Like nearly every “Main Street” business district in towns throughout the nation, Franklin’s downtown struggled to adapt to the rise of the regional shopping mall and strip shopping plaza. US Interstate Route 495’s opening in the 1970s pulled shoppers and businesses away from downtown Franklin to new business and retail locations along the highway’s interchanges and feeder routes.
The housing boom that transformed Franklin, MA from the mid-1980s through the 1990s accelerated the trend away from downtown Franklin as the arrival of thousands of new affluent residents spurred the development of modern shopping plazas throughout the region.
On the other hand, there are factors that continue to support the role of Franklin’s downtown as a retail and service business destination.
So explore the posts below and see what’s so encouraging about the future prospects for the downtown area of Franklin, MA.
From the category archives:
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[post_content] => The annual Franklin, MA Fourth of July Celebration is much more than a one day event – it’s something really special! Because July Fourth fell on a Monday this year, the 2011 Celebration was a five day extravaganza beginning June 30 and running through July 4. Events were held on the Franklin Town Common and throughout the Franklin, Massachusetts Downtown area.
15,000 visitors enjoy the fun
Up to 15,000 were expected to be on hand at the Celebration this year. There was lots of family fun for kids and plenty to do for teens and adults too!
Here’s a video of the July 4 Celebration at the Franklin, MA Town Common this year:
Variety of fun things to do for all ages
There was a lot of things to see and do at the 2011 July 4 Celebration.
Holiday-goers could enjoy:
carnival rides
games
live entertainment
talent contests
an elaborate fireworks display and
and a super parade.
Video of Franklin July 4 Parade
Here's a video of the 2011 July 4th Parade in Franklin, MA:
The Fourth of July Celebration in Franklin, Massachusetts is just one reason why Family Circle Magazine named Franklin one of the Top Ten Towns in the entire U.S. in which to raise a family!
[post_title] => Why the July 4 Celebration in Franklin, MA is something special
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[post_content] => The second annual Franklin, MA Holiday Stroll gets underway at 4:30 PM this Thursday, December 2, 2010. Many downtown merchants are offering Holiday cheer and some exciting specials as part of this fun, festive event.
Here are details for the highlight events of this new Franklin Holiday tradition:
Tree lighting, caroling and holiday snacks
4:30 PM, Thursday December 2
Dean College campus in front of Dean Hall
Location “A” on map
This was a lot of fun last year at the inaugural Franklin, MA Holiday Stroll.
You got to listen to live carolers, enjoy free refreshments and join an exciting countdown to the lighting of a festive Christmas tree.
Theater Troupe performances and open house
4:00 PM to 8 PM, Thursday December 2
Franklin School for the Performing Arts
38 Main Street, Franklin, MA
Location “B” on map
The Franklin School for the Performing Arts invites you to take a tour of the school, meet the facility and enjoy preview performances of the upcoming FSPA 2010 Holiday Showcase.
Learn more about this impressive performing arts school and community resource for Franklin.
Donation drop-off and open house
4:30 PM to 8 PM, Thursday December 2
Franklin MA Food Pantry
43 West Central Street
Location “C” on map
Please make a special effort to support the Franklin Food Pantry during these difficult times!
You can drop off canned food items, personal care and cleaning products and take a quick tour of the Franklin Food Pantry.
Please see what is most needed this Holiday season by downloading the Pantry’s Holiday Needs flyer.
The Food Pantry is in a small free-standing building to the rear of the Rockland Trust parking lot adjacent to parking lot for the Century 21 Real Estate/American Office Furniture building at 15 West Central Street. They’d love to say hello to you!
Holiday music and craft sale
4:30 PM to 8 PM, Thursday December 2
Franklin MA Historical Museum
80 West Central Street
Location “D” on map
Take a tour of all the exhibits at the beautiful Franklin Historical Museum in its recently-opened new location in downtown Franklin.
