How a public art project is opening (tiny) doors for Allston businesses | WBUR News
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Tiny Doors Allston
Walk through the door at Rhythm ‘N Wraps in Allston, and customers will soon encounter a second door — a rather small one. The tiny door, designed by local artist Jill Rosati, takes the form of a sandwich as a nod to the vegan restaurant’s menu.
This unique installation is the first stop of Tiny Doors Allston, a public art tour that guides visitors to 10 tiny doors hidden in small businesses across the neighborhood. Ten local artists were commissioned to craft the custom pieces for each business.
Allston resident Beyer Bullard started the project shortly after moving to Allston last year. Inspired by Tiny Doors Atlanta, a public art project showcasing over 30 tiny doors across the city, Bullard envisioned a similar concept for his new neighborhood.
“As soon as I saw it, I was like, ‘This is the idea I've been looking for,’” recalled Bullard.
At just 15 years old, Bullard witnessed his neighborhood’s family-owned grocery store in Maryland get replaced by an Amazon Fresh after being driven out by rising rent.
“If you don’t really work hard to protect them, they’re gone,” he said, referring to local businesses, including a soon-to-be-closed pet store. "How do we get people to choose The Pet Shop instead of choosing Petco?”
On his plane ride back from Atlanta last October, he emailed Allston Village Main Streets with a project pitch and sought permission from the Tiny Doors ATL artist Karen Anderson Singer to replicate the project.
AVMS granted Bullard $3,000 to fund the project and the artists. They helped him spread the word to local artists and businesses and promote the doors. Bullard carefully matched artists with businesses based on their shared expressions or existing relationships.
For Ritual Arts owner Toni Fanning, participating in the project felt natural.
“It fits with my business,” Fanning explained. “The idea of a tiny door goes with fairy doors, and fairy doors go with magic.”
Fanning has been a firsthand witness to Allston’s transformations over the past few decades. She reminisces about the 1980s Allston, brimming with locally-owned businesses like Bunratty’s and Steve’s Kitchen.