By Courtney Wright
The weather is doing its part this past week to keep me in high spirits as we embark on another very busy month in the neighborhood.
I would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to those who came out for Boston’s 11th annual Love Your Block this past Saturday. We had a productive morning picking up trash and documenting concerns on 311 as we went along. A big thank you to Chris Freiss, who was helpful in taking the Holiday wreaths down that he helped put up in December, a nice full circle assist. Thank you to Eli and Jim from Atlas Real Estate Consultants who were also out and about in MH on Saturday refreshing the planters for Spring. If you are interested in “adopting” a planter to water throughout the season, please reach out! I can provide you with materials.
Today, May 1st officially kicks off Outdoor Dining and patio season in the City of Boston, and I know we are all looking forward to spending more time outside as the weather warms up and our nice days multiply. Our local restaurants will be busy over the weekend setting up their seating areas, picking up their “No Parking” signs at City Hall and planting their flower boxes. If you’ve been out enjoying the beautiful weather as of late, you’ve hopefully discovered the outdoor seating options already available at Milkweed, Mike’s Donuts, Lily’s Pasta, and Green Haus Café. On behalf of MH Main Streets, thank you for all the effort you all put into creating inviting and bright spaces for our community to enjoy together after months of rain and cold- we appreciate you!
May is National Small Business Month, a dedicated time to celebrate, support, and highlight local businesses’ contributions to the economy. Over the next month, Main Streets districts throughout the city will be working with the Office of Economic Development and Inclusion to highlight businesses and commercial districts throughout the city and will be hosting workshops and networking opportunities between Small Business and relevant resources and departments. All Small Business Month events will celebrate and support the small business ecosystem of Boston. To see all the offerings over the next month, visit: https://www.boston.gov/departments/small-business-development/small-business-month.
I encourage you to celebrate Small Business Month by eating and shopping locally and sharing your experiences to help promote local business. With so many graduations, holidays and happenings over the course of May, please keep your eyes peeled for local specials, whether that’s Mother’s Day brunches, plants and flowers for graduations (Green Haus), or whatever the occasion might be- try to spend it in Mission Hill’s small businesses. Throughout this May, please visit different businesses in MH and take a picture of either your meal, the atmosphere inside, or whatever you think best represents your experience there- post the picture to Instagram and tag the business and @mhms.boston. Everyone who posts and tags “mhms.boston” will be entered to win a $100 gift card. If you have photos already and want to share them to help promote, you can also email them with your comments and Main Streets can share it out (email shared at the end of the article).
Harvard Federal Credit Union wants everyone to know that they are running a “Cookie of the Month” program. Each month, they are partnering with local bakeries to feature them and other local small businesses to feature them and promote their business in their branch. Stop by and say hello and explore the cookie landscape of the area. Penguin Pizza would like to remind you that they are now serving Brunch on the weekends- check it out!
Keep a lookout for Empire Fruit to be opening in the next couple of weeks! Diego has made a beautiful space and is excited to share with the neighborhood ASAP.
Please mark your calendars for our Annual Memorial Day Ceremony in Hanlon Square in Brigham Circle. Typically beginning at 11 am, we will honor our local veterans with a wreath laying ceremony and music from the wonderful bugler. Memorial Day is May 25th, stay tuned for a finalized set time- unless Mossy already has it and shared it in his column.
If I missed anything or you would like something included, please feel free to get in touch at [email protected].