November 30, 2007
NATICK
Residents on Cypress Street in Natick woke up to lots of water in their neighborhood early Friday morning, WHDH-TV/Channel 7 is reporting on its web site.
A water main break on that street occurred around 4 a.m., flooding the street with nearly two feet of water in some spots.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:26 AM
October 18, 2007
NATICK/REGION
Natick-based Boston Scientific Corp., facing flagging sales for its two key product lines, has announced that will eliminate 2,300 jobs, or 8 percent of its worldwide workforce, restructure parts of its business, and go forward with plans to shed some less-critical assets.
The Natick maker of medical devices said it expects the cuts, set to begin this month and be substantially completed by 2008, will help it reduce annual expenses by 12 to 13 percent, boost profits, and make it easier to cope with the firm's crushing $8 billion in debt, staff writer Todd Wallack reported in the Globe's Business section.
Boston Scientific, the state's third-largest life sciences company, behind Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc., did not say where the job cuts will be made. But only 2,400 of its 28,000 workers are in Massachusetts, suggesting that a fraction of the layoffs will be in the Bay State. Boston Scientific employs nearly 1,000 at its corporate headquarters in Natick and about 1,000 at its endosurgery unit in Marlborough, which makes products for minimally invasive surgery.
Another 500 employees work at the Quincy distribution center, but some analysts think Minnesota, where the company's stent business is based, could bear the brunt of the layoffs.
"I don't think it will have a significant impact at all on total employment in the medical device industry in Massachusetts," said Thomas J. Sommer, president of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council.
Read more about the looming cuts at Boston Scientific on Boston.com.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:11 AM
October 12, 2007
NATICK
A Connecticut man has been indicted on charges stemming from his alleged role as a getaway driver for a series of jewelry store robberies, including one in Natick two years ago.
Anthony Curral, 30, pleaded not guilty to an array of charges and was ordered held without bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in a federal court in Connecticut, the Connecticut Post reported on its web site.
The FBI alleges Curral served as a getaway driver for Charles Kertesz, 36, formerly of Shelton and Milford, Conn. in the armed robberies of Hannoush Jewelry, in Natick, in July 2005 and a Lux Bond and Green Jewelry store in South Windsor, Conn. in February 2006.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:05 AM
October 6, 2007
NATICK
The 8th annual Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation 5 K Road Race for autism will be run this year at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Oct. 14.
The race begins and ends at Natick High School (15 West St.) and all proceeds benefit the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. The event, sponsored by Eastern Bank, draws an average of 1,500 runners every year, and since 1999 has raised more than $200,000 for the foundation.
Registration begins at 9 a.m.; the registration fee is $20 in advance or $25 on race day. Runners can obtain more information and even register by visiting the foundation online.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:20 PM
October 4, 2007
REGION
The state will begin feasibility studies for local school projects about a month earlier than anticipated, potentially allowing some projects to be ready for Town Meeting votes next spring, staff writer James Vaznis of the reports in the Globe's City & Region Section today.
On Nov. 2, the state School Building Authority will decide which school districts' proposed projects to study first. Other districts will be selected on a rolling basis after that.
Being selected for a feasibility study doesn't automatically guarantee construction funding, but it is a prerequisite. More than a dozen school districts west of Boston are among 161 districts statewide competing for about $500 million in construction funds this year, the first time in four years the state is doling out school construction money.
In choosing which feasibility studies to pursue first, the state has been dispatching inspection teams to analyze building conditions and enrollment trends, visiting 90 districts so far. Those districts include Berlin-Boylston, Franklin, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Maynard, Nashoba, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Shrewsbury, Wayland, and Wellesley.
The resulting studies, which should be completed this winter, will give the state the first glimpse of how much it could potentially cost to do all the projects. In all, 161 districts have expressed interest in 422 school projects.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:51 AM
October 1, 2007
NATICK/REGION
Central Massachusetts should be fertile ground for luxury retailers and the Natick Collection, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette is reporting.
The Census Bureau estimates Worcester County is home to 110,686 households with more than $75,000 in annual income. An estimated 71,571 of those households, or 25 percent of all households in the county, have more than $100,000 in annual income.
