This is the first installment of "Community Corner," in which the Daily will highlight locations, events and issues in the Medford/Somerville area outside of Tufts campus.
Tired of Davis Square? Wondering whether there are any other interesting places to visit for a Saturday brunch or a quick Friday shopping trip? If so, Teele Square is great destination.
Located at the intersection of Broadway, Holland Street and Curtis Street, just half a mile away from Davis Square, Teele Square offers a wide variety of shops and restaurants. Best of all, Teele, one of Somerville's many squares, is just a short walking distance from campus.
Named after Jonathan W. Teele, a Somerville farmer, Teele Square became a commercial center in the early 1900s, when it consisted of commercial buildings, a church and a school.
The area was originally farmland, according to the book "Beyond the Neck," an architectural history of the Somerville area. It was later developed into a neighborhood business district to serve the Tufts and West Somerville communities, Barbara Rubel, director of community relations at Tufts, said.
Ever since, Teele Square has evolved into a small commercial area full of unique shops and restaurants. Many now consider the square to be a hip residential area, and it is a conveniently-located place to live for Tufts upperclassmen and graduate students.
"A good number of students seem to have discovered Teele and are living on streets that feed into the square," Rubel said. "It's so close to the campus and has great transportation - a short walk to the T and good bus routes as well."
While the Tufts student body tends to gravitate towards Davis Square more than other neighboring squares, Tufts is involved in the Teele Square community, Rubel said.
"The University has a presence in Teele, since the Tufts [Administration] Building, purchased from the city in 1986, is just down Holland Street," Rubel said. "The Clarendon Hill housing development is just outside Teele Square, and some of our students are working to establish an after-school program there. As far as contributing to Teele, I think we are good customers for Teele Square businesses, especially the restaurants."
Part of Teele Square's appeal is that it offers a mixture of traditional and innovative shops frequented by residents, visitors, young people and students.
A classic shop that with which long-time resident of the area would be familiar is Alibrandi's Barber Shop, which has been open for about seventy years.
"My father opened it in 1938," current owner Tony Alibrandi said. "I took up the business and have been in charge of it for 51 years."
Alibrandi has tried to preserve the shop's interior design, he explained, by adhering to a sports theme. The shop is indeed covered from wall to wall with baseball team pictures, posters and logos. With a photograph collection ranging from black-and-white to newer, color pictures, and just about every issue of Sports Illustrated ever published, the shop creatively documents the history of baseball, football and other sports. As for the customers, "some have come here for years, but we do get a few of the Tufts students as well," Alibrandi said.
A few feet down the block from Alibrandi's, Angelina's Pizzeria, a popular 50-year-old pizza shop, stands out for its mixture of tradition and youthfulness.
"A lot of people know this place. Grandparents come here with their grandchildren as a family tradition," manager Steve Stamides said.
Angelina's is usually crowded with young Somerville residents. "I used to come here when I was in high school. People of all ages come because they know the place, and having Tufts nearby does help as well," Stamides said.
As an area resident for over five years, Stamides has seen the area change quite a bit.
"[Teele Square] has become very young-pro. It is up and coming and in the past years there have been many improvements in the business and the houses. There are a lot of young couples residing here," he said.
Another captivating restaurant in the neighborhood is Teele Square Caf, where a friendly and homey environment welcomes customers. Teele Square Caf chef Jonathan Adelson aims to provide "a place where people gather to eat and drink in a fun, casual atmosphere without spending a whole lot," according to his online description. Teele Square Caf offers a wide variety of food, and daily menus and news can be followed using Twitter.
"[The caf is] a good mix. It is both a hangout spot and a lunch and breakfast place," Glenn Katz (A '09), a recent Tufts graduate and Caf employee said.
Katz described the caf as being special for having free Wi-Fi, excellent customer service, a unique menu, a friendly atmosphere and eclectic music. "We also have [live] music on Wednesdays, from six to eight in the afternoon, which goes along with this place being a hangout caf," she said.
Additionally, by presenting a Tufts ID, students get a 10 percent discount.
"We are trying to update our Tufts database, so hopefully more students will come," Katz said.
Other restaurants located in Teele include Rudy's (Mexican), Tip Top Thai (noodles and sushi), Theo's Pizza, Amelia's Kitchen (Italian), Sabur (Exotic Mediterranean), Kee Kar Lau (Chinese) and Renee's Caf.
But restaurants and cafs are not the only thing Teele Square has to offer.
ABC Fashion, a new store that opened only three weeks ago, offers bags, scarves, jewelry, sunglasses, earrings, cell phone accessories and perfumes.
Teele Square is also home to PJ's Irish Pub, a few corner shops, a bank, a Hawk Cleaners, an auto repair shop, a used furniture shop and a package store. Ladder 3, Engine 6 of the Somerville Fire Department and a Somerville Police substation are located in Teele as well.
"I would hope that students get to explore Somerville and Medford. There's a lot of history, including historic connections to Tufts," Rubel said.
