Wahyd of Manifest has an original idea for saving the Out of Town News landmark at the heart of Harvard Square.
Toward a Happier New Year on Harvard Square
7 responses to “Toward a Happier New Year on Harvard Square”
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I like Wahyd’s idea – it would have to be a boutique service, without the excess that characterizes the present Out of Town News offerings.
It would no longer *be* OoTN, obviously. If OoTN is, oh, Galerie Printemps or Kaufhaus des Westens or Bloomingdale’s right now (something for everyone), the new incarnation would be a specialty boutique, based on existing consumer demand (*but without all the serendipity of finding something completely different from what you were looking for, perhaps*).
But it’s still the case that the new format could morph and grow eventually. Serendipity *is* (or should be) built into markets – maybe into the mature ones. That is, it doesn’t happen in the new formats overnight – it has to grow, get cultivated (imo).
Regardless, trying to bring print-on-demand *to the street* is a really interesting idea.
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[…] Doc Searls writes that Out Of Town News on Harvard Sq in Cambridge is going out of business on January 1. […]
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[…] TO AN ICON Doc Searls writes that Out Of Town News on Harvard Sq in metropolis is feat discover of playing on Jan […]
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Wish you all a Happy New Year in advance.
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Doc, FWIW it sounds like the icon will retain its soul under new ownership – City of Cambridge has 11 bidders to take over the property, bids to be opened on January 8. See http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/business/x776478317/Former-Harvard-Square-newsstand-owner-wants-his-business-back
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[…] Berkman Center is taking a break from public events for the month of August. This is where I met Doc Searls and Arno Grbac during a presentation by Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora. (Find the interview on […]
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Hi Doc,
Looks like Conde’ Nast finally got it…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/business/media/25mag.html?ref=business
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