Yet aside from small, independent boutiques or specialty retailers, it’s tough to find brand-name luxury shopping in the Worcester area. Shoppers willing to plunk down $300 or more for a wool sweater generally have to get in their cars and drive — to Newbury Street in Boston or the Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton; to Providence or to New York City.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:46 AM
September 7, 2007
Gucci fans will just have to wait.
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
If your favorite store is Neiman Marcus, or Gucci, or Bottega Veneta, you don't have to feel bad about missing today's gala Grand Opening of the Natick Collection.
They weren't here either.
In fact, a fairly substantial number of high-end stores that will occupy the new wing of the mall won't be making their appearances for weeks, even months.
Neiman's is due in two weeks, but expect to wait longer for Salvatore Ferragamo, Marina Rinaldi, Karen Miller, Ralph Lauren, Thomas Pink, Piazza Sempione, and Links of London. In fact, the north end of the mall, supposedly the ritziest section, was a bit of a ghost town yesterday, with just Tiffany, Louis Vitton, and a piano player bravely trying to draw shoppers in that direction.
Of course, if you're a glass-half-full person, that just means you still have something to look forward to.
-- Ralph Ranalli
This is the last post of the Globe West Updates Natick Collection Blog-A-Thon. Thanks for tuning in.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 05:36 PM
September 7, 2007
Yummm...
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Do those chocolate croissants at Nordstrom's chic espresso bar taste familiar?
That's because they come from the not-so-chic Bakery on the Common in Natick Center, a few miles down the street..
The cafe supplies several baked goods on offer at the mall coffee bar, other noshes like hummus with pita triangles come from Collection restaurants, cafe staff said.
Natick Collection is known for its upscale shops, but happily price inflation doesn't seem to have hit the pastry department. The Nordstrom/Bakery on the Common chocolate croissant was $1.75, plus tax, no more than it costs in Natick center.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 05:12 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
I went on the hunt for best bargains and most egregious splurges. Someone had to do it.
KATE SPADE: The ladies at Kate Spade looked like they wanted to squeal, but refrained as they offered up the Maya bag from the Arabella collection. It is a large, black, patent-finished python handbag with semi -circle beech wood handles. And this super shiny morsel can be yours for only $1,495.
I am a bargain shopper so I will maybe buy the cute yellow and white striped sticky notes for $9. For the low, low price of $8, you can swipe some Spade charm via the refill paper for daily organizers (I know from experience that the paper is standard size and fits non-Kate organizers.)
TOURNEAU: But I did not know splurge until I walked into fancy watch store Tourneau. The very accommodating salesmen there showed me a Patek Philippe watch for just under $60,000. It was "preowned" -- come to find out you can trade in watches there like you do cars-- and it featured a perpetual calendar, black crocodile band, and clear case on the back so you can see it at work. The perpetual calendar is supposed to stay accurate (day, date, and month) until at least the year 2100, according to store manager Bruce Bowman, so you can feel good about handing it down as a family heirloom.
Uh, yeah, I'll take it. And hock it faster than you can say "skinny jeans are so unfair." The best I could come up with at Tourneau for a bargain was the $375 Swiss Army women's tank watch, which I've been eyeing for years.
NORDSTROM: Oddly enough, the Nordstrom splurge came in around the same price, just under $58,000 for a 21-carat deep blue tanzanite pendant surrounded by 43 diamonds. Yeah, it was pretty. Nordstrom does have some lower priced wares in its Brass Plum department, which is geared toward teenaged girls. Jeans there go as low as $42. And there was a lovely wool-blend car coat in Tiffany blue for $78.
ZARA: Although the high-end stores that opened today dominated, there are actually some real gems for people like me -- that is, thirtysomething casual clotheshorse. Zara, a Spanish clothing store for women, has gorgeous silk dresses (my fave was $79) and simple cotton sweaters ($19 for scoop- or V-neck in a zillion colors).
They also had the ubiquitous sweater dress (I swear clingy knit dresses made an appearance in half the stores I visited. The Zara version came in taupe, black, chocolate brown, and cherry red for $59.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 04:59 PM
September 7, 2007
The offending digits: our correspondent is feeling a tad declasse.
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Just a hint: if you're planning on visiting the Natick Collection in its initial days, you might want to dress up.
