How does a 12,000-square-foot corner storefront at one of downtown Waltham's busiest intersections stay empty for more than five years? At 1 Moody St., the Brothers Marketplace colors are still on the awnings, and the paper sign from closing day is still taped to the front door: "Today May 8th We are closing Our Doors Permanently Thank you for these Three wonderful years."
Roche Bros. still holds the lease, and that one fact has shaped this corner since 2021. The large space has stayed on hold, and nearly every change you can see from the intersection has come through a smaller storefront, one license approval at a time.
The Lease Outlived the Store
Brothers Marketplace was a smaller grocery concept run by Roche Bros. Supermarkets. It opened in 2018 on the ground floor of The Merc, the residential building with street-level retail owned by Northland Investment Corp. The store closed in May 2021.
The Waltham Times reported on October 15 that Roche Bros. still holds the lease on the space. A Northland spokesperson confirmed it by email, and a Roche Bros. representative confirmed the arrangement but declined further comment. Neither company disclosed when the lease ends or what the rent is.
With that lease still in place, the space hasn't gone to anyone new. The same Waltham Times article reported that other prospective tenants have shown interest and that efforts to secure a lease have stalled.
Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy told the paper that a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods with a takeout component would suit the space. She also noted that more restaurants have opened near City Hall, particularly around Main and Moody. That second point is what the rest of this post follows.
The Group That Wanted It Most Has Moved On to New Buildings
One prospective tenant has said publicly how much it wanted the corner. The Charles River Food Co-op is a member-owned grocery effort serving Waltham, Newton and Watertown. It has been searching for a home since 2022. Its board clerk, Tim Snyder, told the Waltham Times that 1 Moody St. was the co-op's first choice out of the 40 properties it considered. He also explained why the Brothers store didn't last.
"It was a great operation. It just didn't have enough business and they launched around the same time as COVID-19 so it was an uphill climb for them."
Snyder told the Waltham Times that because of the existing lease, the co-op is unlikely to get the space anytime soon.
By then, the co-op had already changed course. In June, board president Sam Garwin told Watertown News that the board had stopped looking for an existing building. It is now talking with municipal leaders and developers about space in new developments that won't open for at least two years. The reasoning is practical. As a volunteer group, the board found it couldn't move fast enough to take a site that would be available in six months to a year. Signing on to a building before construction also helps the co-op attract funders.
Garwin also described what the eventual store needs:
- At least 6,000 square feet of space, and up to 10,000
- 40 to 60 parking spots, which can be shared with other businesses
- A loading dock that semi trucks can reach
- A location within a 15-minute walk of public transportation, so staff can get there
Set the 12,000-square-foot Brothers space against that list. It is larger than the co-op's stated maximum, yet it was still the group's top choice of 40.
The co-op's numbers show both how much support it has built and how long the process takes. Its October 17, 2026 newsletter reports 1,061 paid member-owners. The October member drive says 2,000 members would make the co-op's business plan viable, and it asks every current owner to recruit one more. An ownership share costs $200. The board's May 2026 newsletter set a goal of raising the first $1 million by December 2026 through donations and grants. Once a site is secured, a member capital campaign would raise the remaining 20 to 30 percent needed to open. Garwin told Watertown News that a food co-op typically takes about ten years from idea to opening day, and that this one, four years in, is on track.
Meanwhile, the Small Storefronts Kept Changing
While 1 Moody St. has stayed on hold, the blocks around it have changed through ordinary paperwork: license transfers, common-victualer permits and rebuilds. Here's how the last year has gone around Main and Moody, roughly in order:
- December 2025. McDonald's reopened in a rebuilt restaurant at 789 Main St., on the site of its previous building, with a Saturday morning ribbon-cutting, the Waltham Times reported. That same month, Maple & High was approved to take over the all-alcohol license from Da Vinci Ristorante at 482 Moody St.
- Late 2025. Silver Whisk Bake Shop & Chocolatier was open at 248 Moody St. by late November, according to Boston Restaurant Talk, which reported Friday and Saturday hours at the time.
- February 7, 2026. Monarca Taqueria held its grand opening at 663 Main St., across from Waltham Common, and the Waltham Times reported it was serving lunch and dinner.
- May 2026. J&C Kitchen, described as a Japanese-Chinese restaurant, was approved for license transfers from Taste House at 275 Moody St. The Waltham Times said its opening date was unclear.
- July 2026. Moe's Southwest Grill closed its 831 Main St. location after more than a decade there.
- September 2026. Maple & High was open on Moody Street, as NBC Boston reported. By mid-October the Waltham Times was reviewing its wine list.
- September 2026. The License Commission approved two applications. A new bb.q Chicken franchise received a common-victualer license for 137 Moody St., with no opening date announced. Dominican Grilled Chicken, whose previous location became unusable after a November 2025 fire, planned to reopen at 657 Main St. on October 12. Check with the restaurant before you go, since that date was a target.
None of these businesses needed anything close to 12,000 square feet. Each one fit into an existing, smaller space when it came free. For now, the corner's anchor space is waiting on a lease date nobody has made public, and downtown keeps adding new places in the storefronts around it.
The Street Plan Is on Hold Too
Moody Street itself is in a similar position. In 2023, Waltham commissioned a traffic study from Nitsch Engineering. The study came back with three options, and Nitsch recommended making Moody one-way northbound between High and Pine streets, with more room for people walking and biking. The Traffic Commission filed the study away in March 2025.
At this month's Traffic Commission meeting, Planning Director Robert Waters said his department is no longer adapting that pedestrian mall study. The Waltham Times noted the announcement came less than a month after the mayor said a comprehensive plan for the street was in the works. The paper wrote that it is unclear whether or when the city will take up other large-scale changes to the street.
Smaller changes are still under discussion. Councilor Cathyann Harris has proposed sidewalk bump-outs at intersections, parklets and more bike parking. The Traffic Commission asked city Traffic Engineer J. Michael Garvin to study a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon at Moody and Spruce streets. For now, any change to the street itself is coming in small pieces like that beacon study.
What's On Near the Corner From Halloween to Mid-November
If you're downtown between now and November 11, these are nearby:
- Embassy Theater, 16 Pine St. Silent-horror screenings run through Halloween, with Idiocracy on November 1 and 3. Commonwealth Lyric Theater's Pinocchio plays November 7 and 8 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The Embassy's site says all tickets are $10 through 2026.
- Charles River Museum, 154 Moody St. A drop-in Frankenstein-themed children's activity, free with museum admission, runs Saturday, October 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A free Mill Talk, "A Paper Nation," follows on Wednesday, November 11, from 7 to 8 p.m., and registration is required. Details are on the museum's events page.
- Gore Place, 52 Gore St. The free Handmade for the Holidays Craft Fair brings 60 handmade vendors on Sunday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On your way to any of them, the Brothers Marketplace awnings at 1 Moody St. will still be up, and Roche Bros. still holds the lease.
If you're curious how leases and license approvals like these shape your corner of Waltham, Ashley Fuller is always happy to meet for coffee on Moody Street. Let's Connect.
