An ambitious plan from Mayor Tom Menino’s office to make Boston a more bike-friendly city would add a dozen or more bike racks to the Back Bay, according to a city representative.
Nicole Freedman of the Boston Redevelopment Authority said the mayor’s plan is not to increase ridership, but simply to making biking easier for those who already ride their bicycles in the area.
To that end, in addition to new bike lanes such as those recently added to Commonwealth Avenue on the Boston University (BU) campus, the new bike racks will be a visible sign that biking is encouraged in the city - a logical step, according to the mayor’s office - as the world moves into a more car-problematic future. Boston was recently named the worst biking city in America, something Mayor Menino hopes to change.
Currently, city officials are hoping to put at least 20 new racks in the Back Bay. While many of those will be clustered around Berklee College of Music on Massachusetts Avenue, officials also hope to put racks in several places in Back Bay proper’s historic district. Such proposed locations include 352 Newbury, outside of JP Licks; the 400 block of Boylston Street, near the Newbury building on Clarendon and Newbury streets, and outside the Hale House on Clarendon Street. The locations have been determined partly by the requests of residents, said Freedman.
The city has scrapped plans for a rack on the first block of Newbury Street.
Nothing, however, is set in stone, and many of the rack locations require approval from the Historic Commission, along with support from the neighborhood.
The proposed rack for the installations is a Dero Hitch model, which Freedman describes as secure, small, and simple.
“It fits in with the historic character of Back Bay,” said Freedman. She added the hitch was specifically designed for sidewalks and other narrow space applications and restricts bikes to parking parallel with the rack so bikes won’t protrude out into the sidewalk or street. The racks are black, and are about 35 inches high. Each rack can secure two upright bicycles.
Currently, many bikers in the Back Bay illegally chain their bikes to trees, lamp posts, fire hydrants, and other street furniture. The result is unsightly, said Freedman, and serves as a poor deterrent for thieves.
City officials hope to have the racks installed by the fall, and are seeking the approval of the NABB Architecture Committee before it goes before the Back Bay Architectural Commission.

A popular Cambridge confectionary mainstay will be setting up shop in the Back Bay, giving chocophiles a reason to rejoice.
Burdick’s, long a fixture in Harvard Square, will open up its first Boston outpost on Clarendon Street, a move which promises to bring even more sweetness to a neighborhood that already boasts at least three gourmet chocolatiers.
Owner Larry Burdick presented his plans for the new shop to the NABB Licensing and Building Use Committee last week, citing a desire to bring the same successful business into the Back Bay’s upscale retail environment.
“We’d like to do the same thing on Clarendon Street that we’re doing in Cambridge,” said Burdick.
In addition to chocolates, the store would also serve beverages and small pastries, said Paula Burdick.
Burdick said he isn’t concerned about the presence of other upscale chocolatiers in the neighborhood, because his products are unique from what is already available there. Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland on Newbury Street, for instance, specializes in a lighter, swiss style milk chocolate, while Burdick’s chocolates tend to be stronger and darker, said Burdick.
As in Harvard Square, Burdick said making chocolate wouldn’t be done on site, but in an off-site kitchen in New Hampshire. Chocolates would be delivered daily, and there would be minimal preparation at the Clarendon Street site.
Referring to practical matters, committee member Tom High recommended Burdick look into indoor compaction of its garbage to minimize the impact on residential abutters. The committee generally seeks indoor compaction routinely as a condition of its approval. The new store will also require approval from the Boston Licensing Board, and a permit for conditional use (36-A) for takeout from the Zoning Board of Appeal.
Burdick’s has garnered accolades over the years, including raves for its hot chocolate from The Rosengarten Report in 2003, and a Best of New England in the Chocolate category in New England Travel magazine. Its Cambridge location has been open for 20 years.
All of Burdick’s chocolates are made from Grenada cocoa beans, according to the company’s Web site. The owners work with both small and large farmers on the small island nation to import beans produced in the country’s rich volcanic soil.

