i would not like to see another hair salon, mediocre pizza/chinese place, barber shop, convenience store or nail salon. i would love to have a banh mi/pho take out spot.
i'll second the suggestion of an italian restaurant. but, for any of this to happen commercial real estate must decrease in price. with asking prices for leases being what they are, i suspect many of these empty storefronts are going to sit vacant for a long time to come. wouldn't it be better to see them filled at a more reasonable price than make no money?

A family friendly coffee shop. Somewhere to sit with coffee/lunch and have enough room for strollers/kids. Would be great to have a sectioned off toy area too. I've seen it work so well in other towns, and there's so many parents with young kids in JP. if only I had the money to invest in it, I'd set it up myself...!

A butcher shop? What about Meatland?

I second the suggestion for a vegetarian/vegan spot with gluten free options. Also a movie theatre! The other thing we always end up going out of town for but wished we didn't have to is a good used book store and nice office supplies.

I would love to see a real YMCA or any AFFORDABLE health clup option. I drive to farther out YMCAs (because they are beautiful) and i wish they would have one here that has the same space/machines.

Yes! LOVE the vegetarian restaurant idea, and the 'diner' type place to get some inexpensive eggs and coffee. I miss that about NYC! Cheap breakfast everywhere.

I for one would love to see an additional affordable grocery store option - particularly closer to the Parkside neighborhood around Green Street / Amory / Washington Street. The only grocery options in JP are overpriced co-ops, overpriced Whole Foods, and ONE Stop and Shop in Jackson Square (not particularly convenient to JP as a whole). I think a store in the mold of a Trader Joe's would be a value add to the community.

Market Basket. Community run food Co-op like in Dorchester. Italian sit down. Cafe with ample space to sit and meet people, or read (similar to Diesel's size in Davis). Vacant space prices are way overpriced in the vicinity, hoping to see more incentives for small business owners that keep money in the city/region.

I am surprised myself, but I am finding that Whole Foods is, in many instances, less expensive than Roche Bros, Harvest and Stop and Shop. That being said, there needs to be a more affordable option: I'd like to see a market like Russo's in Watertown come in. Their produce is fresh and inexpensive, they also have a deli, cheese department, bakery, prepared foods/catering department, stunning fresh cut flowers, plants plus lots of nice specialty ingredients spanning many, many cultures.

Anything affordable to us middleclassers who are not eligible for food stamps yet can't afford a $17.00 jar of honey at the local farmer's market.

How about a new bookstore in the style of Brookline Booksmith or an art supply store or an athletic supply store like Marathon Sports for all the artistic Jamaica Pond running bibliophiles out there?

A CANDLEPIN BOWLING ALLEY

Would love a sit down vietnamese restaurant with banh mi, bun, pho, etc. Even a take out place would be great.

And I like the candlepin bowling alley idea. Maybe it could have a room for people to play board games, cards, etc. Drinks, coffee, and food as well.