Cambridge vintage clothing shop Keezer’s and its sister tailoring business Le Courtier House of Alterations will move a few doors down from 1738 Massachusetts Avenue by the end of the week, ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline. The move comes as Cambridge-based Old North Development prepares to replace the structure with a six-story, 71-unit residential and retail building.
Le Courtier is already operating at the new address, 1730 Mass. Ave. Keezer’s is still open at 1738 but has been gradually shifting inventory, which should be completed on Wednesday. Keezer’s moved to Mass. Ave. in 2018, relocating from its longtime Central Square home after tailor Dick Robasson acquired the business.
Robasson, whom Boston Magazine affectionately referred to as a “stitch wizard straight out of another era” when it named him Best Tailor in 2008, merged Keezer’s with his tailoring business, Le Courtier, which he had started on Newbury Street in 2003.
Demolition will start in September, and the full project is expected to be complete in 21 to 22 months. Siegel said the goal is “to go as fast as possible,” though he said some details of the project are “still in flux.”
Simon’s expects to close deal soon
Simon’s Coffee, next door to Keezer’s at 1736 Mass. Ave., has not yet been able to confirm where it will go. Simon Yu, the shop’s owner, said he expects to move to a nearby site, but could not comment on the specifics.
Developer Adam Siegel said he and his partner, Brendan Seaver, had planned “from the start” to bring both shops back to the new building when it is completed. They have been in discussions with both Yu and Robasson about returning, though neither has signed an agreement to come back. Siegel said that the team had a “good verbal agreement” on terms for Simon’s to return. Talks with Robasson have stalled.
Although Old North Development emphasized that it wanted to bring back both businesses, it looks unlikely that Robasson’s shops will return for the foreseeable future. After learning last October that his lease would be terminated to make way for the new development, Robasson was quick to find a space for Keezer’s & Le Courtier — a stroke of luck he attributed to his real estate agent.
He signed a five-year lease and expects the businesses to remain at 1730 for at least that long. He said building out the new space has cost more than $135,000, work which has included tearing down walls and rewiring the building. “When you do such an expensive renovation, you can’t just turn your back [on the building],” said Robasson.
Siegel told Cambridge Day in 2025 that Old North expected to accept less than market-rate terms to bring back the businesses. He would not comment on what the expected rates would be.
Robasson said his rent had been $11,000 a month, and at 1730 Mass. Ave. will be around $13,500, which includes the cost of two adjacent parking spaces.
More space, less parking
His employees expressed enthusiasm about the change of scenery. Tailor Nik Louis said the new location will be “the most curated rendition of Keezer’s in its history.”
Louis is especially glad to leave behind the display window at 1738, which sits on a ledge above the staircase to the shop. “With the way the window is set up, it is always a little nerve-wracking trying to do those mannequins,” Louis said.
Employees are also pleased to be moving into a larger space. At 1738, Keezer’s & Le Courtier had occupied a 4,289 sq. ft. space in the basement (the total includes the staircase leading down to the shop). At 1730, it will have roughly 3,500 sq. ft. at street-level and another 3,750 sq. ft. in the basement.
Lucas, who did not give his last name, said the new venue allows for more separation between formal and casual wear, and specialized dressing rooms for different parts of both shops. Louis said it would also be better organized: “[At 1738] everything was all roughly organized, and customers had to dig through the racks, but at the new spot you’re going to know where things are.”
One thing it will have less of is parking. The 1738 building had a nine-space parking lot. Robasson said that customers have already approached him with concerns about where they will be able to park. “We don’t know [where there will be space to park], we’re just going to try to do what we can,” he said.
A stronger
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