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Have you ever passed by a Hyde Park business and thought, "wow, that place looks great!"? We have, and our quarterly We Noticed! column recognizes those local businesses; the ones we noticed have made an extra effort to keep their storefronts and business properties looking good.
This quarter, We Noticed! The Switch Co-op at 21 Fairmount Avenue as a business that is making an extra effort to keep its storefront looking good, thereby adding to the aesthetic of the business district and enticing shoppers to come in and look around.
The Switch is an artists’ cooperative established 4 1/2 years ago by co-founders Scott Batey and Walter Marroquin as part of a Hyde Park Main Streets endeavor to open a living, breathing, community-oriented place for local artists to sell their work. The Switch Co-op falls under the umbrella of Hyde Park Main Streets (HPMS) and is the only retail space in the City of Boston that is operated by a Boston Main Streets group. Artists are recruited by word of mouth, with a current total of 17 artists who commit to staffing the retail operation for 6 hours per month, paying a membership fee of $35/month, and giving back 30% of their sales to The Switch to cover operational expenses such as rent and utilities.
In addition to the sale of the artists’ works, The Switch is involved in community outreach. In conjunction with HPMS, The Switch helped kick off the “Save The Square” initiative that raised money through an online art auction and direct donations to support 12 local businesses that were not otherwise able to secure PPP funding and awarded them with $500 checks. Other programming includes monthly open-mic nights, in-person kid-friendly art experiences, and paint parties for both kids and adults.
Dotti Baker (landscape oil painter) and Diane Hendershott (multi-media artist who creates jewelry, masks, birdhouses, mittens, and more) are responsible for the day-to-day operations of The Switch. Dotti, with help from Adina Troen Krasnow, is the creative vision behind the window displays at The Switch, which are changed every 4-6 weeks and depict either a holiday theme (4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Easter) or a design for the various seasons of the year. These beautiful window displays provide the visual welcome that makes the Switch such an inviting place to visit. Stop by The Switch Co-op soon; you will be pleasantly surprised at all the treasures this space has to offer!
Visit the The Switch Co-op website for more information.
Past We Noticed! Recipients:
January 2019: Rincon Caribeño Restaurant
April 2019: Parkway Cleansing Company
July 2019: Christie Dustman & Company
October 2019: Central Paint & True Value
January 2020: Grew Elementary School
April 2020: Cappy's Pizzeria
July 2020: Essence of Thyme & Cravings (ETC.)
October 2020: Antonio's Bacaro
January 2021: Boston Prep
April 2021: Coffee Break Cafe
October 2021: Dress With Confidence
This quarter, We Noticed! The Switch Co-op at 21 Fairmount Avenue as a business that is making an extra effort to keep its storefront looking good, thereby adding to the aesthetic of the business district and enticing shoppers to come in and look around.
The Switch is an artists’ cooperative established 4 1/2 years ago by co-founders Scott Batey and Walter Marroquin as part of a Hyde Park Main Streets endeavor to open a living, breathing, community-oriented place for local artists to sell their work. The Switch Co-op falls under the umbrella of Hyde Park Main Streets (HPMS) and is the only retail space in the City of Boston that is operated by a Boston Main Streets group. Artists are recruited by word of mouth, with a current total of 17 artists who commit to staffing the retail operation for 6 hours per month, paying a membership fee of $35/month, and giving back 30% of their sales to The Switch to cover operational expenses such as rent and utilities.
In addition to the sale of the artists’ works, The Switch is involved in community outreach. In conjunction with HPMS, The Switch helped kick off the “Save The Square” initiative that raised money through an online art auction and direct donations to support 12 local businesses that were not otherwise able to secure PPP funding and awarded them with $500 checks. Other programming includes monthly open-mic nights, in-person kid-friendly art experiences, and paint parties for both kids and adults.
Dotti Baker (landscape oil painter) and Diane Hendershott (multi-media artist who creates jewelry, masks, birdhouses, mittens, and more) are responsible for the day-to-day operations of The Switch. Dotti, with help from Adina Troen Krasnow, is the creative vision behind the window displays at The Switch, which are changed every 4-6 weeks and depict either a holiday theme (4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Easter) or a design for the various seasons of the year. These beautiful window displays provide the visual welcome that makes the Switch such an inviting place to visit. Stop by The Switch Co-op soon; you will be pleasantly surprised at all the treasures this space has to offer!
Visit the The Switch Co-op website for more information.
Past We Noticed! Recipients:
January 2019: Rincon Caribeño Restaurant
April 2019: Parkway Cleansing Company
July 2019: Christie Dustman & Company
October 2019: Central Paint & True Value
January 2020: Grew Elementary School
April 2020: Cappy's Pizzeria
July 2020: Essence of Thyme & Cravings (ETC.)
October 2020: Antonio's Bacaro
January 2021: Boston Prep
April 2021: Coffee Break Cafe
October 2021: Dress With Confidence