Business

‘Open Newbury Street’ will return for a day in September

"It lends a really fun atmosphere for the whole street."

By Julia Taliesin

September 13, 2021

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After a successful run in August, Boston will open up Newbury Street to pedestrians and businesses for one Sunday in September. 

On Sept. 26, Open Newbury Street will take over the road from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue, as well as small sections of Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford streets. The street will be closed to cars from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The city said it’s bringing back the event this month after receiving “positive feedback.”

Back in August, Acting Mayor Kim Janey said the city would consider scheduling more events pending analysis and feedback from businesses and road users.

“We look forward to supporting businesses by providing space for them to engage customers in creative ways,” she said. “I hope residents and visitors will be able to experience all that Open Newbury Street has to offer.”

Kathy Palmer, president of The Fish & Bones pet supply shop, said at the time that open streets was a great opportunity for businesses who’ve been impacted by the pandemic.

“It lends a really fun atmosphere for the whole street — everybody is in a good mood, everyone is smiling, everyone is excited to see what merchants are doing,” she said. “[Merchants] are excited to open up again: our stores are very small so it was hard to have capacity limits in the last year. Having the ability to bring your brand out onto the street in open air where everyone is safe and there’s no fear of being too close, that really helps!” 

Though it makes total sense in the context of the pandemic, open streets was a Boston tradition well before COVID-19 hit. More and more areas of the city have closed streets to cars in order to support businesses — notably the North End, where restaurants now set tables where cars used to park.