September is always a busy month and before I looked up (sat down to write this) it was over. The MH Post’s Annual Golf Tournament was held on Saturday, Sept 19th and although I couldn’t make it, I was happy to see that they had a perfectly sunny and warm day. I look forward to seeing the MH Post group in November for Veteran’s Day- another annual event in Brigham Circle that I hope you will join us for that on November 11th- usually beginning at 11 a.m.
October is here and that means that Halloween on the Hill is not far away. Although he has retired, John Jackson is still around and excited for the annual event he will make sure continues even as his role has changed (his new role, retirement, is treating him well- I saw him last week and he looks 10 years younger). If you are brave enough, the Tobin youth and staff always put together an awesome haunted house in the basement of the community center. Each year, Halloween on the Hill brings out hundreds of youth and families to Mission Hill and our business district to celebrate and enjoy Halloween safely and with lots of fun activities. Look out for flyers and social media posts with more information. The event is always held on Halloween, which is a Saturday this year.
On September 23rd, myself and Board member Pamela Carthy, tabled at Northeastern’s Off-Campus Fest and handed out over 170 bags of local business swag, menus, and a Mission Hill Business Guide. The students we interacted with were excited to learn about all of the great businesses that make up our commercial district, and several have since followed up about ways to get more engaged throughout the year. Thank you to everyone who contributed information and swag for the bags.
It has been an exciting month for several new businesses in the area. NAMU Distilling opened its doors and I was lucky enough to attend one of their soft openings a couple weeks ago, which felt very full circle after a frustrating few months for the owners after delays typical of bureaucratic red tape that so many small business owners seem to disproportionately encounter. NAMU is New England’s first and only Korean American craft distillery specializing in spirits distilled from rice wine.
Their location at 89 Heath Street is open Tuesdays-Saturdays 4-10:30 p.m. You can sign up for tours of their space or just come by for their inventive and delicious cocktails and snacks- it is truly a one-of-a-kind experience that Josh and Will have brought to the neighborhood and you’d be remiss to not check it out! They have themed trivia nights, pop-up events and menus, etc. follow their Instagram namu_distilling to stay up to date on their programming and offerings.
This past Friday, we held a Ribbon Cutting celebration for Empire Fruit at 1536 Tremont Street. The owners, Diego and Delmis are Mission Hill residents and with their new store, bring a delicious new selection of fresh fruit, healthy juices and smoothies, sweet desserts, and Colombian treats to the community. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate and help make the event such a success. In addition to staff from the City’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion and ONS, we were joined by Councilor Durkan, Councilor Mejia, Ana from Councilor Santana’s office and owners and staff from 8 (!) other neighborhood businesses and our new daytime B2 Officer, Sean Mulligan. Mossy Martin was early to the festivities and as usual brought some levity while I was stressing about attendance. Empire staff treated attendees to smoothie samples, incredible Colombian desserts and breads, juices, etc. It was heartwarming to see how much everyone loved the offerings and how many fellow business owners asked about their availability for catering and dessert partnerships. I learned at the event that Councilor Julia Mejia’s mother works at the shop and has known Diego for years after working in kitchens together previously- small world. I also learned that due to the shared wall between my office and Empire, I will soon weigh 500 pounds.
The new Flann O’Briens is ever closer to opening and if you’ve passed by in the last couple of weeks you may have noticed the very cool exterior artwork underway. The murals are being sponsored by Guinness and the artist, Mark Grundig is doing a fantastic job bringing the vision to life. The owners were met with support and enthusiasm at September’s CAMH meeting regarding their pursuit of a 2 a.m. and entertainment license and will go back for a vote at this month’s meeting. They also had a positive reception at the abutters meeting this past Monday and will go back to the City’s Licensing Board at their October 28th meeting for final approval. Their hope is to open in the meantime around mid-October. Look out for official opening dates when confirmed! We’re so excited to reactivate that corner of Tremont with a new, albeit familiar concept.
Save the Date for the Mission Hill Main Streets Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 19th at the Mission Bar and Grill from 5:30-8 p.m.. We will be celebrating this year’s Legacy Businesses, raffling prizes, recruiting Board volunteers all while sharing and celebrating the work done over the last year. We will be sharing information on where to purchase tickets in the next couple of weeks.
Finally, the nomination period for the fifth annual Legacy Business Awards is now open! Residents are encouraged to nominate long standing businesses that have been located within the city of Boston for at least 10 years and contribute to the cultural, historical, and societal fabric of their community or neighborhood. To nominate a business, residents can use the online form available at https://www.boston.gov/government/cabinets/economic-opportunity-and-inclusion/legacy-business-program, visit their local Boston Public Library branch, or call the Office of Small Business at 617-635-0355. Mission Hill has been fortunate to have one or more businesses receive this honor each year of the program; Liz’s Haircare, Mike’s Donuts, Penguin Pizza, Boston Building Resources and the Mission Bar and Grill.