Artist & Craftsman Cambridge Closing Its Doors; Message from the manager

Submitted by sine4ter t3_zrcts2 in CambridgeMA

Hello all!

I posted this as a comment in the other thread about Artist & Craftsman Cambridge closing its doors but I'd love to reach as many people with this as possible.

I'm the manager of the A&C Cambridge location and have been for the last 2.5 years. We're closing the store for a few reasons; one is that the rent is getting too high, and another is because our lease was up in June 2023 anyway. Of course, the pandemic and the resulting downturn in foot traffic, the diminished student population and the hesitancy to shop in public for fear of getting sick did not help. All in all, it's very sad news...I've been going there since I was a wee lad myself, and managing my favorite store for the past 2.5 years has been a real honor. It was my dream job when I applied to work there, and it's still my dream job now. Unfortunately, as I'm sure people will agree, Cambridge has been changing too quickly for smaller businesses like ours to keep up.

BUT, there is some good news: this year has marked an upswing in business for us and we are slowly but surely seeming to recuperate from the setbacks we faced during the worst of the pandemic. With each passing day, I feel more and more confident that there's a real demand for us still. And some even better news: we are actively looking to move the store to another location in Cambridge or Somerville!! 😃 I'm remaining optimistic and holding out every hope that we won't be gone for long or for good. Your support right now would be endlessly appreciated and would, without a doubt, help us secure a future location in the area. We aren't sure of the exact location yet, but we have a few places in mind. I'm personally working hard as hell to make sure we come back even better. If you know of any commercial retail spaces for lease in the Cambridge/Somerville/Boston area that you can see us living our best A&C lives in, call our store at 617-354-3636 or send me a DM.

Please DM me or drop by the store in person if you'd like updates on our store move. We can get you added to the email list and keep you in the loop. We're located at 580 Massachusetts Avenue, in Central Square (for the uninitiated!)

For now, we plan on being open to the public until January 15th. Until then, we're running a liquidation sale on absolutely everything in the store, 30% off everyday prices. Our hours are 10am-7pm, Monday-Saturday. Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, we are open from 10am-5pm. Christmas Day and New Years Day we're closed. Sundays, we're open from 11am-6pm. See y'all soon! 💜👨🏽‍🎨🖍🌻❤️👩🏽‍🎨🖌🌞💜

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chocolatechipcookie t1_j13g6ir wrote

This makes me so happy to read!! And I'll second the request for the Porter/Davis area :) There are tons of Tufts/SMFA students and Lesley Art Therapy students who would frequent your store.

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sine4ter OP t1_j148wh7 wrote

Oh I'm so glad! Hoping to convey the bittersweetness of this situation. Every time a door closes, a new one opens...

I believe it on the students who'd frequent our store! I've seen some promising options around the area for sure. Knowing there's a lot of interest for a potential new A&C location in that area is very helpful. Thank you :)

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Dafust t1_j12y8hk wrote

Move near Porter Square 🙂

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green_trampoline t1_j13hh6o wrote

Yeah! There are tons of empty retail spots along Mass Ave between Harvard and Porter.

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sine4ter OP t1_j12z8j2 wrote

I've seen some promising spaces around there for sure! 😀

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interglossa t1_j16vgfc wrote

Michael's is in the Porter Square shopping mall but they are not targeting the same market. If I remember correctly the current location of the store was the location of the Cambridge Food Coop in the 1980's.

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erbalchemy t1_j13fjtp wrote

Central Square is becoming a victim of its own "success". Every block on Mass Ave is turning into fancy restaurant, dispensary, fancy gym, cocktail bar, bank branch, repeat. Can't imagine what commercial rents are like now.

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sine4ter OP t1_j14912r wrote

So it goes 😞 hoping to make the most of this situation though.

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jorydotcom t1_j13ov7d wrote

I read the news yesterday, and plan to come in to the store today. It would be hard to count the number of times I've been in and gotten help from your wonderful staff. One of my favorite pastimes before the pandemic was to go pick out a couple of cans of paint and spray in the alley across the street. Your store is truly something special, I hope you are able to find a great spot with excellent landlords soon.

To that end I wonder if someone on the Boynton Yard development team could help? They have done a lot of arts programming over there and that won't be too far from the art farm in Somerville.

