Getting to Know Your Neighborhood: Brookline Village

Meandering around a historic Brookline hub

By Robin Berghaus

If you build it, they will come. And so they did. With the arrival of the railroad in 1847, Brookline Village became the town’s civic and commercial center.

After the Civil War, the commercial area expanded up Washington and Harvard Streets — now considered the heart of the village — where shops abut homes, recycling is the norm, higher-than-average property taxes afford excellent schools, overnight parking on the street is illegal, and family-owned businesses far outnumber chains.

There are exceptions. Dunkin’ Donuts has made its way in, but those in the know walk a few blocks to KooKoo Café, which serves vegan munchies and George Howell coffee. And that’s only of the local original scenes worth exploring.

The Great Outdoors

Daniel F. Ford Playground at Emerson Gardens
Fronted by Davis Avenue and Emerson Street
Nestled in a residential area of Brookline Village lies the two-acre Daniel F. Ford Playground at Emerson Gardens. Trees shade the perimeter of a large grassy field lined with benches, a perfect spot for reading. Along with slides, a climbing structure, and a colorful toy ship, the playground features Brookline’s first spray pool, where children cool down on a hot summer’s day.

Brookline Reservoir Park
Along Route 9 between Lee and Warren Streets
Runners and walkers make use of the one-mile circumference around the Brookline Reservoir Park. Fishers go there too; the man-made body of water is stocked annually by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Those heading out for a catch need only bring a permit from the Office of the Town Clerk along with rod and bait. Patches of grass and benches provide resting spots. At the Warren Street entrance sits a controversial landmark, the Brookline Reservoir Pump House. Built during World War II, it was designed to keep Boston’s water supply flowing if the main supply sputtered. Residents and city officials have bickered since the 1980s over whether the expensive relic should be preserved. Check it out while it’s still there.

Village Highlights

Puppet Showplace Theatre
32 Station St.
Since 1974, the 100-seat theater has attracted artists from around the world who perform marionette, hand-rod, and shadow puppetry. “Our audience predominantly comprises children, so for many, it’s the first time they’ve seen live theater,” says marketing coordinator Ben Henry. “Before the show begins, we promote good theater manners, and then let them enjoy the new experience.” Many performances are familiar, such as adaptations of Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. Some are interactive, like gentle versions of Punch and Judy, where children call out directions to affect the show’s outcomes. Although mainly for families, school groups, and campers, the theater hosts PuppetSLAM four nights a year, evenings of mini-plays for adult crowds.

Feet of Clay Pottery
21 Station St.
The front door is locked, so ring the buzzer. Once inside, you’ll discover a cooperative of ceramic potters shaping clay and testing glaze techniques. For a monthly fee, members receive 24-7 access. Projects line shelves from floor to ceiling, including teapots designed by owner Holly Sears that look like rooms; on one teapot, a fully prepared dinner table sits atop its spout. Twice a year, the cooperative hosts shows, where visitors can view and purchase.

KooKoo Café
7 Station St.
Catering to the health-conscious crowd, KooKoo Café offers mainly vegetarian and vegan fare. And aptly, owners Ali and Elie Mohajerani also run Yoga in the Village, just a few doors down. The café is named after one of its signature dishes, Kookoo, a light and fluffy Persian frittata made of eggs, spinach, parsley, and scallions. But according to staff, the most popular menu item is the Terrifying Tuna sandwich with honey mustard, brie, and avocado. The café prides itself on serving quality single-origin Terroir coffee — roasted by an offshoot of Boston’s Coffee Connection, the George Howell Coffee Company — and showcasing local pottery and artwork such as pieces from neighboring Feet of Clay Pottery. Throughout are rich earth tones and warm lighting, and families are encouraged to bring their children — a nook with a kid-sized table and chairs, books, and games is nestled in back.

