After a spate of violent crimes in Allston, some are questioning whether the violence may have contributed to the closing of a popular bar in the area.
On Feb. 8, Boston Restaurant Talk, an online journal about the local restaurant scene, reported that Kells, a nightspot located at 161 Brighton Ave. in the heart of Allston, would be shutting its doors in the near future.
Kells was the scene of a fatal stabbing last November. Following an argument inside the venue, 24-year-old Boston University Dining Services employee Gregory Phillips was stabbed to death on the street near Brighton Avenue and Harvard Avenue in the early hours of the morning on Nov. 8. In February, one was killed and four others injured in a stabbing that took place near the same location.
Melanie Hsu, a waitress at Privus Lounge and Sushi, located next to where Kells was and under the same ownership, said that although she wasn’t working there at the time of the November stabbing incident, she wasn’t particularly surprised by the reported violence in the neighborhood.
“This area’s always been a bar scene,” she said. “I heard of a couple of instances. Another bartender here who lives [close to Kells] had her apartment blocked off by the police the night of the stabbing.”
Berklee College of Music senior and Allston resident Steven Vollbach said he remembers being asked by the police if he had seen an individual suspected of a stabbing sometime in the fall.
“I heard of a stabbing across the street where I live and I was stopped by the police one night asking me about it,” he said. “They gave me a description of a man armed with a knife and asked me if I’d seen anything. That night I saw about three police cruisers.”
Although he said he wasn’t sure if the event corresponded with the Kells stabbing, he said it was a possibility.
Shawant Phuyal, assistant manager of the Tedeschi Food Shops located at the corner of Harvard and Brighton Aves., which is located on the other side of the Kells, said he suspected frequent violence in front of the venue led to its closure.
“Most of the time, there were a lot of fights on the weekends, so that probably got a lot of charges from the Boston police,” he said.
In contrast, an employee of the neighboring Bravo Pizzeria, who wished to remain anonymous, said that he didn’t think the Kells’ closure had anything to do with the reported violence.
“I heard the owner’s been wanting to retire for a long time. He’s old. And anytime there’s a bar business, there’s going to be violence. Young kids, they get drunk,” he said.
The owner, Jerry Quinn, could not be reached for comment.
The Kells had been open for 17 years. Originally an Irish bar, it had adapted itself to its increasingly diverse clientele by expanding its menu options to include Asian-fusion elements.
According to Blast Magazine, Kells’ now defunct website had claimed that the venue was ranked one of the top 100 bars in America by Playboy.
Boston Restaurant Talk reported that Kells will be replaced by a franchise of Tavern in the Square, a bar and restaurant which already has three locations in the Boston area.
One of the Tavern in the Square managers, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the takeover was planned but not entirely certain as of yet.
“Right now we haven’t even taken [Kells] over, that should be happening very soon, but it’s very difficult. [Tavern in the Square in Allston] probably won’t be opening until late June, early July. But nothing is set in stone,” he said.
He added that he wasn’t entirely sure what Tavern in the Square’s plans were for the new location.
“I can’t release information, and we’re not sure what we’ll be doing with the Allston venue yet,” he said.
Vollbach said that although he does not feel particularly under threat living in Allston, he recognizes that it isnít the safest of places.
“I feel safe. There’s a “but’ though: I feel safe because I feel comfortable taking my safety into my own hands,” he said. “I don’t mean to sound sexist, but if I was a girl I might not feel as safe.”
He added that Allston is not necessarily more dangerous than other similar neighborhoods around the country.
“I’ve lived in other unsafe places and Allston isn’t that much different in its makeup and level of income. It’s not exactly a high-class neighborhood and neighborhoods like that tend to be a little more unsafe, have more crime,” he said. “Bad things happen anywhere.”
The Bravo Pizzeria employee agreed that he didn’t think Allston was a particularly dangerous place to live in.
“How do you say there’s a lot of violence here; compared to where? Detroit, Michigan? I wouldn’t be here if it was that dangerous, I have a wife and kids,” he said.
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