by Dick Matulis

The year celebrating the Roslindale Board of Trade’s 80th birthday closed with a flourish at the Sons of Italy Hall on Tuesday, December 12. Members and their guests were greeted with lively renditions of favorite tunes played by the band Common Ground.

Food for the tasty and substantial buffet was supplied by MJ’s Subs & Pizza, Bangkok Café, and Café Apollonia. It was served on tables bearing linens provided by Linens by Alice and featuring floral arrangements by Cookie and Stephanie Mourkakous of This ’N That Florists. Participants were treated to an anniversary cake from A.

Boschetto’s Bakery and a champagne toast courtesy of Tremont Credit Union, one of the Board’s newest members.

Danny Titisuttikul, proprietor of Bangkok Café, performed a Thai classical dance for happiness, wearing colorful native ceremonial garb reminiscent of the costumes from the musical “The King and I.” A raffle featuring many excellent prizes was held, with the special assistance of Judie Leon and Bob Norberg, together with other Committee members.

Officers who had served on the Board in the past were then recognized.

Board members were congratulated for having manned the Salvation Army holiday kettles which the Village Market had graciously permitted to reside on its grounds. The Roslindale Food Pantry was given a generous donation, and the Board members once again distributed Christmas gifts to pupils at ABCD Head Start on Corinth Street.

After the January meeting, many Board members participated at an 8:00 a.m. breakfast meeting held on February 6 at the Sons of Italy Hall.

Dubbed “The Roslindale Business Networking Breakfast,” the event featured Mayor Thomas M. Menino who addressed the excellent turnout.

All partook of an ample breakfast buffet.

Roslindale Village Main Street (“RVMS”) president Charles McCarthy reminisced about the day when then City Councilor Menino had introduced the concept of RVMS at a meeting at Saint Nectarios’ Hall. The embryonic program eventually spread across the Nation. The Mayor himself reminisced about the spillage from an underground oil tank at the current site of the Roslindale Village Market. About nine years ago, the City of Boston underwrote the cleanup costs and changed the specifications for the proposed market. In turn, the market became the catalyst for future development in the Village area.

Sullivan’s Pharmacy under Greg Laham was lauded for its role in developing the medical building, as well as the pharmacy that serves so many. The Greater Roslindale Health Center under Barbara Lottero was singled out for its new location opposite Taft Hill Terrace. A future optometry department is planned for the Center. It will provide an added service to its many patients.

Historian Curtis Wilkie, RVMS member, gave an excellent slide presentation, featuring a great deal of statistical data generated by MIT students who conducted a special research project on Roslindale Village. Mr. Wilkie, a transplanted Roslindale resident, spoke of how several fine restaurants have added to the business traffic of the area. The survey pointed out that six of the most utilized businesses in the area were relatively new and that eight of the ten most utilized were food-related.

News of the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s interest in developing the former MBTA power plant at the corner of Washington Street and Cummins Highway was confirmed. Improvements on the old Municipal Building across from the power plant are in progress and the new owners of the defunct Ashmont Discount are at the drawing board, developing a plan for the businesses they plan to locate there. Senator Marian Walsh and City Councilor Rob Consalvo were also present, as was the new Area E Commander, Police Captain James Hasson. A plethora of entrepreneurs representing a myriad of business establishments in the area were provided with the opportunity to introduce themselves and to comment briefly on their businesses. Most of the feedback was positive.

Other presentations included one on Environmental Graphics, as well as one on a community college program designed to reward business participants, their customers, and the charities of their choice. The following five keys for development were noted: cleanliness; image; storefront revitalization; redevelopment of blighted areas; and business recruitment and expansion.

Two hours had passed since the breakfast meeting had commenced and over fifty percent of attendees were still present, giving rise to the old saying, “Who is minding the store?” One answer as to why everyone had stayed away from work for so long may have been that not only were most of the top traffic generators of business food-related, but also that the informative program put together by RVMS staffers was generating a great deal more “food for thought.”