Harvard Square's Loss
December 30, 2021
Those of us who have been hanging out in Harvard Square for years got some very sad news on Monday. Another landmark is closing. This time we are losing Brattle Square Florists after a run of 104 years. Long ago lost were Woolworth’s, Joe and Nemo’s, Design Research, the Harvard Square Movie Theatre, Casablanca and many more. More recently, Dickson’s Hardware and the Curious George Bookstore have disappeared.
Brattle Square Florists outlasted them all.
Over the years, Peter has surprised me with countless bouquets of daisies from there. When he was still able to, he pushed his red Rollator up to the Square and walked back clutching a bouquet from Brattle Square to surprise me.
Having lived or worked in Cambridge since 1965, I have watched many establishments close their doors. Usually, empty spaces are quickly nabbed.
But times have changed; rents have sky-rocketed. The pandemic was the final blow for Brattle Square Florists.
The news of their closing made the front page of The Boston Globe, and local social media has responded. But the owners can’t work any harder.
We’ve worn them out.