Beacon Hill and Back Bay business group leaders and merchants are predicting increased sales in area stores for Massachusetts’ upcoming tax-free weekend.
The two-day sales tax holiday is being held on Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17, and applies to items costing $2,500 or less. It is the fifth consecutive year for a summer tax holiday in the state.
Susan Kelley, chief administrator of the Newbury Street League, which has 230 businesses that belong to the organization, said business owners and store managers are excited about the coming weekend and the anticipated influx of visitors to their stores.
“The businesses are really looking forward to it,” said Kelley. “Some of the merchants have told me that they intend to be open additional hours, and some of the businesses that aren’t usually open on Sundays will be [open] this weekend.”
Mary-Ellen Delaney, manager of the Longchamp store at 139 Newbury Street, a French company that sells handbags, luggage, and fine leather goods, expects an increase in sales and said her business will be open on Sunday, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. in addition to Saturday’s regular store hours, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“The tax-free holidays have been successful,” said Delaney. “This is the first year that we’ll also be open on Sunday. There should be increased traffic on Newbury Street on Sunday and I would surmise that we would get a good flow of people. With the way the economy is, I think the tax-free holiday is certainly a way to drive business for the retailers.”
Delaney said an increased number of foreign tourists have visited Longchamp. “We’re seeing a lot more Europeans than we have in the past. I think it’s because of the strong Euro, and that our brand is very well-known in Europe. They can come over here to the states, and it’s one big sale for them.”
Ellen Rooney, executive director of the Beacon Hill Business Association that has approximately 120 members, said the tax-free weekend affords consumers a great opportunity to buy items they may have been considering purchasing in the past.
“We think in general that this is the perfect time for people to buy an item that they may have had their eye on, and it’s a perfect time to shop local as well,” said Rooney.
Rooney said the BHBA has taken out advertisements in newspapers to remind people about the tax-free weekend and that it is a good time to shop on Beacon Hill. She is a strong supporter of tax-free holidays.
“I think tax-free holidays are a terrific idea to get people out and shopping and buying things that they may have been meaning to buy – and with an opportunity to buy the items tax free, it’s a great opportunity,” said Rooney. “
Mark Duffield, co-owner with Jennifer Hill of Blackstone’s on Charles Street, a multi-dimensional gift store that has been in operation for 27 years, said if past years are an indication, sales should soar this weekend.
“Last year we had a huge day during the tax holiday,” said Duffield. “We look forward to it, and our customers look forward to it. We’ve already had people in our store asking about it. The weekend is usually busy for us anyway, but we anticipate that we’ll be busier than normal. We’ll have signs in the window saying, ‘Tax-Free Holiday,’ so that will drive the tourists who may not be aware of it to come on in.”
The hottest selling items at Blackstone’s have been Vera Bradley [“always Vera Bradley,” said Duffield] and sea bags, which are recycled tote bags made out of recycled sails.
“We were the first store to sell the sea bags outside of Portland [Maine], but now sea bags have been featured on the Today Show, Oprah, and in every magazine, so that’s really been the hottest summer item,” said Duffield.
Sea bags range in price from $95 to $145, and they’re selling like hotcakes, according to Duffield.
“We can’t keep them in the store, and they’ve come up with two new designs – one is a duffel bag, the other is a baby bag, and we also have a wine tote,” said Duffield.
Duffield now sells a popular line of jewelry that is made by his twin sister, Sharon, who runs Sea Breeze Designs. The jewelry is made from sea glass and rocks found on the beaches of Maine. “Sharon started making the jewelry for her friends as a hobby, and we started selling the jewelry at the store and they just sold out. We’re on our fourth consignment now,” he said.

About eight years ago, Susan McWhinney-Morse and some of her friends and neighbors were looking forward into their futures, but they weren’t entirely thrilled with some of their options. McWhinney-Morse, in her mid-60s at the time, was a 40-plus year resident of Beacon Hill who loved her home, loved the city, and like her friends, was loving life. But they didn’t love the traditional retirement living options that were laid out in front of them: moving to a community in Florida or investigating assisted living options, for example.
“Why do we corral the elderly, clumping us together when we’re old?” McWhinney-Morse says. “We found this very unattractive.”
So, she and 11 others began looking into creating an alternative retirement lifestyle, one that would provide basic health services, cultural and social activities – but allow people to stay in their own homes.
“It was such a common sense solution, and it just worked,” she says.
It does seem to be a common sense solution – and yet it was revolutionary. In 2002, Beacon Hill Village was officially founded to help people who are 50 or older and live in Beacon Hill, the Back Bay, the West End, and nearby neighborhoods. Members live in their own homes but have the support of a well-connected community.
Beacon Hill Village was founded with between 50 and 70 members, and today it is 460 members strong. Its members range in age from 51 to 99.
The non-profit group collects an annual membership fee of $600 for an individual or $850 for a household, and reduced rates are available for those of moderate means. These dues go toward providing access to services such as home health care, wellness programs, home repair, cleaning, transportation, shopping, meals, a concierge service, and social activities.
“Electricians, plumbers – you name it. We have everything you can imagine on our list,” says Beacon Hill Village Director Judy Willett. “We’re total one-stop shopping. Call us for anything you need.”
Beacon Hill Village carefully vets all of the service providers on their referral list, and members receive discounts of 10 to 50 percent off of their fees. The number one request members have is for transportation, says Willett. Beacon Hill Village’s active members want to go to everywhere from the Cape to the mountains to go skiing. The second most requested service is computer help.