🤩🪑 Allston is giving Goodwill energy

🍎 Sorry, we won’t be waiting till the fall for this apple cider donut sundae … Can you blame us?? This thing is LOADED.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

All we want for Allston Christmas is … free furniture. So we chatted with sidewalk regulars and thrifting experts to get their secrets on how to snag the good stuff this time of year.

Here’s what they said:

📣 Simply put: Start looking NOW. Quinn Barton, who’s furnished *many* apartments through Allston Christmas, said smaller items like nightstands and side tables will start poppin’ up on the street the second week of August, with larger furniture like bed frames and kitchen tables following soon after. Also make sure to watch Facebook Marketplace like a hawk — the closer to Sept. 1, the better the deals will be, as folks are desperate to offload. 

🚶 Turn your weekend hot girl walk into a secondhand spree. Weekends = more stuff, but probably more competition, so get there early, Barton said. She specifically suggested walking around BU frat houses (see Pratt Street, Ashford Street, and Gardner Street). But really, anywhere off of Comm. Ave. and Brighton Ave. are good bets.

✍️ Go in with a wishlist AND necessary dimensions. New England-based flipper and former Allston resident Quinn Welch said to note everything you need and the sizes of all your spaces. Translation: Know your mattress size before you pick a frame off the street.

🐞 Say “no” to anything with fabric. Bed bugs are no joke, said Justin Pomerleau, owner of Vivant Vintage. Hard furniture can be wiped down, but those super soft sofas might not be worth the hassle. Speaking of bugs: Be careful with plants! Inspect the soil and leaves before you take one home. 

🧤 Come prepared with gloves and a portable power pack. Thick gloves will protect you from anything sharp or broken. The power pack can test electronics like TVs (or plug it into your car with an inverter).

🗑️ Mark the neighborhood trash days. Remember: It’s Christmas alllll over town, not just Allston. Pomerleau’s pro tip: The trash day before Sept. 1 is when *everything* will be out, and every neighborhood has a different one! We’d start with post-grad haven in Southie, Beacon Hill for ritzier items, and Mission Hill — where Barton snagged Le Creuset cookware! 

🤯 As always, keep an open mind. Pomerleau has found the weirdest things that he never knew he needed, like a church pew (perf for a yard). Plus, Ellie Biscoe, founder of antique pop-up Biscbro & Co., said that the magic of Dawn dish soap, Clorox wipes, Feed-N-Wax, and a wood stain could really bring something back to life.

😅 Lastly, be 100% sure it’s actually trash. Welch was once moving out and briefly set a chair outside as he was putting things in his truck, and someone was already trying to load it into their own truck. Sooooo be kind, and good luck!

⛸️💫 ...is an even better outfit. At Figure Skating x Fashion: Styling 2027, Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu and skating’s biggest stars pull back the curtain on sketches, fabrics, and design choices in this free-flowing gallery-style experience — all from the top of View Boston. Go behind the sequins at this one-night-only event, Aug. 26. Reserve your tickets today.

🪩 Boston is ready for more nightlife. That’s what Boston’s nightlife czar Corean Reynolds said she learned from our *generational* summer. Her top takeaways: 1. We’re ready for fewer booze rules and to expand these opportunities into other neighborhoods. 2. “When things happen past 2 a.m., bad things didn’t happen,” proving that old narrative wrong. 3. Most businesses saw more new customers and positive economic impacts, especially the ones downtown and close to the Red Line or commuter rail. But any major changes will be up to Beacon Hill. 

📚 Mass. really said, “No more book bans!” Gov. Maura Healey just greenlit a law that protects a librarians' decision to choose books AND from punishment for adding them in good faith. For context, we’ve seen a 50% bump in book challenges recently — many of which are by/about the LGBTQ+ community and people of color. This law now puts a more structured review process in place: Titles can’t be axed unless there’s a notice, a public hearing, and a vote by a local school committee or a board of trustees.

✈️ Diva Runway down at Logan. Yes, it’s true. One of Logan’s runways will be closed for ~75 days this fall, starting Aug. 31. Sooooo don’t be surprised if your flight gets delayed, especially on a stormy day. Why is this happening? Massport is finishing up installing a safety system to stop planes from overrunning the runway (we have this system on two other runways already). And fair warning: Nearby communities will probs see more air traffic and hear construction … 

🍣 Boston’s sushi game is on a ~roll~. Two Hands and Basement Boyz teamed up to create Highball & Handrolls, a new pop-up collab at The Eaves in Bow Market serving innovative handroll combos like kombu-cured salmon and everything bagel seasoning. You can chow down now through the end of September (and wash it down with a paired N/A cocktail). Note: It’s only running at night Thursdays to Saturdays. Then keep an eye out for Happy Rice, a fast-casual sushi spot set to open in Seaport later this month.

Sorry, did we just see a legit squirrel DJing in the Common??? Let’s explain:

Gareth Berrow, an LA-based DJ who goes by Heart of Gold, started Squirrel DJ Academy a year or so ago, where he designs mini DJ sets for real squirrels to pretend-turn some tables. And a few weeks ago, Summer the Squirrel was seen busting out disco classics and *lots* of Donna Summer in front of the State House. 

While fans get some good tunes, the squirrels get to chomp down on some nuts behind the booth. For Summer’s set, she had a pecan-based hospitality rider, a.k.a. what performing acts request from venues lol.  

And Bostonians are HERE for it: “1st the Scots and now this?? Boston is having a GOOD summer,” one user wrote.

Summer, you gonna be here for the city’s Donna Summer Disco Party???

— Written by Kelly Chan and Emily Schario

🎶 Thanks for reading! We might know a 4-year-old boy who’d jam out to this …

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, U.S. Figure Skating, for supporting local journalism and bringing a little extra sparkle to your summer plans.

🚣 The results are in: 51% of B-Siders would maybe go on a hot tub boat. But one reader was not convinced: “With no cover for shade in the blazing sun? It's giving ‘Cast Away.’” Respectfully, we think Tom Hanks would eat this up.

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