You’ll be treated to Holiday music and be able to browse handmade crafts and gift items just in time for Holiday gift-giving!
Visit with Santa
5 PM to 7 PM, Thursday Dec 2
Simon's Furniture
8 Summer Street
Franklin, MA 02038
Location “E” on map
The little ones will have a chance to meet Santa and sit on his lap for a chat at Simon’s Furniture in Franklin.
It’s a good opportunity to look at some quality furniture, too!
Please take advantage of the many other special offerings from participating merchants in the Franklin, MA downtown area.
Copyright ©2010 02038.com
[post_title] => Franklin, MA Holiday Stroll 2010 - highlights of upcoming events
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[post_content] => Dark clouds filled the sky, but the rain held off and the eight annual Franklin, MA Strawberry Festival was a big success last week. A later starting time (4 PM) and a new outdoor location at the downtown municipal parking lot helped increase attendance over prior years.
Paired with Third Thursday
The 2010 version of the Festival coincided with the “Third Thursday” event sponsored by Franklin Downtown Partnership, so attendees could browse outdoor displays and take advantage of specials offered by many downtown businesses.
Video of the Festival
Here's a video of the 2010 Franklin, Massachusetts Strawberry Festival:
The Festival featured live music, free games and activities for the kids, and of course strawberry shortcake!
Museum participates
The new Franklin Historical Museum got in on act with more live music and free lemonade.
The Franklin, MA Strawberry Festival in a great event for children!
Copyright ©2010 02038.com
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[post_content] => The 2010 season for the Franklin Farmers' Market kicks off Friday, June 11, 2010 at the Town Common on Main Street in Franklin, MA. The Market will be held every Friday from June 11 through Oct 29, 2010. Hours of operation are Noon - 6PM.
Support locally produced food
The Franklin Farmer’s Market features fruits and vegetables as well as breads and food items.
There are no commercially produced food items for re-sale.
Win/Win
The Franklin Farmers' Market is a win/win for local producers and the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts. The Market allows locally grown produce to be sold in a downtown setting. It helps local farmers and brings more people to the Downtown area of Franklin.
Click the hyper-link to learn more about the Franklin MA Farmers' Market.
To become a vendor
If you are interested in becoming a vendor at the Franklin Farmers' Market, you can contact Tim Garboski of Grateful Farm in Franklin.
Here is a link to a helpful site listing all farmers' markets in Massachusetts.
Copyright ©2010 02038.com
[post_title] => Franklin MA Farmers' Market starts June 11, 2010
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[post_content] => The MBTA commuter rail service on the Franklin line got a major upgrade last week with the opening of the Dolce Express coffee shop at the Downtown Franklin station.
High quality food and drink
This is not the typical muffin-and-danish-wrapped-in-plastic place you may be used to.
Dolce Express offers weary commuters many of the gourmet coffees, teas, foods and baked treats that have been pleasing palates at the Café Dolce on East Central Street in the heart of downtown Franklin, MA.
An upgrade from old Choo Choo Stop
The new coffee shop replaces the old Choo Choo Stop which closed last November. With fresh paint and new décor, Dolce Express makes the former establishment seem a bit shabby.
More than just a coffee shop
The new eatery offers an impressive menu ranging from on-the-run snacks to sit-down meals.
It makes an interesting, active spot for breakfast or lunch for anyone working in the downtown area.
Dolce Express is a wonderful addition not only to the commuter rail station, but to the general downtown area of Franklin - it will bring more life to Depot Street and is certainly not just for commuters!
Click to learn more about Franklin, MA.
Copyright ©2010 02038.com
[post_title] => Dolce Express opens at the Downtown Franklin MBTA train station
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[post_content] => Did you know that Franklin, MA used to have a street car line? Or that Main Street in the downtown area was once home to a Stop & Shop grocery store?
The above photo shows the old Franklin street car line in action in the early 1900s!
