The vanilla-cinnamon scent of roasting nuts has greeted Somerville residents passing 349 Highland Ave. for 13 years. The will change June 14 as Q’s Nuts closes its storefront and Hearth & Hug Bakery prepares to open in the space this fall.
The artisanal nut roaster has an additional retail location at the Boston Public Market, where its neighbor – Hearth & Hug – was ready to expand to a brick-and-mortar space as the owners of Q’s Nuts looked to leave theirs.
Originally, the Somerville location operated as an open-concept roaster; in the past three years, it’s operated just as a storefront as owners Beth and Brian Quinn decided to buy a commercial kitchen space in Methuen. While the community was “awesome and very supportive,” the Somerville store “was not going to allow us to expand at all,” Beth Quinn said.
“Brick-and-mortars are really struggling, as it’s become very expensive to have a store,” Beth Quinn said. That leads to a heavier focus on sales online, where popular products such as limoncello lavender nuts can also be bought wholesale. The Quinns say they are also approaching retirement age and preparing for their son to take over the business.
Q’s Nuts products will still be sold in Somerville on Highland Avenue at the Magpie gift shop in Davis Square and at the Armory arts building in Spring Hill. The products are also sold at Cafe Zing! and Tags Hardware in Cambridge’s Porter Square and at Formaggio Kitchen in Kendall Square and West Cambridge. Q’s Nuts location at the Boston Public Market will stay open too.
Beth Quinn recalls Natalie Hug of Hearth & Hug Bakery saying she’d love a place like Q’s. With two years left on their lease on Highland Avenue, the Quinns were able to get their landlord aboard with Hearth & Hug expanding its business by opening in the space.
Hearth & Hug Bakery sells “a mix of everything” – cookies, breads, cakes and danishes, Hug said.
Established in 2023, Hearth & Hug grew from a custom-order side hustle for Hug to a Boston Public Market vendor and into a full-time job. “In the new space, it’s going to be even more growth, with a full breakfast menu, lunch menu, coffee and drinks,” Hug said. Drinks will be served in diner mugs found secondhand – all in hopes to preserve the “homey feel” of Q’s Nuts’ storefront, Hug said.
She hopes to share the happy energy she and her staff give off “with everybody coming in the door.”
Hearth & Hug is expected to open in Somerville at the end of September and is still deciding if its location in the Boston Public Market will remain open.
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Had they called it “D’s Nuts” they would still be open….