Flour Bakery Opens in the Back Bay

The bakery is chef Joanne Chang's fourth.

Flour Bakery + Cafe opened it's Back Bay location just after noon on Thursday and business has been booming.  "Completely killed on our first full lunch at F4 today. If u came/waited thank u for your patience+hope lunch was great. Tmrw will be better!" owner Joanne Chang-Myers tweeted Monday.  The cafe, Flour's fourth, is at 131 Clarendon St., in the former Hard Rock Cafe. Flour also has locations in Central Square, the South End and Fort Point.  The Back Bay spot seats up to 50 people, according to Eater. It will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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What Business Would You Like to See in the Back Bay in 2013?

It's a new year, and that means more opportunities for businesses to open in the neighborhood.

This year saw the opening of several great additions to the Back Bay: Georgetown Cupcakes, Pret a Manger, L.A. Burdick, Fogo de Chao and more. But let's say that for one day, you had control of all the neighborhood's businesses. You could sort through, see how many there were of each type, and decide what other new businesses should come into the Back Bay. Do you think the neighborhood needs more grocery stores, coffee shops or cafes? Or new restaurants? What about a movie theater or a new boutique?  Share your thoughts in the comments and see what your neighbors think too.  

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Newbury Street Building Sells for $27 Million

The building was bought for $2.1 million in 1996.

The four-story building that houses a Banana Republic store was sold to New York investors for $26.7 million, the Boston Herald reported.  The brick buildling, at 28 Newbury St., was bought from a trust in the name of Anastasios Parafestas that paid $2.1 million for it in 1996. The buyers are affiliated with the Century 21 Department Store chain in New York and tied to banker Joseph Safra, who lives in Brazil, the Herald reported.  The building went up for sale two months ago and drew much interest. Banana Republic will continue to operate in the building as per its lease. 

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Back Bay Salon Receives Iris Award on Behalf of Cancer Foundation

Beaucage Salon and Spa, on Newbury St., won the award for its fundraising and awareness campaign.

JP Licks Ice Cream Coming Back to Back Bay

Ice cream chain set to open new location on Boylston Street in 2013.

JP Licks will open three new locations in 2013, including one in the Back Bay. The Back Bay location is expected to open at 1106 Boylston St. Two other locations will be at Assembly Road in Somerville and 1106 Boylston Street in Lynnfield. This week, Rockland Trust announced $4.5 million in financing to help the company expand.  “Rockland Trust is excited to support the expansion of J.P. Licks,” said Michael Lindberg, First Vice President and Commercial Lending Center Manager at Rockland Trust. “This company is a beloved local institution in the Greater Boston area that is committed to serving both its customers and the community." JP Licks was established in 1981 and currently has 11 locations. JP Licks had had a shop at 352 Newbury St. …

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Eight Back Bay Businesses Named Among Boston's Best

They will appear in Boston Magazine's October issue.

Eight Back Bay businesses were named among Boston's best last week in a magazine ranking.  In its first annual "Boston's Best Businesses" list, which honors innovative small businesses and individuals making positive impacts on the community, Boston magazine recognized the following Back Bay people and companies, as chosen by a committee of their peers: The Grand Prize Winner, Dr. Elsie Levin, was awarded a year of travel for two on JetBlue; and First Prize winners, Susan and Stephen Howell, were awarded a 1979 vintage Mercedes Roadster courtesy of European Auto Solutions. "Whether it's a new technology, a company’s charitable-giving initiatives or an individual who has changed the way and industry does business in Boston, we are proud to …

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More Than 2,500 Bartenders in Boston. Beer Me.

The food service and accommodations industry makes up a serious chunk of Boston's economy.

How much do we like our hotels, restaurants and bars in Boston? Enough that the accommodation and food service industry employs nearly 50,000 people within The Hub proper.  According to data from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, hotels, bars and restaurants make up the city’s sixth-largest sector, with nearly as many workers as Boston’s legendary educational services industry. The biggest chunk of those workers handle our food—9,592 bring it to our tables, 8,580 are classified as “combined food preparation and serving workers” (such as fast food workers), and another 3,225 are designated as cooks. Another 1,958 are classified as “food preparation workers,” and 3,016 serve us our coffee. Amid all those numbers, a blessed 2,631 serve us …

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Supermarket Showdown: Where is the Cheapest Place to Buy Groceries?

We price tested seven supermarkets in the eight Boston neighborhoods Patch serves. The result? Trader Joe's is cheapest (though you won't find rotisserie chicken there.)

Supermarkets — they're big news in Boston. Last year's controversy in JP when a Whole Foods replaced a Latino market led to arrests. This year, Charlestown is embroiled in a debate about Whole Foods taking over Johnnie's Foodmaster.  At the heart of these discussions is whether we, as Bostonians, will have access to affordable food. To test prices, the Boston Patch editors each went out to various supermarkets in our respective neighborhoods on Thursday, Sept. 6. Here's our shopping list: In some cases, prices had to be approximated due to some stores not carrying a specific item (in the case of Macintosh apples) or because some stores sold certain goods by the pound while other sold it by the piece. To keep it apples-to-apples, we sought …

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Are You Planning On Buying Facebook Stock Today?

Shares in the most popular social media company go on sale today to the general public.

There's much advice out there regarding Facebook shares going on sale today after it set its initial public offering stock price at $38 per share. Some say you shouldn't buy it today. Others advise to buy early and as much as you can. While still others warn the market is rigged against small investors. So what are your plans? Does this remind you of the late '90s? Please let us know by taking this poll and commenting below.

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Boston's Ten Best Mother's Day Brunches

We asked Patch readers to name Boston's best Mother's Day brunches - here's what we found:

Taking Mom out on the town next Sunday?  Check out some of these hotspots our readers named the best Mother's Day Brunches in the Boston area.  Back Bay: Top of the Hub, 800 Boylston St. Beacon Hill: Harvard Gardens, 316 Cambridge St.  Charlestown: Warren Tavern, 2 Pleasant St. Malden: Exchange St. Bistro, 67 Exchange St. Medford: Lantana Cafe, 417 Salem St. Melrose: Bobby C's, 20 Main St. Somerville: Highland Kitchen 150 Highland Ave. South End:  Union Bar and Grille, 1357 Washington St. Stoneham: Felicia's of The North End, 423 Main St., and Montvale Plaza, 54 Montvale Ave. Wakefield: Brother's Deli, 404 Main St. 

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