This advice is offered by a reporter whose outfit's total value was less than most shoppers' shoes. Believe it or not, one Sephora customer with flawlessly French manicured nails literally sneered at this humble correspondent's obviously D.I.Y. pedicure.
A quick search for another member of the fashion proletariat yielded only a woman in mom jeans and a bewildered looking senior citizen in high-waisted pastel pants. It was only as the after-school crowd filtered in from local middle and high schools that the majority of patrons began to look less like socialites at a haute couture trunk sale and more like the customers of a stereotypical suburban mall.
-- Stephanie V. Siek
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:39 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Goodbye Muzak. The musical hipness quotient is off the charts today as a DJ is spinning tunes at Metropark, a store that includes a line of turntable pendants and DJ-themed t-shirts.
Steve Logan, a Natick native, said his shopping mix includes Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and an electronica outfit named Chromeo.
"This store, they like upbeat music like this. Nice hip hop, with minimal swears," said Logan, a Natick native who works as an artist when not spinning Friday and Saturday nights at the store.
Down the hall, Puma also has a spot set up for a DJ, just in time for the after-school crowd.
Downstairs, a pianist plays on a grand piano.
In fact, music is filling about every corner of the mall. But even so, today's musicians are still having a hard timing living up the eclectic standard set at the gala preview event last night, where a flute and harp duo played their own version of "Stairway to Heaven."
What's next, "Freebird" on steel drums?
-- Meg Woolhouse and Stephanie Siek
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 04:37 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Nobody was anticipating the opening of the new Natick Collection with more concern than Natick Police Chief Dennis Mannix.
He knows that an additional 550,000-square-feet of retail space, 100 new stores and thousands more shoppers descending on the mall means his 53-officer force will be busier. But he doesn't know how much busier.
"I am expecting a significant impact,'' Mannix said this afternoon. ``It's hard to know yet exactly what the strain will be, but there will be more need for services. I foresee in the long-term we will need more officers.''
Currently, most larceny calls and a good number of other disturbance complaints to Natick police come from the mall, the chief said. Suspects are generally booked in Natick's lockup, and arraigned across the street at Natick District Court. However, that system might have to change if there are too many of them, he said.
Increased traffic is also a huge concern. A combination of regular and paid details helped guide opening day customer off of Speen Street in to the 7,000 spaces surrounding the old and new mall buildings.
Mannix is finalizing a holiday mall traffic policing plan, and along with the fire department, expects to be talking to town officials regularly about the toll the new mall is taking on public services.
The townspeople of Natick can expect to see the issue hit them in the same spot the Collection has targeted -- their pocketbooks.
The hundred of thousands in mitigation money the town is receiving from the Collection expansion has been earmarked for new public safety equipment and other budget items, not for salaries, Mannix said.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 03:51 PM
September 7, 2007
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
A stone's throw from the state's first Nordstrom department store is Stil, the only local business to be awarded a spot in the new Natick Collection expansion.
Today was the grand opening of her 1,000-square-foot boutique (named after the Scandinavian word for ``style') and founder/owner Betty Riaz was behind the counter personally helping shoppers choose funky black cocktail dresses and chunky beaded necklaces.
``I'm so excited to be here,'' said Riaz. ``This store is the epitome of what I wanted my store, my brand to be.''
She has opened shops on Newbury Street and at the Chestnut Hill Mall -- but the Natick store has been a real labor of love, she said. With an emphasis on labor.
All her corporate neighbors have teams of high-powered leasing agents, brand managers and real estate attorneys to get their stores up-and running.
Betty, has, well, Betty.
She did it all -- choosing this spot -- nestled behind the Concierge Desk in the busiest crossing in the new wing -- and taking care of all the new-store details personally. She's not too worried about the internationally-known brands, like Michael Kors to her right, and Betsey Johnson to her left.
Since she opened the door at 9 a.m. more than 100 people have come by, about half had shopped in her Newton or Boston stores before, the other half were brand-new customers.
``It's nice to be able to finally show people who don't make it into Boston who were are,'' Riaz said.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 03:47 PM
September 7, 2007
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Fans of the Project Runway reality series know how tough celebrity fashion judge Michael Kors could be on the designer/contestants, particularly when one of them didn't finish an assignment on time.
Oops.
