Bay State Commons, anchored by Roche Bros. adds new tenants

The new Bay State Commons is at the forefront of a trend toward bringing shopping closer to home with national retailers such as Stein Mart and one of Mass.' most respected, locally-owned supermarkets Roche Bros. In the past, main street retailers in smaller towns focused on convenience and did not even attempt to compete against regional malls on the fashion front. "Lifestyle malls or more accurately lifestyle centers are creating a shopping and entertainment experience that is integrated with the communities they serve. Unlike the big regional mall and big box stores, shoppers develop a relationship with the center that they cannot find anywhere else." said Ken Marvald who, with Philips International, is among the Bay State Commons developers. One sure sign of success: Bay State Commons is pedestrian friendly. Several national retailers have already signed leases and opened at Bay State Commons, among them Stein Mart,Inc., the national chain known for offering the fashion merchandise, service and presentation of a better department or specialty store, at prices competitive with off-price retail chains.  The Stein Mart chain also offers its own brands including Peck  Peck, T. Harris-London and Isabella DeMarco. The 31,000 s/f Stein Mart offers an assortment of fashion apparel for women and men, as well as accessories, gifts, linens, and shoes. The ambiance of Main St. is benefiting Ted's Montana Grill, the national casual dining restaurant chain founded by Ted Turner. Ted's just passed the six-month milestone at Bay State Commons. Ted's Montana has brought urban sophistication to Westborough. The restaurant grinds all natural beef and bison twice daily for its burgers. Its diversified contemporary menu ranges from novel items like tuna mediterranean to comfort foods such as meatloaf. Bay State Commons anchor, Roche Bros. has launched one of its newer open-market concept stores there. These new Roche Bros. outlets offer several thousand more packaged products than earlier stores, plus large prepared food sections. Roche Bros. brings together the convenience of the supermarket with the draw of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. The store also includes a full-service Starbucks Café as well. The 11-building shopping area in a village setting includes 210,000 s/f of commercial space and 44 condominiums. In addition, a 2.5-acre public park with 25 shade and fruit trees has been created for town residents.