Above is the Stop & Shop on Main Street, Franklin, Massachusetts back around 1940. The store is now an anchor tenant at a large shopping mall in Franklin near Exit 17 of Route 495. The mall is just part of the wonderful shopping available to Franklin residents.
Vintage Franklin photos in new book
There are lots of Franklin facts and trivia interspersed amid a treasure trove of old photographs waiting for you in the charming new book Franklin Then and Now.
Written by Franklin resident Alan R. Earls and published by Arcadia Publishing in 2009, Franklin Then and Now is a must-own for anyone interested in the history of Franklin, MA. You can buy a copy directly from the publisher’s website or at Amazon.com, Borders.com and other book retailers.
Photos give context for familiar Franklin places
There are quite of number of 'then and now' pictures in the book. These photos give intriguing insights into why certain instantly recognizable Franklin buildings and street scenes look the way they do now.
And you may be shocked at how different Franklin was in years gone by – it is a very eye opening experience seeing photos of long-lost Franklin buildings and forgotten businesses in settings that you drive by nearly every day.
Lost buildings and the recently rural
Sadly, many of the photos in the book document the beautiful buildings in Franklin that have been lost to fire or demolition.
On the other hand you'll see some surprisingly recent photos of bucolic simplicity in Franklin where now there are strip malls and office buildings.
Click here to learn more about Franklin, Massachusetts and see quite a number of photos of Franklin taken by me over the years.
The importance of public schools in Franklin, MA
Franklin has an excellent public school system.
One thing that caught my eye in Franklin Then and Now was how large and substantial some of the old public school buildings were in Franklin.
It is instructive that these structures were gifts to the town by prominent residents.
These gifts of school buildings indicate how highly valued public education has been in Franklin in generations past.
This should give encouragement to those today who support maintaining adequate funding for a vigorous, top-performing Franklin public school system.
Copyright ©2010 02038.com
[post_title] => Rare vintage photos of Franklin, Massachusetts (MA)
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[post_content] => The Holidays got bigger and brighter this year in Franklin, MA with the addition of the Franklin Holiday Stroll, a new local Yuletide tradition. Franklin’s Holiday Stroll was inaugurated this year as a boost to the merchants in the downtown area.
The Stroll was a very successful complement to the annual Lighting of the Franklin Town Common, a cherished Holiday celebration in Franklin, Massachusetts.
Holiday video
Here’s a video covering both events:
One of the Top Ten Towns in the US
Did you know that Franklin was named by Family Circle Magazine as one of the Top Ten Places to Raise a Family – in the entire United States?
It's true!
Click the link to learn more about Franklin, Massachusetts; it’s a great place to call home!
Copyright ©2009 02038.com
[post_title] => Celebrating the Holidays in Franklin (MA) Massachusetts
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[post_content] => The Union Street Cemetery is a seemingly overlooked jewel of Franklin MA’s Downtown area. Many people drive by this parcel of land at the corner of Union and West Central Streets in Franklin, Massachusetts on an almost daily basis and don’t realize how extensive and beautiful it is.
Visit well worth the time
You can easily spend a half an hour or more walking through the grounds, reading ancient grave makers and enjoying the peace and solitude that exists right in the heart of Franklin. A visit will be well worth your time.
Famous Franklin families
Several important and influential Franklin families have plots in this cemetery, including:
Oliver Dean - founder of Dean College.
The Fletcher family– a wealthy family of Franklin whose descendants included Austin Barclay Fletcher, whose testamentary bequests helped found the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
The Ray family – a very important family in Franklin’s history. Various Ray family members gave the funds to build the Franklin Public Library, the old central fire station (since torn down and replaced with a new structure), the Gazebo at the Town Commons and also left their homes to Dean College. The impressive Ray Mansion serves as the admissions office at Dean.
Poignant reminders of man’s mortality
There are 100s of graves of less wealthy Franklin families at the Union Street Cemetery. I didn’t spend the time needed to find the oldest markers, but many grave stones date back to the early and mid 1800s.
