The block of Ocean Street north of Glenwood Ave. has undergone a long, slow evolution to its current incarnation as home to Habit Burger and T-Mobile. I knew it best as home to The Starving Musician, a decent place to buy new and used musical instruments and gear.
To the right of TSM, on the corner of Glenwood, someone in the 1980s had the strange impulse to build a very nice single-family residence. After a few years, the house was sold and became a very nice restaurant. Another odd choice for Ocean Street, a block from McDonald's and Denny's. The restaurant lasted maybe ten years, then sat empty for at least ten more years, until a developer bought both it and the music store lot, combining them in 2016 for a new retail development.
First tenants in 2017 were Habit Burger and Dunkin' Donuts, with Habit occupying the former music store lot. Then came 2020 and the pandemic restaurant closures. Habit has toughed it out so far, but Dunkin' closed for good.
COVID also closed The Starving Musician, which had moved to the Union Grove Music shop on Pacific Ave. Still closed in May, 2021, it remains to be seen whether it will reopen. Stay tuned for news...
Dunkin' Donuts may be gone, but longtime local donut shop Ferrell's remains across the street. Another victory for the locals over a big chain. Dunkin' never learned how to make apple fritters as good as the ones at Ferrell's.
