Businesses have begun to vacate the Davis Square Plaza in preparation for incoming development. — Photos by Molly Rains

By Molly Rains

After extensive planning, several public forums, and plenty of speculation, the impending redevelopment of Davis Square has become very real for some Somerville business owners. Although exact timelines for construction have yet to be announced, businesses have begun to move out of the buildings slated for redevelopment, marking a time of transition for the iconic Somerville plaza.

One project on Elm Street, called 7th Spoke, will involve major changes to the buildings along either side of the pedestrian plaza linking Herbert and Elm streets. The company behind this effort, North Carolina real estate and development firm Asana Partners, invests in transforming “existing real estate in dynamic neighborhoods” nationwide. Exact dates for the 7th Spoke project are still unknown; according to the company site, the project is “currently in the permitting phase.” However, business owners within the project’s bounds have already begun to relocate.

Another redevelopment project will affect buildings further along Elm Street, where businesses such as Dragon Pizza and McKinnon’s Meat Market are currently housed.

On Friday morning in Lumar-J Hair Salon, stylists snipped away as usual in a space that will soon be vacant for the first time in 41 years of business. The salon, currently housed at 260 Elm Street, will soon move to 19 College Avenue to make way for redevelopment. “It was stressful in the beginning, looking for a new spot … a lot of clients were upset,” said salon owner Rosa Lopriore. “But we found a great location. I really think it is for the best.”

Michael Bayles owns LBC Boutique & Loan, another business that will soon relocate from the Davis Square Plaza. “We’ve had a store [in Somerville] for 15 years, and the city has been evolving and changing,” he observed, noting in particular the recent metamorphosis of Assembly Row.

LBC Boutique expects to vacate their Davis storefront at the end of April, though the shop’s next location is not yet public. Bayles suggested that as squares like Davis and Union become more crowded and expensive, the affordable rent and readily available parking in smaller, more “underdeveloped” squares – such as Magoun – may draw more small business owners to these quieter areas.

Before long, more local businesses may join those from Davis Square Plaza in relocating. A separate redevelopment project, through the London-based firm Scape, will affect buildings further down Elm Street that currently house businesses including Sligo Pub, McKinnon’s Meat Market, Caramel French Patisserie, and others. As with 7th spoke, however, the timeline for this project remains unclear.

Not everyone is looking forward to the changes in Davis. Newspaper vendor Jerry Harrell has watched the square evolve for over 20 years. “All these businesses are established, they’ve been there for years,” he said, gazing around the square before adding, “They can come – I’m going to keep selling here.”

Bayles, meanwhile, was optimistic. “I think Somerville is going in the right direction, I really do,” he said on Friday. These remarks reveal a quality shared by Bayles, Lopriore, Harrell, and the other business owners and workers of Davis Square: the determination and grit to face up to development and stay afloat in a rapidly changing city.