by Caitlin Kenney

description
David Strasburger-fac

Watching Dave's Fresh Pasta grow.

Dave from Somerville, Mass. writes:

There is a small business around the corner: Dave's Fresh Pasta. They make (you guessed it) fresh pasta to take home and cook, and in the last couple of years sandwiches, and then two years ago they added a liquor license and a small selection of wines and beers.

Now of all times they are more than doubling in size and starting a small grocery. What's up with that? Here's my guess: Our corner of Somerville seems pretty stable so far. Dave's clientele typically also eats out a lot (gourmet food types, plus a mixed lunch crowd) — they're eating out less often now and being able to pick up nice food to carry home seems like a good deal?

Don't get me wrong — the idea of being able to walk to the corner for produce or local dairy products warms the cockles of my foodie soul — but this does look surprising.

Maybe slow local growth is the way to go.