under its belt, Rakish has found that the festival promotes fellowship along with traditional music and dance.
“It always feels like a place where you’ll discover something for the first time,” according to Scanlin and Hearn. “That also speaks to the collaborative nature of BCMFest and the way it often transcends some genre boundaries. Often we – everyone – will tend to stay in our little sub-niches and only go to our regular session or dance, etc. But the memories of the sessions, dances, and parties at BCMFest are fond because they were some of the first times we’ve seen everyone from these communities in the same place playing and communing with each other.”
Cambridge gets romance-focused bookstore with pending wine bar, cafe
“The concept is similar to Trident in Boston, but it will be unique in its own way,” a Cambridge license commission page indicates
By Boston Restaurant Talk • Published December 27, 2024 • Updated on December 27, 2024 at 2:18 pm
A new bookstore has come to Cambridge, and it will soon include a cafe and wine bar within its space.
According to a poster within the Friends of Boston’s Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Lovestruck Books is now open in Harvard Square, moving into a space on Brattle Street that has 5,000 square feet of space and which focuses on romance books. The poster included a link to a boston.com article that says the shop will become home to a George Howell coffee spot and wine bar by late January, with a Cambridge license commission page indicating that “The concept is similar to Trident in Boston, but it will be unique in its own way.”
The address for Lovestruck Books (and the upcoming cafe and wine bar) is 44 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for the bookstore is at lovestruckbooks.com.
A new bookstore has come to Cambridge, and it will soon include a cafe and wine bar within its space.
According to a poster within the Friends of Boston’s Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Lovestruck Books is now open in Harvard Square, moving into a space on Brattle Street that has 5,000 square feet of space and which focuses on romance books. The poster included a link to a boston.com article that says the shop will become home to a George Howell coffee spot and wine bar by late January, with a Cambridge license commission page indicating that “The concept is similar to Trident in Boston, but it will be unique in its own way.”
The address for Lovestruck Books (and the upcoming cafe and wine bar) is 44 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for the bookstore is at https://lovestruckbooks.com/
The Anthropologie in Harvard Square has been announced as closing Jan. 16. (Photo: Marc Levy)
After 14 years in Harvard Square, women’s clothing store Anthropologie closes its 48 Brattle St. location Jan. 16, according to corporate parent URBN, and expects to vacate the space by the end of the month.
Anthropologie carries small inventories of apparel, accessories, intimates, home furniture, décor, beauty, garden and bridal goods. A sister chain to Urban Outfitters and Free People, it was founded in 1992 and has grown to more than 200 storefronts globally. Along with Cambridge, the chain leaves locations such as Chicago, Minneapolis and Toronto in January. In a filing at the end of November, the parent company said it had closed 11 retail locations in 2024 among all its brands but opened 36, including closing four Anthropologies and opening nine.
A message was left last week with Anthropologie’s parent company inviting comment, but there was no reply.
The store never because a member of the Harvard Square Business Association, said Denise Jillson, HSBA executive director. There is a corporate policy that discourages or does not allow individual locations to become members of the chambers of commerce or business associations, Jillson surmised, and a resulting lack of dialogue leaves its reasons for leaving unknown.
An Urban Outfitters opened In Harvard Square in 1979 and lasted until 2019, closing ahead of construction in what is now known as the Abbot Building. A Free People opened on Church Street in 2011 but was also gone in 2019.
Anthropologie has been a destination since 2010 for women visiting Harvard Square. (Photo: Marc Levy)
Jillson suspects the Anthropologie must have seen a decline in sales or an unmet potential in the square. If store revenue was robust, she said, it would not be leaving.
Anthropologie came to Cambridge in 2010, replacing a Crate & Barrel that had stood as a pillar in the neighborhood retail for three decades, from 1979 until its closing in 2009. The Brattle Street location is the only Cambridge storefront for the “global lifestyle brand,” with the nearest alternative location being on Newbury Street in Boston, across the Charles River.
From the HSBA’s perspective, Anthropologie never became an anchor in Harvard Square the way some stores do. Anchors tend to be entertainment venues and experiences that are not accessible on smartphones like online retail, Jillson said.
The lack of variety of men and children’s goods in Anthropologie might have been part of the problem, Jillson said.