Yoga in the Village
17 Station St.
Skylights allow natural lighting to pour into the studio space at Yoga in the Village, a studio that offers yoga classes, including Hatha, Iyengar, Kripalu, and Vinyasa for adults, as well as yoga for children, focusing on games, poses with fun names, and partner activities. The studio also offers Capoeira, Pilates, and Bhangra. “We have a strong grassroots community here,” says owner Ali Mohajerani. “People don’t show up here to be seen — it’s a ‘no-hype’ place to practice.”

A Good Yarn
4 Station St.
A Good Yarn stocks mostly natural fiber yarns, like cotton and wool, foregoing many acrylics. The store also carries a selection of organic, eco-friendly, and undyed yarns and instructional books and magazines, as well as buttons, needles, and accessories. Among the class instructors is accomplished knitter and crocheter Paula Roberts, whose baby blanket pattern “Ducks in a Row” was published and featured on the cover of Vogue Knitting on the Go: Crocheted Baby Blankets.

Horai-San Book and Crystal Shop
242 Washington St.
The smell of incense and sound of gurgling water emanating from a metallic Buddha fountain set a mood in the Horai-San Book and Crystal Shop, an icon that has served patrons since 1985. The shop represents the world’s traditions of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, carrying a range of books such as The New Age Herbalist and What the Buddha Taught, along with artwork, jewelry, Buddha statues, and household items. Signature items include Brazilian amethyst crystals and a rainbow assortment of incense.

Matt Murphy’s
14 Harvard St.
A pub without a television seems rare. But at Matt Murphy’s, where the focus is on community rather than cable, soft music is the ambient sound of choice. Home cooking includes original takes on staples and condiments, such as ketchup, tartar sauce, mayonnaise, and stocks. Esquire magazine included the Lamb Sirloin in its Best Sandwiches in America rankings, stating, “It hits you like a Joycean epiphany: sirloin, cooked until it dissolves on the crusty potato bread, and pickles, daubed with sweet relish and a sauce bearing the faintest rumor of mint.” Murphy’s prides itself on stocking local liquor, such as vodka from Nantucket’s Cisco Brewers. Commercial sodas are banned because they are full of chemicals, and even Ireland’s famous Guinness is not in favor, substituted with stouts like O’Hara’s Celtic Stout, made in small batches.

Gateway Arts
60-62 Harvard St.
“Making art professionally can create a life that is of value and one that gives value back to society,” says director Rae Edelson of Gateway Arts, a nonprofit that has supported artists with disabilities for more than 30 years. Gateway Arts provides studio mentorship for disabled artists to grow professionally and a store to sell their artwork, including paintings, silk scarves, fine jewelry, wooden furniture, cards, rugs, and hand-painted birdhouses. All profits go to the artists.

Framers’ Workshop
64 Harvard St.
Since 1976, Framers’ Workshop, Boston’s only do-it-yourself frame shop, has provided space and tools for customers to frame their own art. Doing it yourself takes an average of an hour or two, and lowers the cost. The staff of nine is unpretentious and helpful, offering tips such as, “Metal frames are quicker to assemble than wooden ones,” and “Black aluminum frames are like the milk of grocery stores.” Translation: they’re the cheapest.

Serenade Chocolatier
5 Harvard Square
Chocolatiers craft artisan chocolate, filling molds and operating a tempering machine, in an open kitchen behind the counter. Only natural ingredients make their way there, including pure butter, sweet cream, fresh roasted nuts and fruits, and premium European chocolate. A specialty is the Viennese, a chocolate cube comprised of a single layer of milk and white chocolates wedged between two layers of dark chocolate and infused with hazelnut butter. Novelty items include the chocolate piñata cake, a hollowed shell of dark or milk chocolate filled with a variety of artisan chocolates. A wooden mallet accompanies the cake, so it can be smashed and the chocolate treasures discovered.

The Village Smokehouse
One Harvard St.
Serving up Jesse James margaritas, country music, and the tagline, “I wish Coke was still cola, and a joint was a bad place to be,” the Village Smokehouse takes customers to the Wild West. An open barbecue pit in the center attracts kids entranced by flames (or at least smoke). Those with a hankering for meat will enjoy hickory-smoked chicken and pork ribs smoked for hours before making the trek to the table.