Kors' new boutique in the ritzy Natick Collection was strangely anonymous for the first four-and-a-half hours of the new mall's life, until an employee got a ladder and some press-on lettering and saved the day.
As Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work, Michael."
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:35 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Sure there are lots of frustrated and bored husbands parked on chairs and benches waiting for their spouses to finish shopping.
But they appear to be vastly outnumbered by mother and daughter shopping teams. From Zara to Kate Spade, multi-generational duos are inspecting merchandise and offering each other their frank fashion appraisals.
Nancy Leeser and her mother, Eileen Garber, nibbled on Lindt chocolates as they rode the escalator on their way to Nordie's.
"We're here to window shop," Leeser, 52, said, in a voice that sounded like she was trying to convince herself of what whe had just said. Garber, 81, said she was a veteran of many mall openings, including the opening of the Atrium mall in Chestnut Hill. Like Natick, it began as an ultra upscale hub but has since slipped a bit down-market.
"I wonder what will happen here," Garber said.
-- Meg Woolhouse
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 03:00 PM
September 7, 2007
(Globe staff photo)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
With over 100 high-end stores, excess has of course been one of the themes of the day. Even the balloon clowns were engaging in a bit of one-upclownship.
While other kids were showing off flowers, animals, and magic wands, 4-year-old Abner Perez of Framingham was the proud recipient of this latex Lexus.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:45 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
The inside of the Natick Collection's new wing is dark wood and stylish tile and glass. Very classy.
But opening day entertainment has more mass-market appeal. It seems they've hired just about every clown in the Greater Boston area for opening day.
There's Davey, who crafts balloon animals and plays the accordion. Jenny the Juggler pained faces. There was even a unicycle-riding, juggling clown. And a rabbit in a box.
Chic or not, the kids are loving it. And shoppers, many of whom have small children, love it, too.
"This is a very kid friendly mall," said Robin Marshall of Sudbury. "He (Davey) was chasing someone with a rubber chicken before. It was pretty funny."
Her young daughter was dancing to Davey's accordion tunes.
"I loveeee it!" her daughter said.
Clowns aren't the only entertainment at the Collection's opening day. An older gentleman played the piano in front of the not-yet-open Neiman Marcus.
He wasn't wearing a tux (and looked kind of rumpled, actually) but everyone seemed impressed with his playing.
Classy, I thought, but then I realized what he was playing. It was the theme from "Sesame Street".
-- Alex I. Oster
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 01:13 PM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas -- when it comes to parking at the just-opened Natick Collection.
If you aren't interested in paying $10 for a valet to whisk your car away, better wear comfortable shoes.
We tried two labyrinthine Collection garages and several lots before happening upon an SUV pulling away in one of the outer-orbit garages adjacent to J.C. Penny.
Some shoppers were even hiking over from The Container Store plaza.
Of course, it's still possible to park on the Route 9 side of the old mall building, but be warned -- barriers separate the two lots, and ongoing construction makes it a slow commute from one side of the building to another.
-- Erica Noonan
Posted by Erica Noonan, Globe West at 12:38 PM
September 7, 2007
Eat your hearts out, suits
(Globe staff photo by Mark Wilson)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Denise Johnson, 41, was shopping with two girlfriends when she noticed the bare-chested hunk giving out samples inside Fruits & Passion, a Canadian lotions and potions shop.
"That's why we came in here," said Johnson, a Shrewsbury resident. "We saw him from outside."
The model Earl Harried works as a radioactive waste technician at Seabrook. A photographer asked him if women talk to his chest. Yes, the vast majority do, he admitted. (C'mon his pecs are eye level for the average-height woman. What's a girl to do?)
Johnson said she was lured in by the Nordstrom but is having fun seeing some of the other shops that are riding the department store's coattails. "I was impressed," she said of the new Natick Collection. "I was overwhelmed I guess."
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:52 AM
September 7, 2007
Nordstrom employees get fired up
(Globe staff photo by Mark Wilson)
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
I've seen tamer crowds at Red Sox-Yankees games. Nordstrom employees cheered, clapped, and chanted as they lined the entryway of the new Nordstrom department store, which opened this morning at the Natick Collection. "Let's go Natick. Let's go," they yelled out just before they counted down the final seconds to the door opening.
Newton resident Faye Goldman was the very first Nordstrom customer. "I waited two hours," she said. "I love shoes."
