Not exactly, not yet. But 'tis no surprise that bank branches are the new Starbucks in the Hub, proliferating like rabbits into the schnapps cabinet. Some residents are not too fond of them, others don't quite get the point given the amount of monetary transactions now done virtually or through the mail. Banks love 'em, though, for the marketing exposure (and landlords love 'em for the reliability rent-wise); and, even as they close them in general nationwide, banks are opening branches in more affluent areas that are also heavily trafficked—in Boston that means the shopping corridors of Back Bay, in particularly Boylston Street. Per Todd Wallack in The Globe:
Admirals Bank is planning to open its first Boston banking center on the street in two weeks. Capital One Bank is taking over the prominent storefront once used by Anthropologie, the women’s clothing store, as part of its plans to expand to Massachusetts. And Bank of America, which already has three locations on Boylston, is in negotiations to fill the space now occupied by jeweler Shreve, Crump & Low. The jeweler's location, of course, was once the site of the FAO Schwartz toy store. Sunrise, sunset.
· Banks Eye Boylston Street for New Branches [Globe]
· Bank Branches Are the New Starbucks in the Hub [Curbed Boston]
[Suzanne Kreiter via The Globe]