Pazzo Blog recently reported that Roslindale Square discount emporium Jax Liquidation Outlets is, well, liquidating. We were more than a little sad to hear this news. See, we lived in Roslindale between the ages of two and eleven and then moved to other parts of the city before our mom bought a house in Rozzy when we were nineteen. During the first set of the Roslindale years, the Square was all about places like Jax: cheap, filled with senior citizens, and the polar opposite of trendy. When we moved back, we were shocked! All of the sudden, Rozzy had two bookstores! A wine shop! Bistros! On balance, we’re certainly very happy with the new Roslindale Square, but it’s very nice to have reminders of the old one and of our childhood. Also, we have been very fond of purchasing $3 shoes at Jax.
Speculation about what will go in the giant Jax space is, as you might imagine, hot. Tom from Pazzo reports that the owner of the space wants the whole thing to be occupied by one tenant. Although Tom speculates that this could leave the Square open to, say, a Staples, we’d certainly prefer something more food oriented to truly cement Roslindale’s burgeoning reputation as a foodie destination.
The space is probably too big for a restaurant that isn’t a chain (and, as tight as it would be to have a Bertucci’s in Rozzy Square, we’d rather see the neighborhood keep its independent character). A supermarket would be redundant, since the space is almost next door to the Village Market (although it is worth noting that the VM could probably benefit from some competition). Really, our dream would be to see the old Jax building developed in the manner of New York’s Essex Street Market: a home for different food purveyors of all sorts of delicious goods, maybe with a small cafe in the front.
What about you? What would you like to see in the old Jax space?
The Future of Jax [Pazzo Blog]
[Photo: Citysquares]
