Say It Ain’t So: Out of Town News to Close
We love our friends at the Cambridge Chronicle, but they’re breaking our hearts with their report that Harvard Square’s venerable newsstand, Out of Town News, is going to close.
The lease is up at the end of November, but the city has worked out a temporary lease until the end of January so the building’s owner can put out a bid for a new business. There’s talk of setting up a bike rental service in the building, which is nice. We guess.
But what about our needs? Where will we pick up exotic newspapers or the latest French Vogue now?
Kallol Barua, general manager of Out of Town News, said this year has been the hardest on his business. He would not confirm the closing of the newsstand, but said it is an option on the table.
“Nobody buys newspapers anymore,” he said. “People are reading everything online mostly.”
November 19th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
So sad! I worked at Out of Town in the early 90s. A great education. Some guys had been there forever. I’ll miss you OoTN.
November 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I used to work at Out of Town also, before and after Hudson News bought the place. It wasn’t the same working there after it was sold. Before it was a great mix of personalities working the store and went along with the Harvard Square vibe. Along with Tasty’s and the Pit (MBTA entrance) it gave that area a lively feeling and a place to meet/hang out.
Now all of it is going away, and it is sad. Hope everyone I worked with is doing fine, and a shout out to Fred Cohen, who was a great manager at Out of Town News.