Harvard Square Business Association
Special Edition Newsletter
February 2021
Deals | News | Events
'Lovin' the Square'
Dear Friends,
 
We hope you are well and staying safe. The past 11 months have been a challenge and full of suffering for so many; together we will try to move forward. 

While our commitment to supporting our businesses remains constant, it is our promise to be attentive and care for each other…workers, colleagues, family and friends, both near and far, that matters most.              
 
Every February since 2007, the Harvard Square Business Association has organized a very special month-long celebration of love. This year is no exception, and in fact, feting all that is good and loving in the world feels more important than ever.
 
To celebrate, we are featuring a fabulous array of special menus, delicious desserts, fun cocktails, gifts of chocolate, wine, jewelry, and fresh flowers! Additionally, we are showcasing two unique art projects and a warm-hearted sponsorship.
 
 
And…this year, we have added a fun new element: we’re asking YOU, our friends from around the corner and around the world, to send us your 'Love Notes'. (See full details below.)
 
Happy Valentine’s Day…please spread and share the love!   
 
Denise Jillson
Executive Director
Harvard Square Business Association   
'Love Notes'
Please send us yours! 


Please share your love story in a few paragraphs or less (connected to the Square or not) and e-mail it to us at hsba@harvardsquare.com. We will print, laminate and display as many 'Love Notes' as possible at the Out of Town News Kiosk located in the heart of Harvard Square. Please include your name, hometown and country. Our intention is to include the 'Love Notes' in a time capsule that will be presented to the City of Cambridge. We will ask that it be buried under the Kiosk which is slated for restoration this coming spring.

To kick-off our 'Love Notes' project, Jennifer Sabella, a Connecticut artist, shared a sweet story. Jen is a dear and longtime friend of Lynn and Dave Waller, husband and wife owners of Neon Williams, the company that recently repaired the Out of Town News neon lights displayed at the Kiosk.  

It’s hard to believe that it was nearly forty years ago, that I worked with Lynn Riddle and went to Emerson with Dave Waller. Somehow, I just knew they would be perfect for each other, so I set them up on a date. My date and I, and Lynn and Dave met at the Hong Kong in Harvard Square. We ordered scorpion bowls and something to eat…they immediately hit it off. The next day, they both thanked me enthusiastically for the introduction. When they married a couple of years later, I was their maid of honor. We see and speak to each other frequently, and to this day, whenever we say goodbye, or at any random time, they always say “thanks Jen” and I know why. They are still perfect for each other…and still thankful to me for setting them up!" 😊  
-Jen Sabella, Litchfield, CT


As an aside, Lynn Waller is deeply connected to the Square. Her great-grandfather, William T. Daley, owned and operated Daley’s Drug Store, which was located in College House, directly across from the Kiosk. “Pop” Daley immigrated from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to NY around 1906. He moved to the Boston area after the depression and later set up shop in Harvard Square. In addition to her great-grandfather, Lynn’s dad, Jack Riddle, cousin Ruth Coffill and uncle Ned Kent, all worked at the store. Mr. Kent managed Daley’s and eventually opened Brattle Street Drug, which was also located in Harvard Square.
Daley's Drug at College House circa early 1950's
Denise Jillson said, “Repairing the Out of Town News neon lights brings this love story full circle.”

During the nearly 8 years of public process regarding the restoration of the Kiosk, many people in the community expressed their hope that the neon lights, which were in utter disrepair, remain displayed in the structure after the restoration. 
According to Jillson, the HSBA has had stewardship of the structure since early December. She said, “My first priority was to repair the lights as a holiday gift to all those who expressed their fondness for them. As it was a costly proposition, I reached out to a dear friend and longtime member of the association for financial support. The kind owner of College House…yes, the same College House where Daley’s was located all those years ago…responded generously and without hesitation. Dave and Lynn Waller were contracted, the lights are repaired and every evening, they light up the Square from inside the Kiosk.” 
In a final gesture to help celebrate our month of love, Dave (pictured above) and Lynn loaned us a sweet neon sign. 😊   
                     
'Lovin' the Square'
Daily Pandemic Portrait Series by Mark Ostow 
We are so excited to be working again this year with award-winning Cambridge photographer, Mark Ostow, whom we have been partnering with since 2007. 

We have chosen 48 very special loving photographs from Mark's pandemic collection that will be featured daily through a video presentation at the Out of Town News Kiosk located in the heart of Harvard Square.

Mark has chronicled the pandemic every day since March 14, 2020 and continues through today. 

In Mark’s words…

“It has been over 320 days as I write this. This Pandemic has been challenging to all of us. Some more than others, for sure.

Since March 14, 2019, I have gone out there every single afternoon with my camera searching for the loving gesture, the special light, the alienation and sadness, the quirky ways we have adapted, and the pure joy of being alive. I edit and post my daily portraits to Instagram (@MarkOstow) by 1am every night and get up the next morning and do it again.”