She was the leader of the pack when Nordstrom opened its door at 10 a.m. Hundreds of women rushed into the store. They briskly walked -- there was no running, please these are Nordstrom customers. Goldman said she was also there for the clothes and makeup but her first love is shoes, she said as she inspected some sporty red slip-ons from Privo by Clark's. She said her husband told her she better not come home with any new kicks, but she made no commitment.
The first name brands inside are Jimmy Choo on the right and Bobbi Brown on the left. Jimmy was showing off patent leather high boots with a flat heel and a shorter version with a spike heel. There were leopard print heels and flats. And apparently pointy toes are still in because they dominated the display.
British skincare company Elemis offered free consultation with a space-age looking giant lighted camera. I offered up my weathered reporter face and got back a printout of six different closeup photos showing my pores, wrinkles, and UV spots. Yikes! More sunscreen for me.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:41 AM
September 7, 2007
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
With a fanfare from the Boston Symphony Orchestra brass section and a blast from air cannons firing red, black, and silver confetti, the Natick Collection officially opened at 9:56 a.m.
General Growth Properties CEO John Bucksbaum cut a huge band of red ribbons (actually, he pretended to while underlings released the ribbons from the wings) on the ornamental staircase in the new wing's main atrium.
The opening has also hit its first glitch, albeit a minor one: the little pieces of silver mylar confetti are so sticky that they're proving almost impervious to the janitorial staff's attempts to sweep them up.
-- Ralph Ranalli
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:27 AM
September 7, 2007
Welcome to Globe West Update's Natick Collection Blog-a-thon. Staff writer Lisa Kocian filed this update as the first perfumes were being spritzed and the trumpets were warming up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
Throngs of excited Nordstrom fans are crowded outside the store eagerly awaiting the opening this morning of the first Massachusetts store. Drawn by a makeover tailgate party, some of the more enthusiastic shoppers sported hot pink boas given out by staff.
Natick resident Penny Tozier walked over to the brand new Natick Collection, which officially opens in minutes, because she thought it would be easier than driving. (Parking and traffic were actually not a problem between 8 and 9 a.m. when I drove in.)
"Ever since they made the announcement the Wonder Bread factory was shutting down, I've been watching it," said Tozier. "I was able to see the progress weekly."
She was getting a makeover from Estee Lauder makeup artist Brynn Terry, who said she was trying to give her a "Malibu" sunkissed look. It was Terry's tenth makeover of the morning, which started at 8 a.m.
Tozier said she came today specifically for the Nordstrom opening, calling the store her "absolute favorite" because of the high-quality customer service.
Other smiling customers were getting makeovers from Clinique, Trish McEvoy, and Laura Mercier, to name a few.
Wellesley resident Mary Ann Scott was peeking inside the Nordstrom store, where staff were teasing customers by raising and lowering the metal garage-like door hiding the high-end duds. "I can't wait until the store opens," said Scott. She planned to spend and hour or two to "get a good overview today" so she can plot her shopping strategy in the coming weeks.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:18 AM
September 7, 2007
Finally, the computer-generated shoppers will be replaced by the real thing.
NATICK COLLECTION BLOG-A-THON
It's here. The Natick Collection opens today, and the Globe West Updates staff will be bringing you the entire scene with our exclusive Blog-a-thon today, starting with Nordstrom's early morning make up tailgate party. To get things going, staff writer Lisa Kocian filed this report from the gala opening party last night:
NATICK - 9:50 p.m. -- There were break dancers and fortune tellers and glass blowers. You could mix your own perfume or listen to a harpist or sample the oxygen bar. The new Natick Collection opened tonight with a packed gala fundraiser to benefit the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation & The Children's Hospital League.
"I think it's pretty exciting - it'll be great for the economy, great for tourism," said state Sen. Karen Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, as she waited in line to try the oxygen bar.
Hundreds of cocktail-dressed partygoers sipped champagne, nibbled on crab cakes, or sampled black caviar on blini as they meandered through the carnival-like scene. As one wide-eyed reveler put it, "This is an event!"
Sadly, the stores were closed but you could still window shop. Some looked like they were sprinting a little frantically to the finish line. A worker was putting the final touches on a window display at the Louis Vuitton shop.
