What burns me greatly is when someone does something stupidly, which will, in the end, hurt them; and then we’re all supposed to ignore it so we won’t hurt their feelings, or offend them or make them mad.
It’s still stupid,
And will hurt them in the end.
Are we not worse than devils knowing their end and doing nothing to stop them!?!
I’m speaking about businesses here in Newburyport that want to disregard our culture, our geography, and worst of all, our history.
Stupid.
Remember River Merrimac Bar & Grille? Merrimac are the indians who once lived in this region; Merrimack is the river. Duh! I don’t care how fancy the food or elegant the bar – I wouldn’t eat there out of sheer embarrassment! And a lot of other people agreed with me.
Then there are the business plans designed for self-destruction. My beloved 10 Center Street – first they sold the historic booths out of the bar area, then they stripped the history out of a restaurant that was supposed to celebrate Newburyport until there was just one 8-1/2″ x 11″ historic picture. (by the kitchen door) People come because of the historic and romantic feel of the city and when they came to the restaurant, modernity, and so they left with ’emptiness’.
Then Nix comes along and tries to outdo their stupidity and whitewashed the brick. Duh, it’s the brick that drew them to the city with all its romantic setting. When they opened, I vowed I would boycott them and predicted they would fail.
Am I bad for seeing the obvious, and predicting the inevitable?
So, what I am about to say is not out of cruelty but out of concern for my beloved 10 Center Street. I want the Wolfes to succeed. The idea, as offered by many in town, that they use this opportunity to call their new restaurant Wolfe’s Tavern; has been spurned.
It was the beloved Wolfe’s Tavern that was once located at Threadneedle Alley and then moved up to where the present parking lot is across from the Institution of Savings. It’s destruction was the spark that started the Historic Preservation Movement in Newburyport which has given us such a beautiful downtown and the reason for the preservation of the Newburyport Historic District. By using their name and keying into that history, they would have been guaranteed to be an institution for decades to come.
Instead they’re going to go the way of the Dodo Bird and call it Wolfey’s like it’s some Southy Bar in Boston!
In the end, they will lose out, the bank that foolishly financed them will lose out, and alas; those who live here will lose out.
I want them to succeed. The food may be great, the service phenomenal and the owners will have the very best intent; but it will all be in vain.
They have a great opportunity to make their place an awesome institution and all because they have the last name of Wolfe. Can they not see this before their eyes?
Change the name to Wolfe Tavern and prosper in historic Newburyport.
The one good thing is, they have until the Fall when they are to open to change their mind.
-P. Preservationist
http://www.ppreservationist.com
Brick and Tree 
These newcomers have no idea what you are talking about. Posting on the Internet now will not help them to get educated. Perhaps a phone call, a letter, a face to face meeting with the owners? Ten center street is indeed an historical business. Nix didn’t work out. They could not compete with restaurants that were successful for years. Bankruptcy. They refused to be a part of this historical city.
Boom!