For four years, the 19th-century train station building at 70 Union Street sat empty in the middle of Newton Centre. That changed at the end of September. Wicked Local reported on Sept. 30 that Lockheart, the southwestern-style restaurant that first opened in Wellesley in 2022, now fills the space.
The depot reopened on a stretch of the village that has changed hands storefront by storefront over the past year. With it open, almost everything on Newton Centre's October calendar happens within a few blocks of Union Street, Centre Street and Langley Road. The Harvest Fair weekend on the Green is the biggest event of the month.
Four years empty, then a summer waiting on the state
Getting the depot open took longer than planned. Newton's Board of License Commissioners voted 3-0 on June 16 to approve Lockheart's liquor, common victualler and entertainment licenses, on the condition that the final paperwork came through. By mid-August, eight weeks later, Fig City News found that the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission still showed no issued license for Union Depot LLC, the company operating as Lockheart. The applicants' attorney said the restaurant would open within "a matter of days" once the state approved it, "a few weeks hopefully." It took about six more weeks.
"Lockheart is, I'd like to say, a place for everybody," co-owner Mark Hicklin told Wicked Local. "We want people to feel comfortable walking in the door."
The Newton menu is grouped into snacks, tacos, bowls and salads, large plates, and kids' dishes. Street corn, short-rib birria tacos and a Harvest Bowl are on it. The restaurant's site has takeout and reservations for the Newton location, and weekend brunch is listed as "coming soon." The kids' section makes a difference on a Harvest Fair weekend, when the Green fills with families.
Union Street changed before the depot opened
The rest of Union Street had already turned over. Sweet Dream, the chocolate and pastry shop at 91 Union Street that opened in 2024, has closed. Fig City News reported that Tess, a clothing boutique, now has the storefront. Tess lists the Union Street shop as open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. So the block now has a restaurant at 70 and a clothing shop at 91. A year ago it had an empty depot and a chocolatier.
Down the street, Baramor at 45 Union Street is hosting Barktoberfest on Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m., according to Fig City's weekly business events calendar. A dog-themed evening near the Green makes sense in mid-October, before it gets dark early.
Citywide, Fig City counts 187 places to eat in Newton. 62% are independently owned, another 14% are local chains, and 24% are regional or national chains. The Union Street changes this year are part of that same citywide count.
The Centre Street and Sumner Street side
Around the corner, a group of small, newer businesses fills the days between events.
- The Cork & Board, 1207 Centre Street. Owner Ryan Gott opened the shop in August 2022 and marked its fourth anniversary this August. Nonna's Tasting Experience is there on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m.
- Something Sweet, 1280 Centre Street, Suite 8. This shop opened this summer in the upstairs suites above Rosenfeld Bagel. It sells nostalgic and Swedish candies and chocolates and hosts birthday parties and in-store events. With Sweet Dream gone from Union Street, this is now where Newton Centre buys candy.
- Fulfilled Goods and Derby Farms Flowers & Gardens, 1280 Centre Street. These two share a space. The arrangement has been in place for about a year, and the shop layout was reworked this spring.
- Tea22, 212 Sumner Street. This tea house serves Thai tea, Thai coffee, bubble teas and slushes. It opened softly in June in the space Pon de Joy left.
- Formosa Bun & Dumpling Factory, 740A Beacon Street. The grand opening was March 28. Owner Kristina Pan's pan-fried bao buns built a following at Newton's Taiwan Day festival before she had a storefront.
Newtonville Books at 10 Langley Road also runs author events. Fig City's calendar lists one for the evening of Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.
Harvest Fair weekend puts the whole village on the Green
The biggest event of the month happens on Oct. 17 and 18, right where these storefronts meet. Newton's annual Harvest Fair takes over the Newton Centre Green at the corner of Langley Road and Centre Street. Cushing Amusements brings rides, games and food to the Green, and the carnival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The City's Harvest Fair page confirms those dates and hours. It also says vendor registration is closed with a wait list, and that no food vendors are being accepted. That leaves Cushing's carnival food and the restaurants nearby, including the newly open depot on Union Street, to feed the crowd.
The fair itself is on Sunday, Oct. 18. Fig City's schedule runs it from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and an earlier Newton Beacon fall roundup gives 4 p.m. as the end time. The main music stage goes up in the Langley Road parking lot. The City's community stage page still says a schedule is coming, but Fig City News has published both lineups:
| Time | Main Music Stage, Langley Road lot | Community Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | Chills, until 12:15 p.m. | CK Brass |
| 11:45 a.m. | Suzuki School of Newton | |
| 12:30 p.m. | The Heather Mumford Project, until 1:45 p.m. | Creative Steps Dance Studio |
| 1:15 p.m. | The Conservatory at Highlands | |
| 2 p.m. | the displayers, until 3:15 p.m. | City Hall Strummers |
| 2:45 p.m. | Thillai Fine Arts Academy | |
| 3:30 p.m. | The Quality and Value Music Performers, until 4:30 p.m. | Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra |
Most of the community stage lineup is local: a Newton Suzuki school, a Highlands conservatory, a dance studio and a group of City Hall strummers.
October in Newton Centre, by date
Here is the month in order. Newton Centre events come first, followed by a few just outside the village.
- Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m. Clos du Val with Blake Gilbert at The Cork & Board, 1207 Centre Street.
- Oct. 7, 7 p.m. Author conversation at Newtonville Books, 10 Langley Road.
- Oct. 9, 5 p.m. Nonna's Tasting Experience at The Cork & Board.
- Oct. 15, 5:30 p.m. Barktoberfest at Baramor, 45 Union Street.
- Oct. 17 and 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Harvest Fair Carnival on Newton Centre Green.
- Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per Fig City. Harvest Fair, with music on both stages.
A few events just outside Newton Centre fill in the open weekends. Newton Community Farm's Fall Family Fun Day on Oct. 10 includes a free Son Jarocho performance led by Zaira Meneses from 11 a.m. to noon. An Indigenous Peoples Day celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Albemarle Field. Ward 4 Trivia is Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at 277 Auburn Street in Auburndale. The City's Halloween Party is Oct. 24 from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in Newton Highlands, with activities at Hyde Field and trick-or-treating on Lincoln Street.
Every Newton Centre date on that list is on Union Street, Centre Street, Langley Road or the Green. Weekend brunch at the depot is still listed as coming soon.
Newton Centre's storefronts are one of the things we keep track of at Allison Blank & Company. If you'd like to talk through how changes like the depot reopening affect a home near the Green or on the side streets off Union, start your Newton or Brookline market plan with us.
