Oakley Spa - Newtonville, MA

Oakley Spa

Open: 1949-2021

Owner: Harold Boyajian

Previous Tenants: unknown

Cooperative: none

Location: 979 Washington St, Newtonville, MA

Photographed: December 17, 2022

As I've mentioned before, "spa" is a very old-school New England term for a small grocery store. There aren't many stores left with that in the name, but there are a handful around. The Oakley Spa, located at the corner of Washington and Walker in Newtonville, is one of those that was in business until very recently. The corner store, which became more of a liquor store in its later years, was in business up until 2021. I was able to still capture a look at the inside through the front windows, though, when I walked by in late 2022 -- and the store's interior was actually still mostly intact, including products on the shelves and the lights on.

I don't know the story here. Was the closure abrupt? Why was so much inventory left behind? Browsing comments on a Facebook post, it looks like the building may have been sold and is set to be demolished. It's not in good shape, but it looks like there might still be a tenant or two in one of the other storefronts. Newtonville has a larger supermarket very nearby, which you can tour in today's other post here. And tomorrow we'll be taking a look at the last two stores in Newtonville!