Speak to anyone familiar with the stretch of one-way streets known as Davis Square and you will receive an almost unanimous opinion: The area is nothing if not unique.
Locals like Dennis Armstrong, manager of the local record store CD Spins, love Davis for its diversity - the mix of college students and local Somerville residents who populate the square on a daily basis.
"It's cool to have people from different backgrounds come here and then get the different perspective from the locals," Armstrong said, noting that despite the presence of "a few shady characters," he has seen minimal conflict between the various groups since arriving in Davis a year and a half ago.
This diversity is part of Davis' reputation as a haven for local business and as a hip, thriving college-town square. Shops like Sacco's Bowl Haven, the now-defunct record shop Disc Diggers and the local burrito chain Anna's Taquería are but a few examples of the square's independent nature.
But the past several years have been marked by a shift in storefronts there, as several larger national chains have opened up stores where local businesses had previously thrived.
A new CVS convenience store and a Boston Sports Club (BSC) location opened this fall at 1 Davis Square, a location which used to house non-profit organizations such as National Student Partnerships (NSP) before the building there was demolished and rebuilt last year.
Chipotle, a national chain of Mexican food restaurants, opened a location on Elm St. in October. It stands next to the Davis Square Starbucks and just down the street from a year-old Boloco franchise that replaced O'Naturals, an organic café with four locations nationwide.
While the changes are small, and Davis Square likely will not be overrun by corporations anytime soon, the emergence of these national chains troubles people like Armstrong.
"It's pushing away the mom-and-pop stores," Armstrong said. "It seems like the gentrification, the commercialization of Harvard Square. [Harvard's] upscale stores, like Abercrombie and Fitch, took away the cool factor. I think [commercialization of Davis Square] would definitely take away its character and prevent local business from thriving."
Other locals, however, are not so wary of the new changes. According to Ian Judge, manager of the Somerville Theatre, Davis Square isn't undergoing any sort of hipster revolution - just making a few minor alterations, similar to changes that have occurred in the past.
"If you have only lived here a couple of years you may think things are rapidly changing, but in reality there are always small changes; the big ones happened already, and they happened over two decades," said Judge, who has lived in the Davis Square area for much of his life.
Judge noted the predominance in years past of chains such as Woolworth's and Gorin's as evidence that, even several decades ago, Davis Square was not wholly made up of independent shops. If anything, he said stores today such as Poor Little Rich Girl and Magpie prove that Davis Square is hardly losing its edge.
Even so, he said, comparing chains to independent shops is like comparing apples to oranges.
"You can't really say one is better than the other," Judge said.
Students interviewed tended to agree with Judge's sentiment. Tim Fitzsimons, a sophomore, said he grew to appreciate Davis Square's character after his first year at Tufts. He believes that the new additions have only enhanced the area.
"Before, there was nothing there, so it's better than nothing," Fitzsimons said. "I mean, what has really changed? It's only a CVS and a BSC."
Senior Chris Van Lenten agreed.
"A location either has the places I want to be, or doesn't," Van Lenten said. "Adding a sports bar isn't going to change that. I also like to spend time at The Burren, or occasionally Johnny D's, but I'm not one of those hipster kids obsessed with keeping all the heathens out of our sacred culture."
Judge responded similarly to questions about the effect national chains would have on the area's atmosphere.
"They think that a CVS or some other chain store moving in means the end of Davis Square, or they think that cosmetic changes change the flavor of the area ... A CVS and BSC would be sad if it displaced a lot of little independent stores like McKinnon's or Diesel [Café] or Farmer's Bounty, but it didn't - it replaced offices," Judge said.
And evidence of Davis Square's "hipness" still abounds through traditions like Honkfest, a yearly gathering of street bands that came to the square for the second straight year this October. The weekly farmers market in the Herbert St. parking lot brings in local farmers, and while Chipotle's recent opening may be bringing in crowds of customers, local chain Anna's Taqueria still receives a healthy amount of business.
Sophomore Amy Dora trusts that Somerville residents, including Tufts students, have the ability to keep Davis the way they want it.
"There are enough people here who feel strongly enough about big corporations making small businesses go bankrupt or lose business that they'll still go to Anna's versus Chipotle, or Brooks versus going to CVS," Dora said. "Let's face it, we go to college - everyone is opinionated about something here ... we have a lot of power, especially on the markets in Davis."
Judge emphasized that the recent developments in Davis Square are mere drops in an ocean of change that has lasted decades. The 1980s brought a T stop to Davis Square, completely altering its landscape and giving an even more diverse group of people access to the square. These things, Judge said, are what really made an impact on Davis.
"A café or two or a pharmacy or bank are small things," he said. "The big things in Davis changed a long time ago, the seismic shifts, if you will. These little things are mere tremors in comparison."