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sine4ter OP t1_j149k58 wrote

Hearing from you and customers with similar stories and experiences in our store is invaluable. I think one of the things I'll miss the absolute most about our location is the spray paint alley! 😩 our store was the spot for so many loyal and local graffiti artists, spray paint enthusiasts, and some folks just starting out or experimenting... thank you so much for your sweet words. It's our community that made our store so special as well 💕

Good looking out with Boynton Yards. Definitely will look into that. Thank you!!

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pelican_chorus t1_j147xgf wrote

Oh no! You'll be missed. I did wonder why there was a 30% sale when I was there yesterday...

Inman Sq is about to have some prime real estate because the CHA is closing its doors for good. It will be right on the brand-new walkable square that they're finishing up there...

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sine4ter OP t1_j148i6u wrote

Oh my!! That's absolutely a thought. Thanks so much for pointing this out - I'll follow up on this for sure.

I know... :( I'll miss that wacky basement space as well. But nothing wrong with a new chapter!

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pelican_chorus t1_j14b341 wrote

I don't know what the plan will be with the large building that CHA is housed in now, but I did get word from someone who works in the city that they will probably be trying to encourage businesses that are good for the square -- i.e. improving foot traffic, and not another stupid bank branch. A&C would definitely seem to fit the bill.

Talk to the Inman Square Business Association, and/or the city's Community Development department?

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adorablogger t1_j17x8mm wrote

I love A&C and I live in Inman but I actually wouldn’t recommend it for A&C. I think they really need to be as close as possible major T stop and/or a place with major foot traffic where people go anyway to do other shopping. Blick is already in Central Sq and I can’t see people walking 15 min to Inman when there’s so much product overlap.

Gatherhere in Inman seems to do well but they are very niche (stylish, high end) and have classes. It’s worth it to people to go way out of their way. I worry that for art supplies, people will just go to a Blick location or shop online rather than getting themselves to Inman.

I’m sure the A&C company doesn’t need me to say all this. They’ve got over 20 locations so they know that they’re doing. I wish Inman could sustain A&C!

I really hope you guys find a way to stay in the general camberville area!! :-)

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mfball t1_j15dibe wrote

I really really hope y'all can find a new space! A&C is a great store and it would be a tragedy to see it go. There's a storefront at 77 Broadway in Somerville that used to house a trophy shop and seems to have been vacated recently. I've never been inside, so no idea if there's a larger interior space that could be made workable for A&C's inventory, but might be worth checking out!

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daseinphil t1_j14uk0l wrote

I'm simultaneously heartbroken to hear you're closing, but heartened to hear you're shopping for a new location! I dearly hope you find one.

Sincerely, a long term customer. Seriously, hurry up and tell us you've found a new location ;)

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GrippingHand t1_j13z705 wrote

Thanks for the news and good luck! I'll miss the current location, but I'm hoping you find another that works for you.

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sine4ter OP t1_j149o9p wrote

You're welcome!! And thank you as well - just a matter of time before we're back and better I'm sure 😌

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biddily t1_j14rih5 wrote

If you'd like to open a store in quincy center, I'm just saying, the only art supply store on the south shore is michaels. It would be water in a desert.

Currently we either order online or drive to Cambridge. And do you know how people south of downtown are loath to go north of downtown?

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poeteater t1_j16obmm wrote

This is such a relief. A&C has always soothed my soul! Crossing my fingers for you all ❤️

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krysjez t1_j172qi0 wrote

Good luck, rooting for you, and I’ll definitely stop by in the new year and make a giant purchase

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sine4ter OP t1_j1agaqd wrote

Ayyyy thank you so much!! We'll appreciate that so much ❤️ I'm there every day except Wed/Thurs, feel free to introduce yourself and leave your email!

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MatNomis t1_j17knqi wrote

I hope things do work out! Losing A&C (permanently) would be very sad indeed! It’s my favorite arts/crafts store by a wide margin.

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sine4ter OP t1_j1abqx8 wrote

It would indeed be very sad! But I really do think that we should be able to work something out for a new store, whether sooner or later. Hopefully sooner of course. If you'd like to be kept in the loop, let me know!

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bostonfood t1_j17kv8t wrote

Oh no, love you guys and great having you right near Graffiti Alley! Contact Denise from the Harvard Square Business Association or the Central Square BID or Cambridge Chamber of commerce for ideas on new locations. Maybe MIT would sponsor you?

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