One poignant group of graves date from 1836 to 1842 and belong to three young children of the Allen family. These children died at the tragically young ages of 9 months, 11 days and 1 day, respectively. These graves certainly make one value the benefits of modern childhood medicine.
Copyright ©2009 02038.com
[post_title] => Union Street Cemetery, Franklin, MA
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[post_content] => The graceful gazebo on the Franklin MA Town Common is getting some much-needed attention. An puzzling original design flaw is being corrected. The structure is getting a new broader roof, new electric lights, new railings and a general refurbishing.
Franklin treasure since 1918
The focal point of the summertime Concerts on the Franklin Common and several cherished annual holiday events including the July Fourth Celebration and the Holiday Lighting of the Common, the gazebo has suffered substantial deterioration over the years since it was built in 1918.
Poorly designed roof
Much of the damage stemmed from an inexplicably flawed roof design.
As outlined in an article the Milford Daily News originally published back in February, the circular roof of the gazebo was built with a too narrow radius. This left the brick and mortar base exposed to the elements.
Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing of winter ice and snow have eaten away at the gazebo base. Clay roof tiles have also broken, allowing the underlying wood structure to rot.
More photos of the work to date
Quarter million dollar job
Cost estimates back in February for making the roof larger and doing the other improvements to the gazebo totaled approximately $250,000. The expense is well worth it as it will help assure many future generations get to enjoy this wonderful Franklin, MA landmark!
Click here learn more about Franklin, Massachusetts.
Copyright ©2009 02038.com
[post_title] => Beloved gazebo on Franklin Common gets facelift
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[post_content] => Franklin, MA will benefit from $1 million in new state funding for economic development and transportation infrastructure improvements. The funds will be targeted to certain streets and the muncipal parking lot in the downtown area.
The money will be used to pay for upgrades to the sidewalks, streets and public parking in the Franklin downtown area bounded by Depot Street to Ray Street, Dean Ave and Main Street. The municipal parking lot on Depot Street will also get a facelift.
The blue shaded area on the map below shows the downtown area that will benefit from the $1 million in improvements.
View Franklin MA Downtown Improvements in a larger map
The work will take up to 2 years to complete. This project is separate from the $5 million federally-funded work to the downtown’s Route 140 streetscape.
As announced earlier this week by State Representative Jim Vallee, the funds will come from a program administered by the state’s Executive Office of Transportation and come from the state’s Public Works Economic Development program (PWED).
Copyright ©2009 02038.com
[post_title] => Franklin MA Gets $1 Million Grant
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[post_date] => 2011-07-04 09:16:50
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[post_content] => The annual Franklin, MA Fourth of July Celebration is much more than a one day event – it’s something really special! Because July Fourth fell on a Monday this year, the 2011 Celebration was a five day extravaganza beginning June 30 and running through July 4. Events were held on the Franklin Town Common and throughout the Franklin, Massachusetts Downtown area.
15,000 visitors enjoy the fun
Up to 15,000 were expected to be on hand at the Celebration this year. There was lots of family fun for kids and plenty to do for teens and adults too!
Here’s a video of the July 4 Celebration at the Franklin, MA Town Common this year:
Variety of fun things to do for all ages
There was a lot of things to see and do at the 2011 July 4 Celebration.
Holiday-goers could enjoy:
carnival rides
games
live entertainment
talent contests
an elaborate fireworks display and
and a super parade.
Video of Franklin July 4 Parade
Here's a video of the 2011 July 4th Parade in Franklin, MA:
The Fourth of July Celebration in Franklin, Massachusetts is just one reason why Family Circle Magazine named Franklin one of the Top Ten Towns in the entire U.S. in which to raise a family!
