Tufts Daily

Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Shabazz Stuart A series of store openings by national chains this fall has changed the face of Davis Square. But according to locals, they fall into a larger pattern of change there that has lasted more than two decades.

Speak to anyone familiar with the stretch of one-way streets known as Davis Square and you will receive an almost unanimous opinion: The area is nothing if not unique.

Locals like Dennis Armstrong, manager of the local record store CD Spins, love Davis for its diversity - the mix of college students and local Somerville residents who populate the square on a daily basis.

"It's cool to have people from different backgrounds come here and then get the different perspective from the locals," Armstrong said, noting that despite the presence of "a few shady characters," he has seen minimal conflict between the various groups since arriving in Davis a year and a half ago.

This diversity is part of Davis' reputation as a haven for local business and as a hip, thriving college-town square. Shops like Sacco's Bowl Haven, the now-defunct record shop Disc Diggers and the local burrito chain Anna's Taquería are but a few examples of the square's independent nature.

But the past several years have been marked by a shift in storefronts there, as several larger national chains have opened up stores where local businesses had previously thrived.

A new CVS convenience store and a Boston Sports Club (BSC) location opened this fall at 1 Davis Square, a location which used to house non-profit organizations such as National Student Partnerships (NSP) before the building there was demolished and rebuilt last year.

Chipotle, a national chain of Mexican food restaurants, opened a location on Elm St. in October. It stands next to the Davis Square Starbucks and just down the street from a year-old Boloco franchise that replaced O'Naturals, an organic café with four locations nationwide.

While the changes are small, and Davis Square likely will not be overrun by corporations anytime soon, the emergence of these national chains troubles people like Armstrong.

"It's pushing away the mom-and-pop stores," Armstrong said. "It seems like the gentrification, the commercialization of Harvard Square. [Harvard's] upscale stores, like Abercrombie and Fitch, took away the cool factor. I think [commercialization of Davis Square] would definitely take away its character and prevent local business from thriving."

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