Homegrown

Harvest Extends Its Reach in JP

With a new Forest Hills location, Harvest Co-op continues its commitment to local products and community.

  Since its beginnings in 1991, Harvest Co-op has been investing in its members’ commitment to organic and local food, and putting savings back in their wallets. With a new location on Washington Street in Jamaica Plain—it’s been up-and-running since Dec. 12 and a grand opening celebration is scheduled for Jan. 16—that commitment continues to grow and membership at all three locations is nearing 4,000. This comes on the heels of a move for the store in Central Square, Cambridge. Chris Durkin, director of membership and community relations, took some time to talk about the expansion, why JP is such a good fit for Harvest, and the role of a co-op in a community. The following is a condensed and edited version of that conversation. Why did …

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Homegrown

Hatched Owner Liz Vittori Koch on Eco-Friendly Clothes and Toys

Green Street's Hatched says it was the first brick-and-mortar store in New England to carry cloth diapers, and caters to a clientele seeking organic, sustainable clothing and toys for newborns to age 8.

When Liz Vittori Koch had her first baby, she began thinking more about organic fiber clothing for children—and where and how these clothes are made. At the time, there were no stores specializing in these kinds of textiles. Tapping into her experience running an art gallery and in retail, Vittori Koch decided to change that. In 2005 she opened Hatched, a Green Street shop featuring toys and clothes made of eco-friendly and organic materials, and the first store in New England to sell cloth diapers. And as her family has grown—her son is now 8 and daughter 5 ½—so has the store’s target clientele; once a baby store, it now features products for newborn to 8 years. Vittori Koch, a JP resident, took the time to talk about why organic is …

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Business Leaders Welcome Whole Foods

Across the spectrum, business leaders range from cautiously optimistic to downright enthusiastic about the arrival of Whole Foods to Hyde Square.

Local business leaders' reaction to Whole Foods coming to JP ranged from cautious optimism to downright enthusiasm. When asked what effect Whole Foods move onto the Hi-Lo site will have on the residential real estate market in its immediate vicinity, Valerie Schecter, owner of JP Rentals, in business here for 28 years and a specialist on the residential side of the market put it eloquently and simply. "I don't see it changing anything," she said. "I mean if you look at real estate values in that neighborhood, they're already, you know, over the top.  It's all happened already. Whole Foods is following a demographic; it's not creating one."  Although Jose Duran, executive director of the Jamaica Plain-based Hispanic Office of Planning …

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