From the Bridge Gallery:
For the past 180 days, Mark Ostow has obsessively roamed New England searching for moments that go beyond simple pandemic documentation. This show is a remarkable collection of people seeking and enjoying moments of normalcy in very difficult times, and a testament to the singlemindedness that has had Mark out every day since this unprecedented event began.

From the Globe review:


 
follow me on Instagram
view portfolio  www.ostow.com
call cell  617 335 2062
visit us 686 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139
More Love
Online Auction to Help Support
'Fridge in the Square'

The Harvard Square Business Association is excited to announce the creation of an online auction to help support 'Fridge in the Square'.

Our longtime member and lovely community partner, Swiss Watchmaker donated four unique and whimsical items to sell with 100% of the proceeds going to purchase food for Fridge in the Square.

The items are: 
  • Hand-Carved Thai Goddess
  • Hand-Carved Indigenous Man
  • Hand-Carved Wooden Lion from Uganda
  • Ceramic Mosaic Clock

We extend our sincerest thanks to Susan Lelyveld and Kerrie Clark for their kind donations to this very worthy cause. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to 'Fridge in the Square', a mutual aid foundation driven by the heightened levels of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bidding and more information can be found here.
The fridge is located at 52 Church Street outside of the Sinclair.
Special February Deals
2nd annual Sock Drive to benefit the residents of Rosie’s Place, the first women's shelter in the United States.

Bring new socks into our Harvard Square location during the month of February and receive a $1.00 off coupon for your next visit to J.P. Licks for every pair you donate. Let’s help keep our neighbors warm this winter!” 
Plantscription™ Multi-Powered Youth Serum
February 1st

  • See a visible transformation with Origins Plantscription™ Multi-Powered Youth Serum, 15 youth-boosting results in 1.
  • Origins Plantscription™ Serum delivers 15 youth-boosting results to the face, eye and neck area.
  • With 6 peptides and Anogeissus, the Multi-Powered Youth Serum is used to reduce visible lines and pores and produce more lifted skin.
  • 92% of those tested said that it visibly reduced the appearance of lines and wrinkles, 85% of those tested saw a more youthful appearance after 1 use.
  • Visit Origins today on Level X, near X to get a free sample!
Price: 50ml for $82. 30ml for $57.
Find other great gifts at the following
Harvard Square businesses:
See more here.
Become A Sponsor Of
 First Church Homeless Ministries
UNCOMMON: A VIRTUAL GALA IN SUPPORT OF FIRST CHURCH HOMELESS MINISTRIES’
UNCOMMON COMMITMENT TO THE COMMON GOOD
Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 7pm

Featuring special guest Michael Sandel, renowned political philosopher and author of The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?

We are celebrating all of the ways our community has stepped up to support us during this unprecedented time. Thank you for being a part of this inspiring story!

We are offering our valued partners 4 sponsorship levels for this event:

Level 1—COMMUNITY LEADER ($1,000)
  • company logo on the gala website, with a link to your web page
  • on-screen recognition during the gala
  • 8 tickets to all gala events, including: participation in a Zoom book group led by members of the gala team
  • a cooking demo by chef Tony Maws
  • links to the YouTube gala premier and Zoom reception

Level 2—CHAMPION ($500)
  • on-screen recognition during the gala
  • 6 tickets to all gala events, including:
  • participation in a Zoom book group led by members of the gala team
  • a cooking demo by chef Tony Maws
  • links to the YouTube gala premier and Zoom reception

Level 3—PARTNER ($300)
  • on-screen recognition during the gala
  • 4 tickets to all gala events, including:
  • participation in a Zoom book group led by members of the gala team
  • a cooking demo by chef Tony Maws
  • links to the YouTube gala premier and Zoom reception

Level 4—FRIEND ($150)
  • on-screen recognition during the gala
  • 2 tickets to all gala events, including:
  • participation in a Zoom book group led by members of the gala team
  • a cooking demo by chef Tony Maws
  • links to the YouTube gala premier and Zoom reception

If interested in sponsoring this gala event, please email a copy of your logo to homeless@firstchurchcambridge.org. All sponsorship funds go toward First Church Shelter and Friday Café operations. We greatly value your community support!

For more information on the gala, please visit our event page.
HSBA Member Spotlight
In 1987, responding to a growing need for hunger relief programs, a coalition of Cambridge churches committed themselves to offer a meal to those in need every night of the week; First Parish in Cambridge was chosen to provide a meal on Tuesdays. What started as a group of First Parish members making a meal to serve 15 men and women on Tuesday evenings has evolved into a program serving 95 to 140 people each week with a number of professional staff and drawing on volunteers from all over the Greater Boston Area. We gladly welcome you to be a part of this continuing history.

A program of First Parish in Cambridge, the mission of the Tuesday Meals Program is to offer warm hospitality and an evening meal in a safe, dignified environment to anyone in need of nourishment.
Harvard Square Business Association

Two Brattle Square, Mezzanine
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 491-3434