Small Business Saturday is November 26th

by Aravinda Ananda Waltham Local First Co-Founder & Treasurer The holiday shopping season is upon us! Surely everyone knows about Black Friday when major retailers offer blockbuster sales. But does everyone know about Small Business Saturday? It is happening this year on November 26 and is a day to show some love to some of the many wonderful small, local businesses right here in Waltham that offer some unique finds and excellent gifts for the holiday season. Launched in November...

Read More →

On Localism and Liquor Licenses

It's not just the weather: The topic of liquor licenses has been hot in Waltham of late. Our community has been processing two separate but related issues. The first issue remains before the Licenses and Franchises committee of the Waltham City Council, currently on summer recess. The matter they're wrestling with has at least three parts (1) whether there should be more liquor licenses in Waltham, (2) if so, how many, and (3) and how should they be distributed. We have no hard...

Read More →

Commentary: Farewell to a Founding Member, and a piece of Waltham’s heart

by Bob Perry, Waltham Local First Co-Chair This hurts. Back Pages Books on Moody Street—one of the founding members of Waltham Local First—closed this week. Back Pages' Owner Alex Green quoted a friend in his eloquent farewell posted on the store's website, saying "nobody is surprised when you close a bookstore, they're surprised when you open one." Well, as a long-time small-businessperson myself, I am not surprised, but I am stunned. Back Pages Books was a cultural anchor in Waltham, a...

Read More →