Back in 1953, a 20-year-old Navy vet who had just returned from the Korean War was standing in his grandfather’s hardware store in Revere when a supplier asked him if he’d be interested in taking over a paint-and-wallpaper store he had acquired in Needham.
"Sure," replied Harvey Katz. "Where's Needham?"
The rest is retail history.
Katz would eventually rename his business Harvey’s Hardware. It became one of the best hardware stores, well, anywhere.
We’re sad to report that Harvey Katz passed away the last month, not long after the passing of Phyllis Katz, his wife of more than 70 years.
(It also follows a fire that has left the Great Plain Ave. landmark closed since February, although the reopening is planned).
Our condolences to Harvey’s and Phyllis’ sons, Jeff and Gary, who took over the business when their dad retired, along with their many grandchildren, extended family, friends and employees.
To learn more about Katz remarkable career and his inventory and customer service philosophies that makes Harvey’s special, read this wonderful 'Best Business' profile from Inc.
Will restaurants finally get their dough?
Last year, 265,000 restaurants nationwide – including many in our communities -- qualified for the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grant program but were left empty handed because the program ran out of funds.
We have restaurants in our communities that were fortunate enough to get a RRF grant, right down the street from those that didn't. The only difference? Serendipity.
This week the U.S. House may, finally, vote on a pandemic aid package that would provide $42 billion to refund the RRF, plus another $13 billion for other “hard hit” industries, according to Roll Call.
The $42 billion is expected to be enough to cover the two-thirds of U.S. restaurants and bars nationwide that applied, but never received, their funds in 2021. It does not reopen the program to new applicants.
If there’s not enough money to provide full grants to each eligible restaurant, the bill says the awards should be reduced by an equal percentage so all approved applicants get something. The other $13 billion in the bill is for a new program for businesses that did not receive grants or forgivable loans under prior pandemic relief programs.
?There’s a bipartisan effort underway in the U.S. Senate to secure a vote on a similar package.
Then again, we’ve come this close before and the efforts failed.
Creem questions natural gas line investments
On the day a U.N. report warned the world is running out of options to hit climate goals, state Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem said lawmakers may have to intervene in the Baker administration's study of the future of natural gas.
State law requires that Massachusetts reduce its emissions by 25 percent by 2020, by 50 percent by 2030, by 75 percent by 2040 and by at least 85 percent by 2050.
The Newton senator questioned plans to invest $20 billion over the next few decades to replace gas pipelines that are inconsistent with climate mandates, according to State House News.
Creem also filed six bills yesterday that aim to promote electric vehicle adoption.
Watertown’s NewRep Theater is back too! They’re celebrating storytelling at the Black Box and Main Stage Theaters at the Mosesian Center for the Arts on April 23.
And the Starbucks in Wellesley Square has finally reopened. The popular meeting place temporarily closed due to the labor shortage. (Swellesley Report).
Nonprofits take note: DoorDash’s Community Credits program provides nonprofits with DoorDash gift cards in order to help them empower the communities they serve, reduce food insecurity as a barrier for their target audiences, and encourage participation in programs that expand access to opportunity. Details.
Are you a landlord of a 2-3 family home struggling with your mortgage payments or have tenants who are experiencing trouble paying rent? The Volunteer Lawyers Project may be able to provide you with free legal assistance before you start any court proceedings or if you already have a court case pending. Details.
The driver of the car that crashed into the West Newton Sweet Tomatoes in 2016, killing two people, has lost his attempt to appeal his convictions (Boston Globe).
Another reason why it hurts to lose local newspapers
An outdated state law requires that legal ads announcing public meetings, restaurant license transfers and other matters be published in a print newspaper.
So what's going to happen when Gannett stops printingthe Newton Tab, Watertown Tab & Press and other weekly newspapers next month?
Newton, Watertown and other soon-to-be-newspaper-less communities, municipalities and businesses will likely be forced to take out ads in the much more expensive Boston Globe.
(Fortunately for Needham, the town is still served by the print edition of Hometown Weekly, so legal ads can run there instead once the Needham Times vanishes. And Gannett is keeping the Wellesley Townsman, for now.)
That could change under a bill expected from Wellesley state Rep. Alice Hanlon Peisch, and Rep. Ken Gordon of Bedford. They're proposing to allow for legal ads on news websites instead of newspapers, according to Dan Kennedy's Media Nation.
As Kennedy writes in a second blog post, it would be important that this new law requires that "legals can only be placed in a news outlet — print or digital — that has a certain level of presence in the community,” instead of the generic content-lite Gannett's Wicked Local sites have become.
Done right, that would mean independent websites like the Watertown News and the Swellesley Report might be in line for a beneficial new revenue stream, which would be a really good step towards supporting these and other truly news sites.
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P.S. Be sure to check out the latest video (below) for the “All Inclusive Boston” campaign aimed at changing our region’s reputation as a place that’s unwelcoming to people of color. Our congratulations to chamber member Colette Phillips, Proverb Agency, our friends at the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and Mayor Michelle Wu for making this campaign a priority:
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