Nordstrom and most of the 100 new stores at the shopping center formerly known as Natick Mall open tomorrow morning.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:27 AM
September 6, 2007
It's party time on Route 9.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
NATICK/REGION
Tonight's debut of the Natick Collection isn't your typical mall open house -- it's a swank $125-per-head gala to benefit Children's Hospital and the Doug Flutie Foundation. Practically anyone who's anyone in the western suburbs will want to see it -- or be seen at it.
Natick Selectman Joshua Ostroff said he'll be at the mall tonight -- even though municipal ethics laws require him to pay for the ticket out of his own pocket. He was not, however, planning to indulge in the $250-per-head Sept. 14 opening of the Collection's Neiman Marcus store, the state's second outlet of the upscale retailer, Globe West bureau chief Erica Noonan reports today.
"I'd love to, but that's a bit north of what I spend on a typical Friday evening," Ostroff said. He also declined to attend Fenway on the Runway, a fashion show featuring the wives of Red Sox players, which is a commanding a ticket price of $350 a head if you want to sit with a wife.
Ostroff said he was driven to buy a ticket to tonight's soiree by the desire to see the culmination of years of work by town officials. And a high-profile party to celebrate more than a year of elaborate construction on the 550,000-square-foot expansion was too exciting an opportunity to pass up.
"I want to see the mall, which is very important to the town," Ostroff said. "Thousands of people involved with the Planning Board and community development offices have worked very hard to make sure the expansion was well planned and well built."
Read more about the festivities leading up to the much-anticipated Grand Opening of the new Natick Collection in the online edition of today's Globe West.
Also, we strongly suggest that you put Globe West Updates into your browser's bookmarks as well, so you'll have easy access to our Natick Collection Blog-a-thon. Our reporters and photographers will be bringing you reports and vignettes from the big events throughout the day.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:41 PM
September 5, 2007
Shirts await shoppers at the Nordstrom in the new Natick Collection, which opens Friday.
(Globe file photo)
NATICK/REGION
Editor's note: Globe West staff writer Lisa Kocian got a sneak peek inside the new Natick Collection today and filed this dispatch. Stay tuned to Globe West Updates all day Friday for our Natick Collection Blog-a-thon, when we will be filing a steady stream of reports and dispatches from the much-anticipated grand opening.
I have seen the new Natick Mall -- sorry, The Natick Collection -- and it's pretty cool.
The new stores, including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, open Friday but reporters were allowed in today for a sneak peek. I shudder to think what the traffic will be like in two days -- let alone in December --but before I start critiquing, allow me to ooh and ah for a moment.
I like to shop. I'm usually a bargain shopper (after all, I make my living by writing) but I can still swoon over the high end stuff. The way it's set up, the stores work their way gradually from economical at the pre-existing Sears end to luxury retail at the Nordstrom/Neiman Marcus end. My personal favorites: vintage-y clothing and home store Anthropologie, which recycled the wood from an antique barn for its new store's interior and Sel de la Terre, a French brasserie that will open early for coffee and baked goods on an outdoor patio when the weather allows.
The Collection stores displayed varying degrees of readiness for Friday's opening. At body products store L'Occitane, workers unpacked shopping bags. Handbag giant Kate Spade was still under construction, with not a kelly green bag or dress in sight. Martin + Osa, a new store from the folks that brought us American Eagle, already has mannequins dressed, one in women's dark wash skinny jeans and another in a men's olive green puffy down vest.
The new two-level space -- which features more than 100 shops -- is light and airy. There is such an abundance of skylights that the addition actually seems to have a glass ceiling. Synthetic birch trees reach up toward the natural light, but instead of leaves there are metallic, primary green leaf-shaped cutouts. I'm not so sure about those; my first thought was of a kindergarten classroom and construction paper when I saw them.
Mall owner General Growth Properties aggressively courted retailers in the United States and Europe to get the best for shoppers, according to Michael McNaughton, vice president, of asset management for GGP's Northeast region.
For example, Williams-Sonoma and Coach were both prior mall tenants, but will be re-opening in the new addition with their largest prototype stores, he said. GGP was gunning for big, McNaughton said, like the new Hugo Boss store, which will be the only one in the Boston area to sell both men's and women's clothing.