Orinoco
22 Harvard St.
Orinoco fare is rooted in traditional Venezuelan cuisine. Chef Carlos Rodríguez, who has taught classes in Boston University’s Culinary Arts Program, applies nuevo latino techniques to bring out exotic flavors, an approach best exemplified by the plantain-encrusted mahi-mahi with rabo encendido (oxtail spiced in port reduction) and tomato escabeche. To make customers feel at home, owner Andres Brangér (CAS’84) considered décor and spatial arrangement. Starting at the top with a portrait of his mother, he constructed a pyramid of pre-1950 black-and-white family photos that consume one wall. The restaurant’s communal table brings strangers together, encouraging conversations that never would happen otherwise. Server Aaron Devine (CAS’04), whose book about his Venezuelan travels is sold at the restaurant, appreciates Orinoco’s authenticity. “Cachapas — delicious corn pancakes with melted queso de mano — are only served during Sunday brunch,” he says. “That’s why I work that shift.”

Abeille
45 Harvard St.
“It’s not just a bead shop,” exclaims co-owner Lisa Trachtman, who describes Abeille as “one part craft and jewelry studio, one part supply shop, and one part boutique.” Situated at the corner of Harvard and Linden Streets, with large windows that direct natural light onto its bright yellow walls, Abeille offers demos and classes, such as Decoupage Cuff, Sewing Summer Dresses, and Getting Jiggy with It, which focuses on the WigJig, a tool with pegs to assist in shaping wires. Displays throughout the store showcase handmade local jewelry, blown-glass pendants, semiprecious stones and pearls, rubber stamps, A Muse papers, and Copic markers. During the day, the family-friendly shop attracts adults and children, but at night things can change up; the store hosts the occasional “Girls’ Night Out” bachelorette parties for participants who create anything from flowered pendants to pasties.

Henry Bear’s Park
19 Harvard St.
“Hands-on play allows children to grow, discover, and create a world they are confident in,” says owner Sally Lesser of Henry Bear’s Park, which offers toys and games arranged by age-appropriateness and theme. But the store is not just for kids. Adults will find gems in the age 8-12 section, with games such as Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Cranium, and Phase 10. Story Time is every Monday at 11 a.m., and Game Night is the first Thursday of every month; customers can sample a variety of games.

Family Restaurant Brookline
305 Washington St.
Cooking up traditional Turkish cuisine, cousins Ziya Canca and Ahmet Ozseferoglu offer specialties from their homeland. One popular choice is the Adana Kebab (named after the fourth largest city in Turkey, where it originated), consisting of spicy ground lamb on skewers. Although the menu is heavy on meat, vegetarians will enjoy spinach pies with feta cheese, wrapped in phyllo dough, and a variety of salads, cold appetizers, and dips such as Muhammara, made from ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses. Many dishes are served with pide, a delicious homemade sesame-seeded bread that’s soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside — only a fool would pass it up. With many items premade and showcased at the counter, service is quick.

Brookline Public Library
361 Washington St.
For more than 150 years, the Brookline Public Library has served a variety of local icons, including the Kennedys, actress Jane Alexander, TV personalities Mike Wallace and Conan O’Brien, and sports executives Theo Epstein and Bob Kraft. Besides books, the library's offerings for card-holding members include an online language immersion service, ESL conversation groups, job workshops, and museum passes for reduced admission to places such as the New England Aquarium, the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, and the Museum of Science.

Village Pizza House
312 Washington St.
Since 1970, the Mallios family has been serving up Greek-style pizza, a greasier version than its Italian rival. “Ninety-nine point nine percent of my customers are repeats; local residents and Brookline High School teachers and students, including the ones who cut class for a slice,” says owner Ernie Mallios. Artwork is minimalist, but what’s displayed represents the heritage and hobbies of Mallios’ family. Paintings of Greek buildings hang next to his sons’ fishing trophies, and a 150-gallon fish tank anchors the front counter. Many customers choose to carry out, but four rows of booths provide ample seating.

