Downtown Somerville's Main Street Is Moving Its Clock Earlier

Tomorrow, Friday, October 30, Salted Lime serves its last night at 46 E. Main St. That makes two long-running dinner spots downtown Somerville will have lost since summer. Yutaka Hibachi & Sushi closed at 90 W. Main St. on August 2 after almost 20 years.

The businesses that arrived or expanded on Main Street over the same months share one trait. They open in the morning or at midday. A meadery now starts serving at 7 a.m. A milkshake shop opened at the west end of the street, and a candy shop with a game room has been announced a few doors down. A bagel shop has been proposed for a long-empty corner. Taken together, downtown Somerville's daily rhythm is moving earlier. After tomorrow, the evening side of the street will have two dinner addresses waiting to see what comes next.

Two dinner rooms closing in one season

Yutaka was a BYOB hibachi and sushi restaurant at 90 W. Main St. An employee told Patch the closing came down to leasing issues and that the restaurant would not look for a new location. When Patch reported the closing in July, it was unclear what would replace the restaurant.

Salted Lime, the modern Latin restaurant at 46 E. Main St., opened in December 2018. Owner Mark Farro chose to sell the business, and he explained the decision in a social media post that Patch reported:

"Unfortunately, I have made the difficult decision to sell Salted Lime. This was not a choice I made lightly, as the restaurant business has been a big part of my life for the past 23 years."

Two details matter for anyone heading over before it closes. Guests have been asked to use any outstanding gift cards by October 30, which is tomorrow. The space will also stay a restaurant. Farro said new owners are taking over and that "it sounds like they have something fun and exciting planned for the community." As of mid-October, neither the incoming owners nor their concept had been named publicly, and the Franklin Reporter said only that another restaurant is expected at the site.

So one of the two dinner rooms has a successor with no public name, and the other had no announced successor when Patch last reported on it.

Meanwhile, the new arrivals start before lunch

At Middlemist Honey Wine & Cider, 30 E. Main St., the change happened inside a business that was already there. Middlemist calls itself Somerset County's first meadery, and it added a specialty coffee program and began opening at 7 a.m. Co-founder Ilija Melentijevic announced the change in a piece he wrote for TAPinto Somerville in August.

"We've always believed that great gathering spaces shouldn't only come alive after 5:00 PM," Melentijevic wrote there.

Seth Jay-Choynake runs the coffee program. He is a Somerville native whose coffee career started in 2015 at Dragonfly Café on Main Street. The menu uses beans from regional roasters and local honey. Two drinks were singled out as early favorites, the Honey Nut Latte and the Honey Cinnamon Churro Latte. The earlier hours also open the room to daytime events. Middlemist listed open mics, mahjong and pilates as examples, alongside its evening trivia and live music. In August, coffee was available during limited morning hours, with full coffee service described as coming soon, so check the current schedule before planning a morning visit.

At the other end of Main Street, MilkShake Factory opened its first Somerset County location at 189 W. Main St. Patch reported a soft opening by late April, and the shop followed with a grand opening on Saturday, June 20. Over the summer, its location page listed hours of noon to 10 p.m. daily, and it's best to confirm those before you go.

Four storefronts to watch this winter

The next few months will settle the rest of the street. These are the addresses most likely to change.

1. The Candy House, 30 W. Main St. This shop was announced in August. It plans to sell classic and nostalgic candy, gourmet chocolate, drinks, toys and gifts, plus "Game Room Fun" and an event space for birthday parties. As of the Patch report, no opening date had been announced. Updates are posted at thecandyhousenj.com. It sits at 30 West Main, not East Main, so it is a separate building from Middlemist.
2. Bagel Nosh at Main and Bridge streets. A Bagel Nosh has been proposed for the former Mike's Courtside Kitchen, and the plan was scheduled to go before the zoning board on July 8, MyCentralJersey reported.
3. 46 E. Main St. Salted Lime's dining room passes to new owners after October 30, and their name and concept had not been announced as of mid-October.
4. 90 W. Main St. The former Yutaka space closed August 2, and what would replace it was unclear when the closing was reported.

The two proposals with a known concept are a candy shop with a game room and a bagel shop. Both are daytime, family-oriented formats, which extends the same trend. The two dinner addresses are the ones without a public plan.

Main Street, address by address

The holiday calendar runs through the same blocks

The downtown calendar for the rest of the year falls mostly in daylight too, so these dates are the first holiday season for the newer storefronts.

Thursday, October 29. The Downtown Somerville Alliance's Halloween Spooktacular runs today from 4 to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, November 11. The Borough of Somerville holds its Veterans Day Ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine, at Somerset County Veterans Plaza on Grove Street between Main and High. Grove Street will close during the program.

Thursday, November 26. The 11th annual Somerville 5K Turkey Trot is on Thanksgiving Day, and TAPinto Somerville has the registration notice.

Saturday, November 28. The Downtown Somerville Alliance hosts Small Business Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with shopping, giveaways, live entertainment and community activities around downtown.

Friday, December 4. The Downtown Somerville Holiday Jubilee runs from 5 to 9 p.m. and includes the annual tree lighting. It starts on Division Street and spreads through downtown, with live entertainment, in-store surprises at participating businesses, trolley rides and a visit from Santa. Free Santa photos follow the tree lighting at United Reformed Church. The Alliance asks visitors to park only in designated public lots and posts a parking map for the night.

The Alliance's events calendar is the place to check for additions to the downtown schedule.

If you have a Salted Lime gift card, use it by tomorrow night at 46 E. Main St.

I'm Beth Harding, and I follow Somerset County's downtowns closely. If you're wondering how changes like these on Main Street might affect a home you own nearby or one you're considering, schedule your free consultation and we'll talk it through.