“It’s definitely a place for women,” said Julie Mahdavi, who handles e-commerce orders and manages back stock for the store, “either women with their friends, or women to drag their husbands or boyfriends that sit there and they do their fashion show.”
Still, the store is the reason a lot of women walk into the square, which makes the closing “demoralizing,” said Mahdavi, who joined Anthropologie in November 2023 upon returning to Cambridge after three years in Paris. She often found herself at the store any time she was in Harvard, as it’s one that has “everything you need” in a colorful, creative and friendly environment.
Many workers were surprised by a one-month closing notice. “But at the same time, I think we weren’t even thinking about our jobs, to be honest,” Mahdavi said. “We were like, ‘But what about the square?’ – which is kind of weird, but that’s where my head went, and that’s where two of my colleagues’ heads went.”
The store’s workers are close, Mahdavi said, but will likely have to disperse to other locations – there are also Anthropologies in Boston’s Seaport District, Newton, Burlington, Dedham and Lynnfield – or find other work.
Jillson said she does not yet know what is next for the space on Brattle, but said it would be “wonderful” to have more retail, “something dynamic and community oriented” like the new Lovestruck Books next door, a store the association is “delighted with.”
Mahdavi said people will “really miss” the store’s window designs – the elaborate compositions the Anthropologie chain is known for – which pair particularly well with the award-winning, five-story 1968 glass-front building that acts as a colossal “display case,” as architectural critic Robert D. Campbell Jr. told the Harvard Crimson in 2008.
The store’s departure opens up three floors of that jewel-case architecture to be filled by building owner Bill Poorvu, an emeritus adjunct professor in entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School.
“If it’s not replaced by another retailer, I think the morale is going to be shot,” Mahdavi said.
By Dana Gerber Globe Staff,Updated December 24, 2024, 9:03 a.m.
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1:00WATCH: Reporter Dana Gerber talks about her experience with arcades and their growing popularity
Decades out from their heyday, arcades are once again becoming space invaders.
From a 300-square-foot storefront in Somerville to a former pizza joint off Route 140 in Taunton, a spate of these electronic playgrounds have opened their doors across Greater Boston in the past few years.
“Coming out of COVID, it was really clear that people had taken experiences for granted,” said Sean Hope, who got “good deals” on leases to open two locations of an arcade, called Dx, in Cambridge this year. “I felt that people really would be attracted to a curated experience that was something different than before.”
And though their inspiration may be retro, this new generation of arcades isn’t mere nostalgia bait. It’s more like a leveling-up,with these venuesoffering a mix of classic and high-tech games, modern pricing models, and on-site bars and restaurants.
One needs only step in the Dx location in Central Square to see that it’s playing a very different game than its grungy forebears. Gone are Frogger and his ilk, replaced by machines like a bunny-themed virtual reality experience and a two-person StepManiax dance floor. A small bar stocked with White Claws and Heinekens is nestled next to the prize selection — which includes stuffed animals, yes, but also grown-up novelties such as Bluetooth headphones and marbled water bottles. And there’s no need for pocketfuls of quarters; all machines accept only pre-loaded play cards.
Michael Monestime, president of the Central Square Business Improvement District, was glad to see the all-ages hangout take over one of the neighborhood’s vacant storefronts.
“We have the foot traffic. They just need places to go and more reasons to stay, and this is one of them,” said Monestime. “That’s been a hard corner . . . now we have this great small business on a corner that sometimes feels hard, and now it will feel playful. I think that’s a big win for the Square.”
Lovestruck Books, a new romance bookstore, is now open in Harvard Square.
Per Boston.com, the new store is owned by former educator Rachel Kanter. She told the outlet, “I have always loved romance. It was sort of my guilty secret, and I would sort of slip my friends my favorite romance books growing up, and then as I’ve gotten older, I’ve just become more and more overt about it.”
Lovestruck Books aims to appeal to readers who are new to the romance genre and those who’ve carried a torch for romance books for years. The store is 5,000 square feet and will feature the many sub-genres within the popular romance genre.
Lovestruck Books is located at 44 Brattle St in Cambridge. Its normal business hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The store is closed on Christmas Day and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Complete store details can be found at LovestruckBooks.com.
