Wandering in Waltham...Again

From Dave Brigham:

On Father's Day I spent quite a bit of time trying to come up with a backside adventure destination. Should I explore Everett some more? Venture into Malden for the first time? Maybe tromp through the woods of Concord? Perhaps find a corner of Boston with some interesting sites?

I wasn't motivated to travel too far. So I started looking a little closer to home on Google Maps and quicker than you can say "Watch City!" I zeroed in on Main Street in Waltham, between Elm and South streets. "How have I not taken pictures there before?!" I asked myself. I've driven down this strip countless times, yet I'd never made photos along this commercial drag, despite all the posts I've done about Waltham (see bottom of this post for links to past work).

So here are some photos, most of them black and white, all of them edited a bit more than I usually do for the blog, with just basic information about the places, as opposed to the usual deep-dive history. There will be no rhyme or reason.

Located at 808 Main Street, between CVS and Wendy's, this place has sat vacant for years. The property is owned by CVS, and was once a medical center of some sort, according to the ghost sign on the facade.

Is CVS just sitting on this building to prevent Walgreens from opening a competing operation? Does the pharmacy store products here? Maybe after dark the drug store's pharmacist leads a rollicking band through ecstatic jam sessions as they prepare for the chain's annual summer jam. Or maybe I wrote this while I was half in the bag.

Baan Thai Food was located at 659 Main Street. I'm not sure when it closed.

I like the pagoda designs at the bottom of the window.

Next door (OK, so there is a little bit of rhyme and reason) is the former space of Gustazo, a fantastic Cuban restaurant now located on Moody Street in the old space where The Skellig Irish bar was.

This space has been empty for a few years. I hope that both the Gustazo site and the Baan Thai space are filled before too long.

Also in this block facing Waltham City Hall is Leo's Place Diner.

Originally located in Cambridge's world-famous Harvard Square, Leo's Place moved to Waltham several years ago. I love the tip of the hat to Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles in the window.

The Chateau on School Street is an old-school, family-style Italian restaurant. I dig the hand-painted sign.

Founded in 1933, the chain now includes eateries in Andover, Braintree, Burlington, Franklin, Norton, Norwood, Stoughton and Woburn.

Over at the Ira B. Gordon Center for the Arts, named for a prominent local businessman and leader in the transformation of the downtown Waltham area, some waggish artist has posted some absolutely f***ing brilliant signage.

Food for thought for train commuters.

Some may find it odd that there is a place in Waltham called Cowboy Supermarket. This former mill town is located thousands of miles from the Wild West of American history, you might think, so why is there a place trading in the ultimate American superiority stereotype?

Opened within the last three or four years, the market has a butcher shop and bakery and offers plenty of grocery items (I haven't been inside, but I imagine there are many bright colors and a great soundtrack). I like the bravado. The name stands out in a crowd of small markets. I'm guessing the name was inspired by the many Mexican and Central American immigrants in town who come from farming and ranching backgrounds, as evidenced by the cowboy hats, boots and jeans they wear around town.

Over at 685 Main Street, at the corner of Common Street, Foster & Cannon Attorneys have been rendering legal opinions on behalf of clients since 1963. Or perhaps not, as the only evidence I find online of the firm's ongoing existence is the LinkedIn page of one of the partners, which hasn't been updated in a while.

In that same building is another sign of the olden times.

Opened in 2004, the Cafe on the Common makes me think of a time when web access wasn't near-universal, people raged to burn CDs and many folks still listened to Usher.

Down on Moody Street, across from Enterprise Rent-a-Car, is Jimmy the Tailor.

According to one review I found online, "Jimmy the Tailor is actually a small, asian (sic) woman who likes to listen to hymns." A few other reviews confirmed that Jimmy is an Asian woman, but didn't find it noteworthy to mention anything about religious music. Some reviews say Jimmy the Woman is excellent, with soft hands that work miracles on wedding dresses. Others beg to differ, countering that she is a no-talent hack. Still in business, so she-Jimmy must be doing something right.

I like that Joe Sent Me on Main Street is named after the phrase people used during Prohibition to gain entry to speakeasies.

Joseph's Two on Main Street serves breakfast all day, and has been doing so for more than 40 years.

I don't know if there ever was a Joseph's One.

I don't know why the nail and spa shop below spells its name with a "Z." To stand out from the crowd, perhapz?

Main Street Music is located in a building along Main Street known historically as the Knights of Columbus building.

When I first saw the sign for Mister Monut, I thought I wasn't seeing clearly.

At the store's web site, I learned that a monut is "a pastry which combines the light fluffiness of an American donut with the chewiness of Japanese mochi into one delicious, satisfying pastry." The shop also sells kroffles, which are a hybrid of croissants and waffles, originating in South Korea.

Located on School Street, Moody and Regan Printers has been in business under various names since 1890, despite what the company's sign says.

Back on Main Street is Nickerson & Hills, a paint supply store founded in 1946. The shop also offers interior and exterior painting contract work.

Coming up a side alley, I spied a cool doorway to Formalwear Ltd. on Elm Street.

Located in the former Victorian Eclectic Music Hall, the store sells and rents tuxedos, suits, shoes and accessories. I believe the door is where customers can return their outfits.

At the back of the aforementioned alley is Frank's Auto Repair, the exterior of which inspired me to switch to the vivid color setting on my camera.

Frank's Spoke 'N Wheel, located on Main Street near the corner of Hammond Street, is one of three stores in the area; the other two are in Sudbury and Westboro. I'm not sure how long they've been in business, but I'm guessing quite a few years.

Stazione di Federal, a high-end Italian restaurant, is located in a nicely restored brick building that dates to the 1880s.

Finally, Watch City Cigar, which is located in the same building as J & J Variety.

I know I said I wasn't going to get into history here, but what the hell, it's what I do. The building at 851-857 Main Street is known historically as the Antonio Cincotta Building, and dates to 1921. From MACRIS: "The 1925 Directory lists the Cincotta Brothers Confectionery store at 851 Main Street with the Alyce Food Shoppe and Tilton Dry Goods. The 1941 Directory shows Peter Raimondi as the Confectionery store at 851 Main sTreet (sic) with the Alyce Food Shoppe and the Liberty Lunch. By 1952 the corner store at 851 Main Street had become the J&J Variety store...with Star Lite Cafe and Tavern at 855 Main Street in 1962."

Cool to see that the variety store has been around for more than 70 years.

In case you need more Waltham:

May 7, 2022, "Getting Moody in Waltham"

January 15, 2022, "There's Always More Waltham"

March 20, 2017, "Brigham in Waltham, Part III"

January 5, 2017, "Brigham in Waltham, Part II"

November 9, 2016, "Brigham in Waltham, Part I"

August 15, 2011, "Goodbye Reed, So Long Bill"

February 27, 2011, "UPDATE: What a Dump"

May 12, 2010, "Dead-End Tracks, Part I"