Maynard Forbes arrived in West Concord in 1951 at fourteen, the year his father, John Forbes, bought the West Concord 5&10. In a September profile in Discover Concord, he was asked what he admires most after nearly seventy-five years in the village. He answered without hesitating: "The fact that the small businesses have continued to maintain Commonwealth Avenue. And they are owner-occupied businesses."
The same feature makes clear that the village's shops haven't stayed the same. What carries on is a habit of passing each space to someone who intends to run it personally. This October that habit is easy to see. A new boutique opens on Commonwealth Avenue on Wednesday, a 43-year-old flower shop is going into its first holiday season with a new owner, and on Saturday, October 17, Discover West Concord Day puts the whole roster out on the sidewalk from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
How a West Concord storefront changes hands
The Forbes family's 5&10 is the clearest example. According to Discover Concord, Forbes didn't want his family's building to become generic commercial property when he closed the store. In 2020 he sold it to his longtime neighbor, Debra Stark. Her son, Adam, later finished expanding Debra's Natural Gourmet into the old 5&10 space and added a "Refillery," where customers buy food in bulk using containers they bring from home. The magazine calls it the first retail outlet of its kind in Massachusetts.
The same feature traces the pattern through other buildings:
- 74 Commonwealth Avenue was a gas station, then Wild Bill's, then A New Leaf, and is now planned as the Guitar Museum of New England.
- Bradford Mill, the former Allen Chair Company complex, was restored in 2012. It now houses Wheelhouse Coworking, ArtScape's community of more than twenty artists, and Barefoot Books' global publishing operation, which moved there in 2021.
- A former church on Church Street became the permanent home of Concord Youth Theatre in 2019, with 210 seats.
- 15 Junction Square Drive now belongs to the Concord Conservatory of Music. It plans a future community music center there and has already expanded programming in the refurbished existing building.
Bradford Mill even has a museum devoted to this idea. The Concord Sign Museum, which John Boynton co-founded with sign maker Billy Crosby, collects hand-painted and carved signs from Concord businesses that no longer exist.
This fall's two handoffs
The first is the Concord Flower Shop. Helen Halloran ran it for 43 years. The Concord Bridge reported in June that she planned to retire and hand the shop to florist Renata Paes on August 1, selling the business rather than closing it. In the Discover Concord feature, Forbes describes Halloran as a connective force among West Concord's business owners. Her retirement leaves a hole, he says, but Paes takes over "just in time for the 2026 holiday season."
The second is a space changing tenants. Sanna McAuliffe opened Happy on Main in Concord Center in May 2025. Her second shop, Happy West Concord, takes over the former home of The Spectacle Maven. The Concord Bridge reported that the new store more than doubles her leased space and gives her room for workshops and trunk shows. "The events and the community aspect that I love, and that work, and that I want to do more of, are not scalable in 500 square feet," she told the paper. She plans to keep both stores open.
That June story expected an opening by the end of summer. The date ended up later. Happy on Main's visit page now lists the West Concord shop as opening October 14 at 86 Commonwealth Avenue. LivingConcord lists Wednesday, October 14 as opening day for "More Happy," with events running through the week. So the newest shop on the avenue opens three days before the village's biggest shopping day of the fall.
Saturday, October 17: who's out on the sidewalk
Different listings credit different organizers. Happy on Main's event page names West Concord Village Community and Art for All as hosts, and LivingConcord lists the West Concord Business Community. Both describe a village-wide stroll with special sales, food treats, seasonal specials, a craft market, art and music.
The event listing names nearly thirty participating businesses. Old names and newer ones appear side by side: Debra's Natural Gourmet, Concord Flower Shop, Woods Hill Table, Nashoba Brook Bakery, Concord Teacakes, Salt Box Kitchen, Eva's Little Kitchen, West Village Tavern, Reflections of Concord, Joy Street life and home, Concord Outfitters, Anita's Shoe Boutique, Belle on Heels, Doe + Fawn, Loveday, Puck & Abby, Clay-Art+Concept, Lawless Upholstery, Wag 'N Wash, West Concord Pharmacy, West Concord Wine and Spirits, Vintages/West Concord and the West Concord Dunkin' Donuts, among others.