Harvard Square Kiosk Reopening as Community Space
Lovestruck Books isn’t the only opening happening in Harvard Square. Back in November, it was announced that the historic Harvard Square Kiosk is reopening in early 2025 as a community space.
The City of Cambridge announced this news in a press release sharing that the space will be named the Cambridge Kiosk which will also act as a “vibrant cultural incubator” and a “visitor information center.” The city announced the space will be be run by the new Cambridge Kiosk Advisory Committee. Those interested in serving on that committee can apply here.
Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang said in a statement, “The activation of the Cambridge Kiosk represents a significant milestone for our community. By transforming this historic landmark into a dynamic public space, we will provide greater opportunities for creativity, connection, and collaboration in the center of Harvard Square.”
The kiosk has existed since 1927. Notably, it featured the Out of Town Newsstand from 1983 until the kiosk closed in 2019.
Commissioner of Cambridge Public Works Kathy Watkins said in a statement, “The Kiosk has adapted over its nearly 100 years to meet the needs of the community and it is exciting to see it transform yet again. The current renovations have been led by a dedicated team of architects, engineers and historians and will support this treasured building becoming a modern amenity, while honoring and celebrating the historic details that make it special.”
Updated on: December 20, 2024 / 7:02 PM EST / CBS Boston
CAMBRIDGE – A romance bookstore – the first in the Boston area – has opened its doors in Cambridge, giving fans of the genre the chance to revel in romantic reads.
A first for the Boston area
“We’re the first brick-and-mortar romance-focused bookstore in the Boston area,” Rachel Kanter, owner of Harvard Square’s new Lovestruck Books, said.
For customer Birukti Tsige, there’s no better feeling than cuddling up with a good romance novel.
“There’s just something comforting about it. I love the hallmarks of the genre,” she said. The twists and turns of a good love story are what keep her flipping through the pages. “I probably read, like, two or three a week sometimes.”
According to Kanter, the store is stocked with 10,000 books. “We have Romantasies; we’ve got sports, dark romance, historical books … I mean literally everything,” she said.
Books aren’t the only thing available on the bookshelves. “We’ve got everything meant to enhance the reading experience: We’ve got tea; we’ve got things for a cozy night in. We’ve also got craft activities if you want to take a mental break from the things going on in your life.”
A community brought together by romance
Kanter hopes her store becomes more than just a destination for readers. She wants to create a community.
“So much that’s going on in the world right now is hard. I wanted it to be a place that almost felt like an escape,” she said. “I think people just really want something that is optimistic and hopeful.”
She wants readers to feel a sense of belonging here and an inspiration to find love and write novels of their own.
“My dream is to have a wedding here. But also first dates would be great, too,” Kanter said.
Rachel Kanter stands under the silk flowers at the entrance to her new store, Lovestruck Books, in Harvard Square.Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
The Brattle Theatre was packed for a screening of the 1998 film “Practical Magic” a few months ago.
I was there, like a sardine in the crush of people waiting to get good seats. The crowd was mostly women wearing witchy outfits, who had also purchased the Alice Hoffman book on which the movie was based.
Local author Hoffman would introduce the film and tell the audience how her famous book about sisters — and their love lives — became such a hit.
Harvard Square’s new romance bookstore, Lovestruck Books, had organized it all — the first of many events on its calendar. The feat of the night, to me, was that Lovestruck had sold out the event — even though the store itself hadn’t opened yet.
“We were totally surprised at the influx of interest,” said Lovestruck owner Rachel Kanter. “Part of it was that Alice posted it on her social media channels, but I think it was also that people were excited to support us.”
Ever since Kanter, 38, started spreading the word that she’d be opening a romance bookstore, there’s been excitement. Anticipation. A thrilling tension.
Basically, people are hot for it.
“It just felt like the fates were aligned for this to happen,” said Kanter, who opened Lovestruck’s doors for a soft launch on Wednesday.
The store, in the former Ann Taylor space on Brattle Street, is more than 5,000 square feet devoted to swoony stories from all romance sub-genres. There are about 10 shelves of other titles, fiction and non — some Sally Rooney, Dennis Lehane, and other big sellers — but 75 percent of Lovestruck’s stock is romance, defined as stories where romance is the main plot, and central characters are guaranteed their happily-ever-after.
