Topic: Thayer Street

Earlier this semester, a Monday afternoon on Thayer Street would mean students filling the windows of Blue State and Ceremony Tea, with lines stretching along the counters of Bajas or East Side Pockets. Now, the street is nearly deserted. 

When I first returned to Brown last summer after a several-month break from College Hill, I didn’t first stop at the Main Green, Faunce House or my friend’s off-campus house — I made a beeline for the steak nachos at Baja’s.

Thayer Street restaurant Durk’s Bar-B-Q closed its doors on Dec. 22, marking the end of the establishment’s three-year run on College Hill.

Despite the challenges of seasonal student presence on Thayer Street, the crowd of customers shows that Ceremony finds business steadily growing.

Lois Hollingsworth owned Zuzu’s Petals, a dress boutique on Thayer Street, for 24 years. But in 2015, she chose to shutter her store because of what she described as a drastic change in Thayer’s character.

On Sept. 27, the first Rhode Island location of CBD American Shaman opened its doors for business, offering samples of their various CBD products to passersby.

When Seven Creamery opened next to Ganko Ittetsu Ramen on Thursday — replacing longstanding frozen yogurt shop FroyoWorld — ice cream upstaged frozen yogurt on Thayer Street, at least for the time being.

Students returned from summer break to a Thayer Street much different from the one they left in May: Tealuxe, The Threading Place, Denali and GNC Live Well all shuttered and Chase Bank opened its doors while class was out of session.

Caliente Mexican Grill is set to open by the end of April as the most recent addition to Thayer Street’s restaurants.

Shake Shack finally opened its doors to the public Wednesday morning following a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, Shake Shack team members and the owners of 249 Thayer St.