The long-dormant Widoff's Bakery building in Worcester's Canal District will see it's first tenant move in this September after more than two years of inactivity.
Building owner Edward Murphy confirmed that the Team Link Gym will move into approximately 5,000 square feet on the second floor of the historic bakery building. Team Link will feature Muay Thai classes, in addition to several other combat sport and strength training lessons. Widoff's closing in 2015 dealt a major blow to the Worcester and the Canal District neighborhood. The legendary bakery had been serving bread and pastries on Water Street since 1907 and was one of the few remaining links to the Canal District's past as a neighborhood where people bought their meat, cheese and bread. Click here for the full article: https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/2017/08/gym_owned_by_muay_thai_champio.html? Ed Murphy -- who owns the building that housed Bucky's Garage and it's neighboring building, which was the former location of The Perfect Game -- came close to demolishing the building, but after connecting with King he decided her restaurant would be a perfect fit, King said.
She was introduced to the neighborhood and location by Amy Chase, who owns the Crompton Collective. Chase, Murphy and other business owners have been instrumental in convincing pastry shop with a huge following to move to Worcester. With the new home on Water Street, King hopes to capitalize on the increased foot traffic and high level of community involvement in the Canal District. And from her discussions with the local business owners, it looks like Queen's Cups is poised to be a good fit for the neighborhood. Click here for the full article: https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/2017/07/take_a_first_look_inside_the_n.html Two shuttered Water Street buildings are receiving a second life under Worcester developer Ed Murphy, who is currently renovating 16 luxury apartments units and retail spaces on 64 and 56 Water St.
64 Water St. was the home of Perfect Game, a popular bar catering to the sports and boneless wing crowd. The bar closed in September. Days after Perfect Game closed, Murphy, who already owned 64 Water St., purchased Bucky's auto garage right next door, on 56 Water St. Murphy is already renovating the empty buildings and shopping around for new tenants to move in and revitalize the block. His developments in Worcester have been a driver for the renaissance of dining and development occurring in downtown. Click here for the full article: https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/2017/04/16_apartments_and_up_to_four_r.html WORCESTER -- The Canal District music series is bringing its biggest act yet tonight, and is hoping to attract more than 1,000 people to Kelley Square for free music and food trucks at 6:30 p.m.
Neighboring businesses that sponsor the event have managed to book Howie Day, whose 2004 hit "Collide" rose to number 20 in the Billboard Hot 100, and has more than 20 million views on Youtube. Ed Murphy, who owns real estate in the Canal District, is the first to admit that the acts the music series can attract are not always hit-makers, but when they first pitched the idea to local business sponsors they also did not expect to raise more than $25,000 in just eight weeks. "It started out as this idea to get little rinky-dink local bands to put on a show on Wednesdays," Murphy said. "This was all put together in about eight weeks, which says a lot about what the businesses in Worcester are willing to do to help out." Click here for the full article: https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/2016/08/howie_day_performs_in_worcester_canal_district_concert.html For the Worcester Renaissance to work, everyone needs to work together.
That's according to Ed Murphy, manager of the Baystate Investment Fund, which currently owns the former home of the Widoff Bakery that closed after 100 years of operation. Murphy recently posted renderings of potential renovations to the space at 129 Water Street on his Facebook page. Baystate Investment has spent the past year deliberating what to do with the site. "We've been reluctant to rent to nightclubs and bars. We could've rented it 10 times over to those places," Murphy said. "Everybody has to be responsible. We talk to tenants every day, and we say no more than we say yes. We don't want someone undercapitalized to come in or a cheap build out. There's demand, and we're fortunate we can hold out." Click here for the full article: https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/2016/07/owners_of_former_widoffs_baker.html WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A Worcester bakery is closing its doors for good after serving treats and baked goods since 1907.
The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/1g4YTfh ) reports that Widoff’s Bakery closed Saturday after owner Mark Picard called off an unsuccessful GoFundMe campaign to raise money to replace vital equipment and fix the roof. Widoff’s shut down for three days in June following complications involving the city and state health inspectors. Picard says he was experiencing problems with the bakery’s ovens when he launched the failed $100,000 GoFundMe page. A last-ditch effort to save the bakery was made by Edward Murphy, who purchased the 19,000-square foot building that houses Widoff’s on July 16. Murphy says he wasn’t planning on Widoff’s going out of business so soon and hopes another bakery takes the space. Click here for the full article: https://www.apnews.com/5ee7cc1eb0e94da1ba53ee7568a4388c WORCESTER – Widoff’s Bakery, a city institution dating back to 1907, closed for good over the weekend.
The bakery, which shut down for three days in June to address problems found by city and state health inspectors, closed Saturday after owner Mark Picard experienced problems with the bakery’s ovens. The business had been struggling to address the inspection issues and in June launched a $100,000 GoFundMe campaign to raise money to fix its roof and buy new equipment. That online campaign was unsuccessful, however. At the time, then-co-owner Joey Ducas of Sutton told the Telegram & Gazette the business had been struggling for some time. Between June and this weekend, Mr. Ducas had stepped away from owning the bakery, according to Worcester lawyer Jonathan Finkelstein. Mr. Finkelstein said he had been helping Mr. Picard manage the business for the last several weeks. “We had been closed too often in the past few months because of a number of items ... so we had to make a decision,” Mr. Finkelstein explained. One last-ditch effort to save Widoff’s was made by the building’s new owner, Edward J. Murphy, principal of the limited liability corporation Baystate Investment Fund Inc. Baystate purchased the 19,000-square foot building at 121-129 Water St. for $550,000 on July 16, according to the Worcester Registry of Deeds. Click here for the full article: https://www.telegram.com/article/20150721/NEWS/150729849 WORCESTER - Conceived as an idea in Three G’s Sportsbar on Millbury Street some 25 years ago by a group of local business owners and stakeholders, the Canal District is now flourishing into one of the more energetic and thriving commercial districts in the city.
An area that used to be known more for its vacant buildings, empty storefronts and crime problems, the Canal District today is riding the wave of a revival that has brought new life to that part of the city in the form of new businesses and a lot more foot traffic. Property owners have spruced up the appearance of their buildings through the city’s facade improvement program, while the city has made a significant investment as well, using federal dollars obtained by U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, to make a number of sidewalk and street improvements. “There’s a lot of good things happening here,” said Mayor Joseph M. Petty during a walking tour he led through the Canal District Tuesday afternoon. “This area is really taking off by itself. It isn’t because of government but rather because of the private investments that have been made by the business owners here. When you look at all the investment they have made, they certainly deserve a lot of the credit for what is happening here.” The Vernon Theatre -- a long-closed silent-movie theater once eyed by a group of local film and theater buffs for renovation and revival -- will likely be converted into apartments by its new owner.
That is a disappointment to a group of local filmmakers and theater performers, who had hoped to convert the space into a community gathering spot where films could be shown, plays could be seen, and poets and writers could discuss their work. In 2013, the group, led by Barbara Guertin, a Worcester producer, actress, founder of American Classic Theater and co-founder of the local theater group ACT IV, had a plan to bring live theater performances back to the Vernon. But it was apparently not to be. Edward J. Murphy, principal of a limited liability corporation called Baystate Investment Fund, Inc., purchased the building at 1 Kelley Square and an adjacent 50-car parking lot for $1 million. Click here for the full article: https://www.telegram.com/article/20140824/COLUMN73/308249955 |
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