Subway Opens in Needham

The new sandwich shop is located near Sudbury Farms and across from the Needham High School campus.

Hungry Needham residents now have a new spot to pick up a sandwich, with the opening of Subway last week. Located at 1187 Highland Ave., near the under-renovation Sudbury Farms, the restaurant is also right across the street from the Needham High School campus—making it a convenient stop for hungry high schoolers looking for a quick bite between school and practice. Needham Subway franchisee Doug Sudell also operates a Subway in downtown Boston at City Hall Plaza and has also worked for the company for four years in New York City, according to a press release. “I am excited to be able to bring Subway’s delicious, fresh product to the people of Needham,” Sudell said in the release. “I look forward to meeting residents, and I invite everyone…

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Swizzles Frozen Yogurt Shop To Open Today

The new self-serve sweet shop is located at 1450 Highland Ave., across from Needham Town Hall.

It may be August already, but there's still time for one last taste of summer. Swizzles Frozen Yogurt is expected to open the doors on its new Needham shop today at around 11 a.m. Located at 1450 Highland Ave., the shop is the company’s second in Massachusetts—the first opened in Winchester in January. Another shop will be opening soon in Swampscott. “We’re getting our occupancy permit tomorrow morning, so we’ll open tomorrow morning around 11,” Regional Manager Lori Smith said Thursday, as she and other Swizzles staff—including General Manager David Rice—put the final touches on the shop. Needham has been down an ice cream shop since Friendly’s closed last fall after more than 25 years of business, and local residents appear to be eagerly…

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Wendy Schapiro

11:13 am on Friday, August 10, 2012

Now I know where I will be grabbing a snack with my son this afternoon! :D   more ›

Frank Webb's Bath Center Opens Needham Showroom

Located in the Needham Gateway Shopping Center, the new store offers everything from drawer knobs to high-tech shower systems.

From the experienced plumber to the do-it-yourselfer ready for their first big project, the newly opened Frank Webb’s Bath Center in Needham provides a space for people to get inspired, learn about the latest trends and find everything they need for a bathroom makeover. One of about 72 shops in New England, the new 10,000 sq. ft showroom is the company’s largest retail showroom space and opened earlier this month in the Needham Gateway Shopping Center, at 100 Highland Ave., in the space formerly occupied by Mattress Giant. Inside, customers can get a closer look at everything for the bathroom—toilets, showers, tubs and whirlpools, vanities, mirrors, basic hardware and more—as well as a few items for the kitchen. The company is also looking…

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Bulfinch Purchases Newton's Atrium Mall, Will Convert Property into Medical Offices

Needham-based Bulfinch Cos. reportedly paid Simon Property Group $46 million.

After speculation surfaced last month that Newton's Atrium Mall would be soon be sold, a Needham-based firm has purchased the property with plans to convert it into medical offices.  According to a report in the Boston Business Journal, the mall has been sold to an affiliate of Bulfinch Cos. Although a price was not disclosed, Bulfinch recently made a $46 million payment to the mall's owners, Simon Property Group, BBJ reported.  Check out more details in the full BBJ report. Bulfinch CEO Eric Schlager told BBJ that the firm plans to renovate the facility and use it as an office and medical center campus. The 300,000-square-foot property will be renamed the Atrium Center at Chestnut Hill.  Construction at the site is set to begin this year …

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Supercuts Opens in Needham's Gateway Plaza

The local salon is the company's 101st in the greater Boston area.

Supercuts has opened a new salon located in the Needham Gateway Shopping Center at 120 Highland Ave. The shop, located in the plaza at the corner of Highland and Second avenues alongside Panera Bread, JoS A. Bank and Omaha Steaks, has been empty since the Verizon store left in November 2011. The Needham salon is the 101st Supercuts in the greater Boston area, according to a press release from the company. A division of Regis Corporation, Supercuts has more than 2,110 locations across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. “It’s always fun to bring a brand that people know and trust to a new location,”  Supercuts franchisee David Habas said in the press release. “The Needham community has been very welcoming since we opened, and we’ve …

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Swizzles Opening Delayed to August

The new frozen yogurt shop will be undergoing construction over the next eight weeks.

Needham residents will have to wait until toward the end of the summer to get their first taste of Swizzles Frozen Yogurt. Swizzles founder and CEO Adam Kessner had originally hoped to open his new shop at 1450 Highland Ave. by June 1 but said this week that the permitting process had taken longer than expected. Construction is set to begin today, Thursday, May 31, and will take about eight weeks to complete, Kessner said in an e-mail. He anticipates an Aug. 1 opening. The Needham shop will be the company's second in Massachusetts—the first opened Jan. 7 in Winchester, and a third shop is scheduled to open soon in Swampscott. Swizzles shops offer a new twist on frozen yogurt, giving customers the opportunity to serve themselves by filling …

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You Ask ... Patch Answers

You Ask ... Patch Answers: What's the Scoop on the Friendly's Building?

Send in your questions about Needham!

After closing its doors suddenly last October when the Friendly's Ice Cream Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Needham Friendly's has sat empty, leaving many to wonder what will take its place. The restaurant had been a Needham staple for more than 25 years, serving up sundaes, ice cream cones and other fare to families as well as employees of local businesses such as Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, located directly across from Frendly's on Chestnut Street. For this week's "You Ask ... Patch Answers," I sought some news on the restaurant building, asking, "Is anything in the works for the old Friendly's building at 173 Chestnut St.?" To find the answer, I reached out to Needham Economic Development Director Devra …

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Swizzles Frozen Yogurt Shop To Open in Needham

Location will be company's second self-serve shop in Massachusetts.

Needham residents looking for a summer sweet fix now that Friendly’s has closed will have a new option come June. Swizzles Frozen Yogurt is opening a self-serve frozen yogurt shop in Needham, at 1450 Highland Ave. Swizzles founder and CEO Adam Kessner announced Thursday that he has signed a lease for the Highland Avenue building, located next to Treat Cupcake Bar and across the street from Taylor’s Stationery, and will be renovating it in the coming months, with a tentative opening of June 1. “I focus on towns that have a ton of families, because that’s pretty much who our target is: families,” Kessner said, of why he chose to bring the shop to Needham. “It’s not just kids but the parents as well—everyone has a lot of fun in Swizzle shops…

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What is the Most Innovative New Business Around?

Let us know your picks in the box below.

Each week, Needham Patch highlights editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off and more in our Thursday feature called Patch Picks. With competition from the internet and other new forms of shopping, local businesses have to stay creative to keep customers walking through their doors. The Needham area is certainly not immune to this phenomenon with several cutting edge businesses opening up shop over the last year or so. With that thought in mind, we want to know who you think is the most innovative new business in and around Needham. Tell us who is doing a great job, who you would recommend to your friends and who you find most creative. Leave your suggestions in the …

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