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Articles from The Beantown Bloggery

Bob Cramer - Serial CEO 2007-12-24 09:08:00 I always get a little excited when I'm reading a regular magazine (not one that's Boston-focused) and then the article ends up taking place in Boston. Yes, I'm weird like that.So imagine how happy I was when I read the latest issue of Inc Magazine (a magazine about entrepreneurship) and the cover story was on Bob Cramer - a Boston resident. I like to consider myself a fledgling entrepreneur and it's inspirational to read stories like the one on Mr. Cramer.The article covers Cramer's attempts to get VC funding for a company called Nimbit that he was helping out while juggling offers from VCs to run companies they had invested in. I got a taste of the VC game when I did the 50K competition while I was in school at MIT (I hear they've since increased it to 100K). I won't ruin the ending for you because I think it's a worthwhile article to read for any of you out there that want to work in start ups. Click (here) to read the article for yourself.Know of Any Interesting Boston N ...

Paradise Rock Club To Be Sold 2007-12-22 14:04:00 I've seen a fair number of concerts over the years at the Paradise Rock Club. It's a decent venue - fairly T accessible. The Globe is reporting today that the current owner, Lyons Group, is going to be selling the Paradise Rock Club. Local bar entrepreneur Joe Dunne is partnering with LiveNation to make the purchase. With backing from such a big concert-promotion company I'm sure that the future holds some really great concerts for the ParadiseThe Lyons Group, run by entrepreneur Patrick Lyons, operates several entertainment facilities in Boston including the club Avalon, which is now undergoing a major renovation and expansion on Lansdowne Street.The official said a purchase and sale agreement has been signed and a transfer of the liquor license from Lyons to the new owners is pending approval.Dunne owns Lir, a restaurant and bar on Boylston Street in the Back Bay, and McGann's Pub, a bar and restaurant in the Bulfinch Triangle near North Station that is outfitted like an Irish ...

Equinox Holiday Sale - Join By 12/31 2007-12-22 13:32:00 New Years is only a little over a week away. Crazy right? And then it'll be 2008. And all the New Years Resolutions will be made. I'm sure all the gyms are banking on it. Anyhoo, Equinox is having another promo sale where they'll waive the initiation fee if you join by December 31st.EquinoxBack Bay131 Dartmouth St.617.578.8918Offer expires 12.31.07. Valid for Select and Regional Access Memberships only. Special pricing available for All Access Memberships. Certain restrictions apply.Let me know if you'd like a copy of the email and I will forward it to you. Also, there's the member referral promo at the Sports Club LA for those that are interested (here).Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ...

Alpha Omega - Followup 2007-12-21 10:24:00 Yesterday it was only on the front page of the Business section of the Globe. Today it's Front Page news. It looks like Alpha Omega might be declaring bankruptcy and perhaps the assets will be sold off by the bank.Financial documents reviewed by the Globe show Handa's debts were mounting, and yesterday his lawyer said Handa's bank had taken possession of the assets at his upscale jewelry stores, which were closed for business five days before Christmas.Middlesex County records show Handa remortgaged his house and a second piece of property he owned about a dozen times in the last 11 years, often for million-dollar-plus sums."Raman is quite ill, but he's been in touch with people at his company and with the company's attorneys by e-mail and we've talked to him on the phone as well," said his lawyer, Richard E. Mikels."I will admit that it's a little suspicious that the owner and his entire family have left the country due to his illness at the same time that his business is go ...

Newbury TGIF = Papa Razzi 2007-12-21 09:56:00 I can still vaguely remember when the TGIF on Newbury Street went out of business - I believe it was several years ago. I always wondered why it had lain vacant for so long - isn't restaurant space on Newbury St a prime location? Look at 279A Newbury (here). They've gone through at least five iterations in the past seven years.Anyway, Back Bay Restaurant Group has taken over the space and announced that they're relocating Papa Razzi over to the new space at the corner of Newbury and Exeter. No word yet on what the former Papa Razzi location will be turned into after the relocation - but most likely it'll remain some sort of restaurant.BBRG is working on purchasing the liquor license from the old Armani Cafe to transfer to their new Newbury location, so that the old Papa Razzi can keep theirs. Here's a little who's who in the Boston restaurant world. The Back Bay Restaurant Group owns: Papa Razzi, Joe's American Bar & Grill, Bouchee, Abe & Louie's, Atlantic Fish Co ...

Alpha Omega In Financial Trouble? 2007-12-20 13:36:00 There's an article in today's Globe reporting that the luxury jewelry/watch chain Alpha Omega may be in a bit of financial trouble. Like they always say, "Never judge a book by it's cover." I always thought Alpha Omega was a wildly successful jewelry chain. But then again, with all the hub-bub about us going into a recession, I guess no one has extra cash laying around for a Rolex or a Vertu phone.According to a report on Boston Magazine's website, Raman Handa returned to his native India with his family on Saturday after several weeks of rumors about his business's financial health.... a salesperson at one store, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that workers were called together by their manager after they clocked out on Tuesday and told "something is going on" and "in a couple of days we will find out if we are going to have new owners or if the stores will be closed."Alpha Omega has been around in Boston/Cambridge since 1980. Whether the rumors are true or not, Good ...

Boston's Best Hot Chocolate 2007-12-20 10:59:00 Citysearch just emailed me a list of what they have determined to be the top five best places for hot chocolate. On this particular list, I've been to Burdick and Caffe Vittoria - I would agree that Burdick is the best - I like to have half white chocolate / half milk chocolate when I order hot chocolate at Burdick. L.A. Burdick52 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA Chocoholics come from all over the city to sample this Harvard Square favorite's drinks. By using real ground chocolate (customers choose between dark, ivory and milk), Burdick's produces a rich, thick hot chocolate. TIP: For the ultimate chocolate rush, opt for the milk chocolate variety. Paris Creperie ...