-- Lisa Kocian
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:43 PM
September 2, 2007
(Globe staff photo by Pat Greenhouse)
NATICK/REGION
Staffing a brand-new store is tough enough. But just try recruiting at the same time as 100 other nearby stores -- including giants like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus -- all angling to hire the same top sales associates from one area.
Then try to do it without having an actual store to show potential employees, Globe West staff writer John C. Drake reports in a front-of-the-section story today.
"It's hard when we're outside of our venue," said Dawn Sereda, store manager of Brighton Collectibles at Burlington Mall. She'll be the manager of a new Brighton Collectibles store at Natick Collection when it opens Friday with the mall expansion.
"We're all drawing from the same well" of potential employees, she said. "There are names out there everybody knows and are attracted to."
She rattles off popular store brands like Tommy Bahama, Tiffany's, and Nordstrom.
"These are names they see at other locations and have been following for years," Sereda said. "It's really hard to compete with that."
Two years after construction on its 550,000-square-foot expansion began, Natick Collection, formerly Natick Mall, is set to open its new luxury wing and Nordstrom department store on Friday. About 70 percent of the 98 stores planned for the new wing will open their doors that day, said Jim Grant, vice president of development for mall owner General Growth Properties. Neiman Marcus plans to open Sept. 15, and most of the new stores are expected to be up and running by the holiday shopping season.
Read more about the Natick Collection opening in the online edition of today's Globe West.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:13 PM
August 23, 2007
NATICK
Natick's Morse Institute Library is looking for more residents to participate in its ongoing effort to catalogue the stories the town's veterans.
The Veterans Oral History Project is a collection of videotaped interviews with residents who served in the military from World War II through the Gulf War.
The town is continuing the effort with a $30,000 grant from the state, and put out a call this month for more participants. Residents who are interested can call Joan Craig at (508) 647-6524.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:45 AM
August 21, 2007
No cars, please
(Globe staff photo by Mark Wilson)
NATICK
Some Natick motorists are apparently a little too eager to see the town develop a rail trail.
Acting Town Administrator Martha White this week told selectmen that the town has received complaints from neighbors and seen evidence that some vehicles already are traveling a section of CSX right-of-way where the railroad recently removed rails and ties.
"It's a public safety issue, it's a disturbance to the residents, and we're going to take steps to stop it," she said.
Selectmen appropriated $5,000 Monday night to purchase additional concrete barriers to cut off access. "We tried to get CSX to deal with it, and they're not being responsive at all," White said.
She said the town also would install gates where the trail intersects with roadways. The town is in the process of negotiating with CSX to build a rail trail over the abandoned rail line through town.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:32 AM
August 9, 2007
NATICK
Natick selectmen plan to interview five finalists for town administrator during the first week of September.
The finalists, announced Monday night by a town committee, are: Paul Fetherston, chief administrative officer for the town of Canton, Conn.; Michael Jaillet, town administrator in Westwood; Steven Ledoux, town manager in Westford; Jodi Ross, town administrator in Bolton; and Martha White, Natick's acting town administrator.
White had been deputy town administrator for about eight months when Phil Lemnios left the town's top administrative post to become town manager in Hull in April.
Carol Gloff, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said the board will interview the finalists over the course of several days beginning with the scheduled Sept. 4 meeting. She expects the board to make a decision by the end of September.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:20 AM
August 8, 2007
NATICK
The town of Natick has granted a temporary certificate of occupancy for the expansion of Natick Collection. Stores in the mall expansion now are free to bring in merchandise and non-construction employees as they prepare to open on Sept. 7.
Nearly 100 new stores are included in the mall expansion, and about 70 percent are expected to open in time for the September grand opening. The rest of the stores should open in time for the holiday shopping season, the mall's developers have said.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:13 AM
July 12, 2007
NATICK
Many of the new shops planned for the expansion of Natick Collection won't be ready in time for the Sept. 7 grand opening.
Jim Grant, vice president of development at mall owner General Growth Properties, said the Nordstrom department store and about 70 percent of the 98 planned new stores will open that day. That should increase to between 85 and 90 percent by the time the holiday shopping season begins after Thanksgiving, he said. A Neiman Marcus is projected to open on Sept. 15.
"September's kind of a dicey month for openings," Grant said. "A lot of stores would prefer to open for the holiday season."
He said some stores had simply not planned well enough to open on time, others will be waiting on merchandise and still others had their construction delayed by work on the parking garage underneath the expansion.
Still, he said, the grand opening will be impressive for customers.
"All the common area, exterior and interior, will be done, 100 percent. Whatever's going on in the tenant spaces will be pretty well disguised," he said. "They'll see our best face on Sept. 7."
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 11:14 AM
June 15, 2007
Governor Deval Patrick called yesterday's defeat of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage "a helpful outcome," saying getting past the divisive issue will allow time to focus on other "more pressing issues."
Patrick spoke to reporters today after touring the Army's Soldier Systems Center in Natick.
"There was a decisive vote in favor of laying to rest the question of marriage equality and moving on," he said. "There are many more pressing issues around affordable housing and economic development and education and so on that we need to move on to and wouldn’t be able to move on to were this question going to be on the popular ballot."
Lawmakers voted yesterday to reject placing before voters a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
At the Army facility, known locally as Natick Labs, Patrick heard a pitch from Brigadier General R. Mark Brown to strengthen ties among its researchers, private industry in the state and law enforcement. Many of the technological innovations developed for soldiers can be used by local and state law enforcement, Army officials said.
"We want to find ways to transfer technology and technological know-how in and out of this facility, because it's important for our economy," Patrick said.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 01:56 PM
May 24, 2007
NATICK/FRAMINGHAM
A 40-year-old woman and three girls are facing assault and battery charges in connection with what police are calling a "group beat down" of a 16-year-old girl at a mall in front of dozens of onlookers.
Marilyn Camacho, 40, of Framingham and the girls, ages 16, 13 and 12, were arrested following a fight at the Natick Collection on Monday that left the victim unconscious and requiring hospitalization, Lt. Brian Grassey said. Police did not disclose the girls' relationship to Camacho.
The victim, whose name was not made public, was taken to MetroWest Medical Center's Leonard Morse campus for treatment.
Camacho and the three girls came upon the victim walking through the mall at about 5 p.m. One of the alleged attackers and the victim had fought in the past, Grassey said. There was an argument, followed by a fight, police said.
"This was an absolute group beat down," Grassey told The MetroWest Daily News. "It's an extremely unsettling event. The level of violence in this defies logic.
The suspects stomped on the victim's legs, back and face, police said.
"They collectively grabbed her and pushed her into the glass window of one of the stores," Grassey said. "All four started punching her, pulling her hair. They knocked her to the floor where all four continued to punch and kick her."
At least one onlooker tried to stop the fight, which was eventually broken up my mall security guards. The incident was captured by a surveillance camera, he said.
Camacho and the three girls were charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disturbing the peace and affray. Camacho was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
-- AP
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:46 AM
May 22, 2007
The Natick Neighborhood Bus
(Globe file photo)
NATICK
The town of Natick will consider selling its Natick Neighborhood Bus fleet to the new MetroWest Regional Transit Authority but continue running the buses as a contractor to the Authority.
Natick selectmen discussed the option at the board's meeting Monday night as members try to determine what the town's level of involvement will be with the regional bus system. The board agreed that the town would join the Authority at a meeting last month, but, "joining doesn't necessarily define the level of service that we would negotiate with them," said acting town administrator Martha White.
White said the town will need to settle the issue by July 1, which is when the new RTA is set to begin operation and when the town's new fiscal year begins.
Also at Monday night's meeting, the board re-established a financial planning committee to make long-range recommendations on Natick's financial picture. Natick, which narrowly avoided placing a proposition 2 1/2 override before voters this year, could ask voters for a tax hike as early as next fall.
-- John C. Drake
Posted by John C. Drake at 11:42 AM
May 9, 2007
NATICK
Hail Flutie! The little quarterback who made a career of proving doubters wrong is now a Hall of Famer. Natick's own Doug Flutie was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame today in his first year of eligibility, joining Ahmad Rashad and 10 other players honored by the National Football Foundation.
The 5-foot-10 (barely) Flutie won the Heisman Trophy in 1984 for Boston College and threw one of the most memorable passes in college football history. His 48-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan as time expired gave the Eagles a 47-45 victory over Miami. The desp | 