I moderated a discussion for Lovestruck last month, and then days before the store’s opening, Kanter gave me a tour. She pointed out some of the extra features — including the children’s book area, where a grown-up can drop a younger reader before moving on to browse. Kanter has stocked that area with confidence-building titles.
There’s also the spot she expects to be a big draw — the George Howell coffee spot and wine bar, set to open by the end of January.
Kanter, who’s from Keene, N.H., comes to the indie book world from education; she’s taught in public, charter, and private schools, from grades 1 to 11.
“The through line for me was always literature — getting kids excited about reading and exposing them to new writers, ideas, genres that they hadn’t experienced before.”
When she and her husband moved back to the Boston area after 10 years in Washington, D.C., she grieved the closing of the Curious George Store, among other Harvard Square staples. That’s when she got serious about her dream to open a bookstore.
“Ten years later, things looked a little different, a little less funky, a little less independent. So I was really excited about this idea of of being part of this literary community, maybe bringing a bookstore to life.”
Shelves of books at Harvard Square’s brand new Lovestruck Books. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
But a romance book shop? Is that a good business model, you ask?
Well, yes. Let me — a romance reader who watches both love and publishing — explain.
In 2019 I wrote about how many Boston-area independent bookstores had finally added romance shelves to their retail spaces. They realized they were missing out on customers. Romance sells well and has a wide range of sub-genres, from paranormal to hockey romance. Some of the biggest movies of 2024 were adaptations of wildly popular romance novels. Also, think of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” series, based on the books by Julia Quinn. In October, Publisher’s Weekly reported that romance titles represented seven of the top 10 books of the year so far.
Local retailers told me five years ago that it helped that the covers of these books had changed — far fewer naked torsos and six-pack abs. Most covers these days are ambiguous or tame, even if a book is not. Many titles at Lovestruck have cute rom-com illustrations, a picture of a sword or crown (for fantasy romances), or flowers.
But beyond the subtler covers, bookstores started to recognize the belittling and exclusion of romance as simple misogyny. Sure, there are bad romance novels, but there are also excellent ones. There is also bad literary fiction. There are bad mysteries and bad horror books. Isn’t it interesting that only romance — a category that tends to prioritize the happiness of women — became the butt of jokes? But I digress.
The Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles, a store devoted to romance novels, opened in 2016 and has been an active gathering space for fans and authors. Last year, it opened a second location in Brooklyn.
Some of the books and other items for sale at Lovestruck Books in Harvard Square. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Kanter says The Ripped Bodice’s second location helped her feel confident about Lovestruck.
“Clearly, there is a demand for romance. This is not a fluke. This is not going anywhere.”
As Kanter, who had the resources to open the store without business loans, dove into learning about running a bookstore, other area indies were supportive, instead of seeing her as competition. “Dina [Mardell] and and David [Sandberg] from Porter Square offered to let me tour with them,” she said, adding that she also shadowed staff at Brookline Booksmith and talked to owners at Belmont Books and other local shops.
Denise Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, said it’s felt celebratory over by Brattle Street, which she’s now billing as the “most romantic corner of the square.”
“The fact that we’re closing banks and opening bookstores is a really good sign,” Jillson said.
Sarah Wendell, cofounder of the blog Smart Bitchy Trashy Books, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in January, keeps a list of romance and romance-friendly bookstores popping up around North America; it includes Pages of Passion in Canada, and Smitten in California. In Boston, there is also a Boston-area romance popup called Read My Lips, which launched in February, but Lovestruck is Boston’s first permanent store of its kind. (Kanter said she hopes to work with Read My Lips by having them curate a shelf.)
Wendell said the Ripped Bodice— and now other shops — understand their mission isn’t just to supply readers with books.
“Readers are looking to gather in real spaces, not just online,” she said.
Kanter has packed her official opening weekend — which starts Jan. 17 — with activities like a Polaroid station, and appearances by authors including Jasmine Guillory and Chloe Gong.
Lovestruck manager Kayla Januchowski, who prepped for this week’ssoft opening, said she expects business to be busy.
“Nowadays,” she said, “people just need a happily ever after.”