New Paris Bakery & Candy Shop
10 Cypress St.
“We have low visibility, and we’re not modern, but we don’t want to change,” says owner Raola Kappas of New Paris Bakery. The name verges on oxymoron — nothing about this family-owned bakery is new — but that’s part of the charm. Step inside to be transported back to 1929, when the Kappas family began churning out baked goods. Two glass cases display goodies such as paper-thin chocolate-butter cookies, almond bark, and truffles. But their most popular item, filling half the shelf space, is the éclair, baked by Raola’s husband, James, when he’s not handing out free samples. “The éclairs are made from real ingredients; they’re light and not super-sweet,” says Rebecca Caplan, a local chiropractor. “James and Raola are an unpretentious pair; they treat customers like family. Beyond the delightful baked goods, that’s why my parents and I keep coming back after all these years.”

Off the Beaten Path

Stops along the Underground Railroad
9 Toxteth St. and 182 Walnut St.
A 19th-century wooden cottage on 9 Toxteth St. was owned from 1845 to 1867 by abolitionist William Ingersoll Bowditch, who was a Brookline selectman and town moderator. He used his house to shelter fugitive slaves, such as Henry “Box” Brown, who shipped himself in a box to gain freedom. In another part of Brookline Village, the Samuel Philbrick House, at 182 Walnut St., concealed escaped slaves William and Ellen Craft, who stayed in a back room for days while a U.S. marshal searched for them. Discreet plaques identify the two Brookline houses as part of the Underground Railroad.

Shambhala Meditation Center
646 Brookline Ave.
Serenity is the goal at the Shambhala Meditation Center, where members learn Shambhala Buddhism by participating in weekend workshops, dharma talks, and meditation in two shrine rooms appointed with comfortable mats and incense. “Our center offers people a way to calm their minds,” says executive director Jill Blagsvedt, “and we welcome all faiths and traditions.” The center offers theme nights such as Under Thirty Meditation Night on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., The Heart of Recovery on Mondays at 7:15 p.m. (incorporating Twelve Step traditions for members on the path to sobriety), as well as Queer Buddhist Fellowship on the third Sunday of every month. Members pay dues based on what they can afford and are encouraged to take on volunteer roles within the center.

Evelyn Kirrane Aquatic Center
60 Tappan St.
Named after the town’s recreation director from 1972 to 1989, the aquatic center on Brookline High School’s campus was the first indoor public swimming facility in the United States. The center includes three pools, a shallow one for children and beginners, a lap pool, and a diving area. The latter two connect through a sealed tunnel where judges sat in the 1980s and early 1990s to judge how divers entered the water. It’s still there, so swimmers wearing goggles can peer through the lap pool’s underwater window to watch divers on the other side. A major attraction for swimmers with sensitive skin is the copper ionization filtration system, which lowers the levels of chlorine required.

Café Society
131 Cypress St.
“They don’t look outdated, frumpy, or costume-like,” says owner Betsey Brooks of the vintage clothing, jewelry, and accessories she picks for Café Society. “Instead, they mix well with contemporary items and stand out in a crowd.” Brooks visits sellers’ homes and selects men’s and women’s pieces that she later arranges by era; a 1930s day dress floats above a row of fedoras and colorful stacks of hat boxes sit across from a display of cat-eye glasses and glittery brooches. “Every piece has a story,” she says. “I remember a note inside one of the purses that read, ‘I saw you across the room.’ Thinking about it still makes me smile.”

Getting there: By foot, head down Harvard Street from Comm Ave until you cross Washington Street. The 1.5-mile walk takes about 30 minutes. By T, walk to the Fenway stop on Park Drive and take the outbound D trolley two stops to Brookline Village. By bus, hop on the #66 down Harvard Street.

Robin Berghaus can be reached at berghaus@bu.edu.

Learn more about neighborhoods around Boston here.

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