Natick Report

Since 2020: More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

Natick Mall’s Lord & Taylor to close as part of Chapter 11 filing

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Lord & TaylorThe Natick Mall is losing an anchor tenant: Lord & Taylor has announced its Natick store will be one of about 20 to shut down as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Parent company Le Tote seeks a buyer for what remains of the fashion retailer, which has been around since 1826.

Lord & Taylor cites the “unprecedented strain” that the COVID-19 pandemic has put on its business.

The Mall has seen a series of announced closings as the pandemic goes on. Among them: Microsoft Store, Sur La Table, Lou & Grey and Wasabi. It’s not looking good for the Met Bar & Grill either. It’s website is kaput.

Here’s what’s still open at Natick Mall. The Mall reopened in early June after shutting down in March.

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Morse Institute Library in Natick reopening to in-person visits

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The Morse Institute Library in Natick has announced it is reopening to in-person visits of one hour or less beginning on Monday, Aug. 10.

  • The Morse Express plan includes lots of rules:
  • In-person visits are limited to one hour and one person per family.
  • Face coverings must be worn and social distancing standards must be followed
  • Browsing is limited to the main level and all soft seating has been removed (remaining seats are spaced for safety). Library staff can grab stuff for you from other floors.
  • Teen and kids’ materials have been shifted to the main floor for browsing
  • Computer access limited to one 45-minute session per day by appointment by calling 508-647-6520

Scanning, printing, copying, and faxing on our Main Level is available.

  • Reference assistance is available virtually at Research Terminal on the Main Level or from home using our Digital Branch

Morse Institute Library
In-person Library Hours (starting 8/10): 

Monday – Friday
9am-10am (seniors & at-risk)
10am-6pm

Saturday
10am-2pm

Contactless Pickup is still be available for patrons who choose to use this service, and contactless delivery  is available as well for those who cannot come to the building.

Bacon Free Library remains limited to curbside pickup Monday-Friday 10am-4pm, though also has added fun games outside on its grounds.

In Wellesley, the main branch of the library has opened for a similar sort of in-person experience on Aug. 3.

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The Bagel Table headed to Natick

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The Bagel Table, a local chain that serves New York-style bagels and a variety of other food and drinks, is next up at the corner retail space at 9 South Main St., across from Natick Common. This is the spot vacated in June by Common Cafe & Kitchen, a victim of the pandemic shutdown.

bagel table

The Bagel Table has locations in Ashland, Brighton and Chestnut Hill, with the Natick shop slated to open in September. A Wayland shop, originally planned for this past spring, is now set to open in October.

The eatery offers not just bagels, crispy outside and chewy inside, and schmears. Its menu includes assorted sandwiches and bakery goods, as well as salads, and hot and cold drinks. Its different locations offer a different mix of items and services.

The area could certainly use a new bagel option. Wellesley Square’s Bruegger’s Bagels has been closed since early in the pandemic, and has declined to say whether its “temporary” closing is permanent.

The Bagel Table got its start in pop-up locations in 2015, and opened its first standalone store in Chestnut Hill in 2018.

Its Natick shop will reside next door to Sweetwaters Cafe, which is hiring. If you want to work there, you’ll need to answer questions on the app like “Demonstrate Your Salesmanship By Promoting Yourself To Us.” In other words, you’re gonna need to up-sell.

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Trouble finds me in Natick

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I was simply trying to take a few photos of businesses like Total Wine & Guitar Center at Cloverleaf Mall this morning so we’d have them in our Natick Report media library if needed in the future.

But what do I see when I arrive and pull in to the near0-empty Hampton Inn parking lot at 7:30am-ish?

Two Natick fire engines, another Natick Fire Department vehicle, two Natick Police cars, and a dozen or more masked people who were either working on the construction site at the mall or prepping for their retail days. All right in front of what I was going to photograph.

The excitement cleared out for the most part about 15 minutes after I got there, and the alarm that had been tweeting had been silenced. (Left a message with NPD just to double check on whether this was anything more interesting than it appeared to be…)

Hampton Inn

Cloverleaf Mall fire engineCloverleaf Mall fire vehicleCloverleaf Mall cop cars

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Natick ‘microenterprises’: Get your share of $300M in grants

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welcome to natick center sign downtown

Natick is looking for small for-profit businesses, those with five or fewer employees, to apply for up to $10K apiece from a pool of $300,000. These federal funds are being delivered through the state to help business affected by COVID-19-related revenue losses.

Natick is one of 23 communities distributing funds under the overall $4.95M program, administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corp., and locally by Natick’s Community & Economic Development Department, Economic Development Department, and Natick Center Associates. Natick applied for the funding in early June as part of a regional consortium of 17 communities, led by Ashland.

Certain types of businesses, including real estate rentals and weapons businesses, are not eligible. Other rules apply as well.

(If pickings are slim, Natick can certainly look no further than right here: We launched Natick Report on April 1 while staring into the teeth of COVID-19. We’re not technically based in Natick…but so close, and our publication’s focus is purely on Natick.)

If interested in the grant opportunity, reach out to Ted Fields, Senior Planner, Town of Natick, at 508-647-6450 or tfields@natickma.org

Applications will be available in coming weeks.

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