Some of the specific plans in the listing:
- Bradford Mill. Barefoot Books hosts a storytime, an author signing and a craft, with discounted shopping until 2 p.m. ArtScape holds Open Studios at 43 Bradford Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's free and includes an art raffle and studio and gallery tours, according to The Concord Bridge's calendar.
- Reflections. The Concord Chamber of Commerce sets up here with free hot and cold cider.
- Joy Street. A sidewalk sale with discounts of up to 90%.
- The Green at 13B Commonwealth Avenue. Rock-A-Bye Beats plays from noon to 1 p.m., and craft vendors and nonprofits set up throughout the day. A guitarist plays at the West Concord Pocket Park table.
- Craft vendors. Listed vendors include Beads Without End, caricaturist Samara Reid, Crafted Together, Karen Stokke, Minuteman High School FFA, Pond Art Studio, and A New Leaf, the name that was once on the 74 Commonwealth building.
- For kids. Art for All activities, Nature Connection explorations all day, and a kids' concert. The West Concord Junction Cultural District Committee is decorating the alley between Eva's and Debra's.
Past years looked different. In 2024 and 2025, Discover Concord billed the day as Debra's Natural Gourmet's birthday bash, its 35th and then its 36th. The Concord Bridge's 2025 photo gallery showed the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Band, a community quilt, Due West on violin, a Proper Paws dog obstacle course and a West Concord Dance Academy spirit tunnel. Those were last year's acts, so don't expect them on this year's program.
One thing to watch for is a wrong date in print. Discover Concord's 2026 village guide gives "Saturday, October 27, 2026." October 27 is a Tuesday. Visit Concord, LivingConcord and Happy on Main all list Saturday the 17th.
Fitting the weekend together
The day ends at 3 p.m., but the village's arts calendar keeps going.
- Friday through Sunday, October 16 to 18. Concord Youth Theatre stages Between the Lines at 53 Church Street. It's a musical based on the novel co-written by Jodi Picoult and her daughter, recommended for ages 8 and older. Tickets are $19 at concordyouththeatre.org.
- Saturday, 10 a.m. Start at Bradford Mill for the Barefoot Books storytime and ArtScape's studios, which stay open an hour after the village event ends.
- Saturday, midday. Walk Commonwealth Avenue to the Green for Rock-A-Bye Beats at noon, then stop at Reflections for cider and at 86 Commonwealth to see the new Happy West Concord.
- Saturday, 8 p.m., or Sunday, 2:30 p.m. If you want to keep going in Concord Center, the Concord Orchestra performs Dancing in Disguise at 51 Walden Performing Arts, with music by Anna Clyne, Fauré and Tchaikovsky. Tickets are $25 and free for anyone under 18.
On a different weekend, check the Concord Conservatory of Music's October calendar for its Junction Square building. It lists a Concord Open Bluegrass Jam, a Monthly Jazz Jam, an Intro to Improvisation Workshop and a Multigenerational Bucket Drumming Workshop.
None of the listings include an event parking plan. Happy on Main notes street parking on Commonwealth Avenue and a lot off Beharrell Street behind its shop. The village is also reachable by the Fitchburg Line commuter rail and by the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, which follows the old Framingham/Lowell rail line, according to Visit Concord.
The handoffs that are still pending
Two West Concord properties don't have their next owners yet. The Guitar Museum of New England is planned for 74 Commonwealth, and in November 2024 its creators said they hoped to open in 2026. The September 2026 Discover Concord feature describes the site as beginning its next chapter but gives no opening date.
The larger site is the former MCI-Concord, which closed in 2024 after 146 years. The Commonwealth still owns the property while Concord develops a master plan and new zoning for it. The study area covers about eighty-three acres, and more than fifty could be available for new uses. Housing, commercial space, open land, river access and transportation connections are all part of the public discussion. Whoever ends up with that land will shape one of the main entrances to the village. On October 17, the new owners on Commonwealth Avenue will be out at their shops.
If the changes along Commonwealth Avenue have you thinking about where you fit in West Concord, whether you're staying, moving up or getting ready to sell nearby, Ann Shaw Homes would be glad to talk it through. Request a personal market consultation, and we'll go over what's changing in the village and what it could mean for your plans.
