Union Square (Somerville) - Commerce and Gentrification

Commerce and Gentrification

Union Square's location at the juncture of working-class East Somerville and the city's tonier western sections have made it the focal point of changing demographics. While Union Square still offered ten dollar Brazilian haircuts as of 2005, more upscale cafes and restaurants have opened since the 1990s, bringing gentrification deeper into Somerville and nourishing pedestrian street life, though with a highbrow twist.

Union Square is a hub for bars, although this feature, too, is fast changing. Current and former establishments include Bull McCabe's (formerly Tir na nÓg), P.A.'s Lounge, The Independent, Precinct (formerly Toast), Radio (formerly Choices), Sally O'Briens and Cantina La Mexicana (formerly Irish Eyes, closed in May 2006). Local restaurants include Journeyman, India Palace, The Neighborhood Restaurant, Sweet Ginger, Taquería la Mexicana, Sherman Cafe, Bloc 11, Macchu Pichu, Jimbo's Famous Roast Beef, and Mama Gina's. The most recent addition, Journeyman, opened in September 2010.

Many markets in the area are run by and cater to the various ethnic groups that live in and around Union Square. International Market is a Salvadoran store, Solução and Pão de Açucar sell Brazilian foods, Little India and New Bombay Market are Indian grocery stores, Capone's is an Italian grocery, and Reliable Market features Asian ingredients, primarily Korean. In 2010, Sherman's opened a store featuring only locally produced foods.