[post_title] => Why the July 4 Celebration in Franklin, MA is something special
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by Warren Reynolds on July 4, 2011
The annual Franklin, MA Fourth of July Celebration is much more than a one day event – it’s something really special! Because July Fourth fell on a Monday this year, the 2011 Celebration was a five day extravaganza beginning June 30 and running through July 4. Events were held on the Franklin Town Common and [...]
Tagged as: Franklin MA
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by Warren Reynolds on November 26, 2010
The second annual Franklin, MA Holiday Stroll gets underway at 4:30 PM this Thursday, December 2, 2010. Many downtown merchants are offering Holiday cheer and some exciting specials as part of this fun, festive event. Here are details for the highlight events of this new Franklin Holiday tradition: Tree lighting, caroling and holiday snacks 4:30 [...]
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by Warren Reynolds on June 25, 2010
Dark clouds filled the sky, but the rain held off and the eight annual Franklin, MA Strawberry Festival was a big success last week. A later starting time (4 PM) and a new outdoor location at the downtown municipal parking lot helped increase attendance over prior years. Paired with Third Thursday The 2010 version of [...]
Tagged as: Fairs & Festivals
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by Warren Reynolds on June 5, 2010
The 2010 season for the Franklin Farmers’ Market kicks off Friday, June 11, 2010 at the Town Common on Main Street in Franklin, MA. The Market will be held every Friday from June 11 through Oct 29, 2010. Hours of operation are Noon – 6PM. Support locally produced food The Franklin Farmer’s Market features fruits and vegetables [...]
Tagged as: Farmers Market Franklin MA
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by Warren Reynolds on February 25, 2010
The MBTA commuter rail service on the Franklin line got a major upgrade last week with the opening of the Dolce Express coffee shop at the Downtown Franklin station. High quality food and drink This is not the typical muffin-and-danish-wrapped-in-plastic place you may be used to. Dolce Express offers weary commuters many of the gourmet [...]
Tagged as: Downtown Franklin, Franklin Commuter Rail
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by Warren Reynolds on January 11, 2010
Did you know that Franklin, MA used to have a street car line? Or that Main Street in the downtown area was once home to a Stop & Shop grocery store? The above photo shows the old Franklin street car line in action in the early 1900s! Above is the Stop & Shop on Main [...]
by Warren Reynolds on December 16, 2009
The Holidays got bigger and brighter this year in Franklin, MA with the addition of the Franklin Holiday Stroll, a new local Yuletide tradition. Franklin’s Holiday Stroll was inaugurated this year as a boost to the merchants in the downtown area. The Stroll was a very successful complement to the annual Lighting of the Franklin [...]
Tagged as: Holidays in Franklin
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by Warren Reynolds on November 19, 2009
The Union Street Cemetery is a seemingly overlooked jewel of Franklin MA’s Downtown area. Many people drive by this parcel of land at the corner of Union and West Central Streets in Franklin, Massachusetts on an almost daily basis and don’t realize how extensive and beautiful it is. Visit well worth the time You can [...]
Tagged as: Cemeteries
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by Warren Reynolds on October 24, 2009
The graceful gazebo on the Franklin MA Town Common is getting some much-needed attention. An puzzling original design flaw is being corrected. The structure is getting a new broader roof, new electric lights, new railings and a general refurbishing. Franklin treasure since 1918 The focal point of the summertime Concerts on the Franklin Common and [...]
Tagged as: Franklin MA Town Common, Gazebo Franklin MA
by Warren Reynolds on June 21, 2009
Franklin, MA will benefit from $1 million in new state funding for economic development and transportation infrastructure improvements. The funds will be targeted to certain streets and the muncipal parking lot in the downtown area. The money will be used to pay for upgrades to the sidewalks, streets and public parking in the Franklin downtown [...]
Tagged as: Downtown Franklin
{ 0 comments }
Warren Reynolds, Esq, GRI, e-PRO
Tel: 508.613.2889 | Contact
Century 21 Commonwealth
9 Main Street
Franklin, MA 02038
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