The Bakery, the Bookshop and the Gelato Counter That Remade Middle Chandler Street

Crust Bakeshop's newest counter came about through a kindergarten teacher. Crust co-owner Nate Rossi told MassLive in May that his wife and business partner, Alexis Kelleher, had once been taught by one of the owners of TidePool BookShop. The bookshop's owners wanted a partner, and they suggested opening a cafe in the empty space next door at 372 Chandler St.

That space had been a chiropractor's office. It's now a bakery, and a block up the street a former donut shop has become a gelato and crêpe café. The City of Worcester has plans to rebuild Chandler Street at both ends of this stretch, with roundabouts in front of Worcester State University and a Complete Streets redesign closer to downtown, but roadway construction on neither is scheduled before 2027. In the meantime, the middle of Chandler Street has changed through a few shop owners' decisions, with no road project involved.

A Bookshop That Recruited Its Neighbor

TidePool BookShop came first. Owners Jo and Huck Truesdell started selling books online in April 2020 and opened the shop at 372 Chandler to customers that August, according to a Worcester Guardian profile. The building already had restaurants. Nancy Chang and Sushi Miyazawa, which lists its address as 372 Chandler Street, #105, both share the address.

The empty space beside the bookshop was what made the difference. TidePool's owners pitched it to Crust as a cafe partnership, and Rossi explained to MassLive why he said yes:

"It just seemed like a no-brainer, honestly. I grew up in Newton Square, not too far away. It's just a great neighborhood, so it made perfect sense."

Crust started in 2014 at 118 Main St. and opened a second shop at 1 West Boylston St. in 2020. In 2024 Rossi and Kelleher bought BirchTree Bread Company on Green Street. The Chandler Street shop is their first on the west side. Their menu runs from breads, croissants, scones, muffins, doughnuts and bagels to breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and the coffee is Armeno, roasted in Northborough. Pulse Magazine's October column said you can now get them "just a scone's throw from Tidepool Books."

With the cafe, a book browse can now come with coffee and a croissant, and the coffee crowd now walks past a bookshop.

The Corner at June Street

The second change happened a short walk up the street. Melt Gelato & Crêpe Café opened at 414 Chandler St., at the corner of June Street, and MassLive reported it was open by Wednesday, July 8. The space was formerly Donut Cafe II, and it's Melt's second location, after the Natick Mall. Melt is run by the Maldonado family, who also own Mercado on Shrewsbury Street.

When it opened, MassLive reported hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Those hours cover breakfast through after-dinner dessert, which is a wider span than most counters on this stretch of Chandler. The menu has sweet and savory crêpes, including chicken cutlet and shrimp-avocado, plus paninis, salads, smoothies, frappes and pastries. Gelato flavors include cookie dough, hazelnut and mango. Pulse called the opening "long-awaited" and said a regular crowd was already piling in.

Together, Melt and Crust give the stretch around June Street something it hasn't had in a while: two places within a short walk where you can sit down with a coffee or a dessert.

What's on the Bookshop Calendar Through December

These businesses work as a block because the bookshop keeps people coming back. TidePool's calendar for the rest of 2026 has something most weeks, and many of the events fall on mornings and evenings when a coffee or a gelato nearby is easy to add.

The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club won't meet on Dec. 31. One November author program, on Nov. 17, is at the Museum of Worcester instead of the shop.

Every December Sunday is KidSunday, so the shop has a family event every week of the month.

The Road Work Planned at Both Ends

The city does have plans for Chandler Street, and they'll eventually change how people get to this block. Here is how the two projects line up.

1. Chandler Street and May Street Improvements. This $10.1 million project, paid for with federal and state Transportation Improvement Program funds, builds modern roundabouts at both the north and south Chandler/May intersections in front of Worcester State University. City officials presented the 100% design at the Worcester Dual Language Magnet School on Oct. 15. The Worcester Guardian reported that residents spoke both for and against the plan, and that construction, which MassDOT will administer, could start as early as summer 2027 with completion targeted for 2029. The city's project page schedules utility upgrade work for summer/fall 2026, ahead of that roadway construction.
2. Chandler Street Complete Streets redesign. In the same report, the Guardian noted a separate $23.3 million redesign of Chandler Street between Main Street and Park Avenue, expected to begin in 2028.

The city's project page explains why it pursued the roundabouts. The speed limit near the campus is 20 mph in school zones during school hours and 25 mph the rest of the time. The observed average speed on Chandler Street is 33 mph, and about 1,750 vehicles a day go faster than 38 mph. City Council members, neighbors and other stakeholders began pushing for changes as early as 2016, and the project officially launched at the end of 2017.

For people who walk this part of Chandler, the details that matter are in the fall 2026 public meeting presentation:

• Crossings. Pedestrians get raised crosswalks, center median refuges so they cross one direction of traffic at a time, and flashing crossing beacons recommended at the roundabout approaches and exits.
• Bike paths. The existing bike lanes become 10-foot shared-use paths on both sides of the street, connecting the roundabouts.
• Parking. The project area keeps 75 on-street spaces on both sides of Chandler and May streets, 21 fewer than today.
• Trees. Ten trees in the public right-of-way come out so sidewalks can be rebuilt to current standards, and 35 new trees go in.
• During construction. Traffic is to stay open in both directions except for brief interruptions, access to all properties must be maintained, and the city does not expect detours or night work.

Bus riders get pull-out stops in both directions and a new shelter on the Worcester State campus for inbound trips.

Taken together, the two projects put new road designs on either side of the middle stretch between 2027 and 2029. The bakery, the gelato counter and the bookshop calendar are open now.

A Short Walk Worth Planning Around

A morning on this stretch of Chandler can start at Crust for a breakfast sandwich and Armeno coffee, move next door to TidePool to browse, and end at Melt at the June Street corner for a crêpe. On a December Sunday, KidSunday at TidePool fits into the same walk. Sushi Miyazawa and Nancy Chang, in the same building at 372 Chandler, cover dinner.

The city's own page lists 2029 as the completion year for the roundabouts in front of Worcester State. The stretch between them and Park Avenue already has a bakery, a gelato and crêpe café, and a bookshop with events most weeks.

If you own a home near Chandler Street and wonder how a busier block and the planned road work affect what your house is worth, Erin Zamarro can walk you through it with local, current numbers. Start with a free home valuation, and we can talk through your street specifically.