Sip & Shop at Whim - Tonight & Tomorrow 2007-12-20 10:40:00 There's two beverages that keep us working folk going (and probably college students too) - that would be coffee and alcohol. One for those painful mornings and one for those late nights (which end up in painful mornings). What happens when you combine the two? You get Starbucks Liqueurs. Never had any myself, but I bet it's pretty tasty. Whim Boutique (253 Newbury) and Starbucks Liqueurs are teaming up for two after hours Sip & Shop events tonight and tomorrow night 7pm-9pm. Click on the image below to get more details. According to Reader Holly - Whim is now offering 30% off everything in the store and guests enjoy complimentary cocktails and gifts!This is a good opportunity to finish up some of that last minute Christmas shopping. Free booze is also a nice perk.Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ... Amp

Sexy Santa Lingerie Show - 12/19 2007-12-19 11:49:00 Happy Hump Day everyone! Halfway through the week and hitting the home stretch until the Christmas holidays. There's really no better motivator to make it through the day than the promise of hot women and alcohol.The Place (2 Broad Street) is hosting the Sexy Santa Lingerie Show tonight 12/19 starting at 10pm.This is the biggest night this year! The most drop-dead beautiful girls in Boston showing off the hottest new product line of sexy lingerie from Kiss Me Lingerie!!I'm not sure I'll be able to attend, It's been two solid weeks of late night conference calls with folks in Asia for me, but for any of you that do plan on attending - have a shot for me. And then send me photos of the fashion show tomorrow. =)Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ...

NonBoston - Jamie Lynn Spears Pregnant 2007-12-19 11:34:00 I know this isn't Boston related (although there was a blurb in the Boston Globe about it this morning) but I'm just curious to know what you guys think.Britney Spears' 16 yr old younger sister has announced to the world via OK Magazine that she is three months pregnant. My question is not why did she choose to announce it publicly like that, because I know that answer - MONEY. My question is this: Her boyfriend is 19 years old. Shouldn't he be in jail?Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ...

Denzel Washington at Harvard Tonight - 12/18 2007-12-18 10:56:00 Denzel Washington is going to be in town tonight for a special screening of his new movie "The Great Debaters." According to the Harvard Crimson, he will be attending a black-tie premiere at the Carpenter Center on Dec. 18 (here).The Great Debaters tells the the true-to-life events of Wiley College during 1935 - the year the debate team from the all-black Texas school took on a prestigious white university to become the first black college to win the National Championship (here). I don't think this is the type of event that us normal folk would have been able to get tickets to, but if you know any Harvard students, their was apparently a lottery for students to get tickets. Per usual, though, if you go to the usual celebrity haunts like the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton, or Boston Public, etc you might be able to see him.Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ...

Christmas Celtic Sojourn Snow Passes 2007-12-17 14:19:00 How has the weather been impacting you? Last Thursday, my flight to Chicago was canceled due to the snowstorm and then yesterday I had the bright idea to walk to the Border's Bookstore in Downtown Crossing to buy a book. Between the rain and the huge puddles on the streets, I nearly drowned.In the Globe today there were a few little blurbs on how lots of concerts and shows were cancelled or postponed due to performers not being able to make it to their venues. Amongst the affected shows was the Christmas Celtic Sojourn show that I blogged about earlier (here).As a result, they're adding a show this week and giving Snow Passes to those that missed the show on last Thursday and yesterday due to weather.An extra show of A Christmas Celtic Sojourn with Brian O’Donovan has been added for this Thursday night (12/20) to accommodate theatergoers that couldn’t make the show yesterday and last Thursday because of the storms. Patrons with unused tickets who wish to receive snow passes f ...

Dog Rental Service Coming to Boston 2007-12-17 13:27:00 Apparently people aren't happy that FlexPetz is coming to Boston. It was frontpage news in the Globe this morning and Michael Graham was talking about it this morning on the radio. FlexPetz is a California-based dog rental company. I first read about it a little while ago when it came to New York. I'm not a pet person so I shouldn't really talk. But from my observation, it's just so much harder to have a dog up here than it was when I lived in Texas.In Texas, your dog can just run around in and out of the house year round as it pleased (if you had a doggy door). In Boston though (especially downtown) no one has a yard and it's also cold for much of the year. At my former job, a coworker of mine had a HUGE dog and she had to leave work everyday at 5pm to go walk her dog otherwise it tore her condo apart. It just seems like such a huge hassle in the city.So, in my opinion in a city like Boston, for those that travel a lot for work or just can't get home at the same time ever ...

Intimacy of Boston @ Copley Opens Today 2007-12-17 12:23:00 A new lingerie store opens today December 17th at Copley. Intimacy is a European lingerie boutique that originated in Atlanta. If my memory is correct, its store is next to Barney's in the Copley Mall.The boutique carries: La Perla, Cosabella, Lisee Charmel, Hanky Panky, etc. They also offfer a free 30 minute one-on-one fitting consultation. More info and reservations made on their official website (here).PS. If you're in the market for Hanky Panky's (the world's most comfortable thong according to the Wall Street Journal) - they sell them at Jasmine Sola. And as you probably know, everything at Jasmine Sola is on sale (here).Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ...

1000 Words - TJ Maxx Elves 2007-12-16 16:05:00 The TJ Maxx Elves & Some Random DudeDowntown CrossingClick (here) to Read MoreKnow of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ...