The Market Report

Happy Market & Spirits Opened: 2018 Owner:  Francisco Fernandez Previous Tenants:  Bob's Spa (1912-2001) > Fernandez Spa (2001-2018) Cooperative:  none Location:  128 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA Photographed:  June 8 and June 22, 2019 Southern Boston neighborhoods are a little complicated. In several, the neighborhood is an overarching term that includes several sub-areas (such as Dorchester's Grove Hall or Upham's Corner , for instance). In Jamaica Plain, the southern part of the area is referred to as Forest Hills, with the main area of Jamaica Plain in the middle and Hyde Square at the northern end. We're at the northern end of Forest Hills today for a look at Happy Market & Spirits. This is the second Happy Market location, with the older one over on Blue Hill Avenue in southwestern Dorchester a mile and a half east. This one is much newer, too, having only opened in 2018. That's not to say the store itself is new -- in fact, it dates back...

Happy Supermarket Opened: unknown, before 2007 Owner:  unknown Previous Tenants:  unknown Cooperative:  none Location:  868 Blue Hill Ave, Dorchester, MA Photographed:  June 15, 2019 Time to get happy! Welcome to the small Happy Supermarket, an independent grocer of just 3300 square feet. Located on busy Blue Hill Avenue , the store has been in business since at least 2007 but probably for quite a long time before that. Side note: Blue Hill Avenue is a major thoroughfare and divided highway through a lot of southern Boston. When I lived in Boston, I didn't have a car, and Blue Hill Avenue was always a nightmare to walk on. I'm not the only one to have noticed this, and a redesign is coming . Happy Supermarket is definitely a local store for people walking, not driving, as it doesn't have a parking lot. Despite the small size, there's a full produce and meat/deli department here, along with a few short grocery aisles. It's a bit of a distance to a full supermark...