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A representative for the sign company contracted by 7-Eleven presented the plan for signage on the new convenience store that will open in the former White Hen Pantry location at the corner of Hanover and North Bennet streets. The store at 340 Hanover Street is scheduled to open in the next few weeks with hours of 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. No alcohol license is currently being sought. The presentation was made at the December 12th meeting of the North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA).
The proposed signage was designed specifically for the North End building and is different than traditional 7-Eleven stores. A solid green background will have gold 7-Eleven lettering lit by external spotlights on the building above the windows. The signage package has been approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, subject to neighborhood input.
The representative said that the current illuminated hanging signs and tri-stripe decals on the windows will be removed.
It was noted that the Commercial Street 7-Eleven is expected to continue operating as a separate franchise. Residents requested that store also have matching signs to those proposed for the new store. It was also suggested that the new store lower the brightness of its in-store lighting.
The representative said the new store at 340 Hanover Street is expected to offer some fresh deli, Italian goods and other products typically not offered in a traditional 7-Eleven.
NEWRA did not take a vote on the issue. Instead, a sub-committee intends to draft a comment letter to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
Looks reasonable considering what 7-11s normally look like.
Pleased to hear about the signage and the removal of the stripes. Question: Why is there always a ‘barb’ thrown in at the end of a positive review…… many of the comments follow that format.Just say something positive and leave it.
I live on Battery Street. What will I find @the new 7-11 that I can’t find at the 7-11 at the bottom of Hanover Street? I went in there the other day to see if I could buy a sandwich, and the pickings were exceedingly slim. What a terrible loss for our neighborhood when we lost White Hen Pantry. We could actually buy fresh, real food, and not packaged gunk that’s sold as sandwiches. Also, where can I run to the store to buy ricotta cheese? Once I could do that at White Hen Pantry. 7-11 doesn’t carry it here in our Italo-American neighborhood, where grandmothers still cook traditional Italian food.
Two 7-11 a few blocks from each other? Why?
I’m not against businesses; I am against turning the North End into a white-bread mall.
You’re telling me you can’t buy ricotta cheese in the North End now that White Hen is gone? Honestly….
You can…you just can’t get it for the price that WH sold it for. Why are people so down on White Hen? If you want to pay crazy high prices, I guess you could buy simple stuff like ricotta at Salumeria, etc but….WH was reasonably priced when compared to other places in the North End.
there are lots of places to get a sandwich in the North End. My Cousin’s Place, Artu, Salumeria Italiana, Cobblestone Cafe, Joe Pace, Going Bananas, Paulie’s, Monicas Salumeria, Bova’s, Golden Goose Market to name a few. You can get ricotta cheese in Salumeria Italiana, Joe Pace, Monica’s, probably also at going banana’s. Unfortunately there is nothing the neighborhood can do about a second 7-11 on Hanover St. Letting the first one open at Hanover and Commercial was a mistake and now there is no going back unless the owners of the buildings do not lease storefronts to these chains in the future.
I understand all of that. What my comment is about is the fact that the White Hen Pantry was convenient for the folks who live on this end of Hanover Street. And for the older women in the neighborhood who now have to walk on slippery icy sidewalks extra blocks to be able to buy what was easily available at the WH. Theability to buy basic groceries from that convenience store is gone. 7-11 doesn’t stock what WH stocked. All the new one will do is replicate the stuff that’s for sale in the location at the end of Hanover Street. And that’s what I mean by a loss to the neighborhood.
The operators of the new store have stated their intention to continue offering Italian goods (beyond the standard 7-Eleven selection) to cater to the neighborhood.
Let’s hope 7-11 follows through on its intentions. My neighborhood friends would very much appreciate that.