Fields Corner is experiencing a bit of a boom these days as a number of new restaurants and businesses have moved in to set up shop, with everything from sushi to southern friend chicken to mixed martial arts now on the neighborhood docket.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Fields Corner Civic Association (FCCA) has been discussing whether neighboring civic associations might be interested in merging with their organization, according to FCCA’s Hiep Chu.

One of the new prospects is Mama’s Chicken, which recently sought support from the FCCA for a 25-seat restaurant operated by Cammy Hoang in a new building now under construction at 1403 Dorchester Ave. The eatery would feature southern-style fried chicken, as well as Vietnamese sandwiches and drinks.

“All of our cousins worked for them down there in Dallas for many years,” said Hoang.

“The recipes come from their place down there and we’re going to bring it up here. We are adding more Vietnamese sandwiches here, though. In Texas we don’t serve those at all.”

Meanwhile, on the fine dining front, Thai Oishi has opened its doors at 203 Adams St., a location that has housed several restaurants since the departure of Chan O’Malley’s more than a decade ago.

Purichaya Tawinno of Thai Oishi talked about his plans with the Reporter. “I think the area doesn’t have sushi yet and doesn’t have a Thai restaurant for dining. The only Thai restaurant is for take-out only. That’s one reason we’ve chosen this location…I am so excited to be in this area.”

The restaurant features a large dining room and a sushi bar, all well-appointed and newly constructed. Tawinno said he’s working to get a liquor license for the establishment.

For those looking to hone their mixed martial arts (MMA) skills, Level Ground MMA Studio has moved into 1490 Dorchester Ave., the former short-term home of the Dorchester Art Project store. Alexandra Fuller, a Fields Corner resident, said the studio moved to Fields Corner in late summer after almost six years in Uphams Corner. They expect to be fully up to speed in the new space by the end of October.

“We had kind of a rushed experience in finding a new location because of something along the lines of a bad landlord situation in our previous location,” said Fuller.

Level Ground, which operates under membership plans, offers adult and teen classes at the studio, specializing in combat, MMA, boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian ju-jitsu, and Muay Thai. “We’re looking forward to being a good neighbor and we’re excited to partner with local non-profits and schools,” Fuller said.

A merging of the civics?
It was at a meeting of the FCCA on Oct. 4 that the notion of neighborhood association mergers came up, a discussion prompted in part, said FCCA’s Hiep Chu, because some of the nearby civic groups were not responding to city inquiries about development and licensure. Several civic associations, like the FCCA, pivoted successfully to online meetings during the pandemic and expanded membership. Others did not engage online, and don’t seem to have re-emerged actively since then.

While the Five Streets Civic Association (encompassing Charles Street and surroundings) merged with FCCA in 2019, chief on the non-active list is the Freeport-Adams Civic Association, which has not met since before the pandemic struck, leaders said. There are also questions as to the status of the Meetinghouse Hill Civic Association.

Inquiries from the Reporter to Freeport-Adams and Meetinghouse Hill were not returned by press time.

Clam Point Civic leaders Paul and Denise Doherty said they no longer have standing monthly meetings; they meet when the need arises, such as the contentious construction project at the corner of Freeport and Mill streets.

“We worked together as a neighborhood on these concerns and were very happy with the support and turnout of the Clam Point neighbors,” they said. “This is the first time we have heard about civic groups merging together with Fields Corner and I do not think our neighborhood would be interested in that.”

Civic associations were very powerful in the past but that strength may not have carried through Covid, said Chu, though, he added, they remain the go-to organizations for city inquires and detailed neighborhood information.

“We are not sure what is going on, and maybe some long-time residents moved on,” he said. “Things happen. Merging can be a good thing or a bad thing. We’d like to talk about it.”

Fields Corner Notebook
•Jacky West Devine, director of Fields Corner Main Streets, said the group is working with the WalkBoston organization to brainstorm about a better design for pedestrians in Hero Square (at the intersection of Adams Street and Dorchester Avenue). The square is the nexus of two very busy streets with multiple crossings required to get from one side to the other in the business district. The situation has become quite dangerous, and the hope is there are ideas that would make life easier for pedestrians and motorists in what is a difficult navigational channel right now.

•Lamartine Beauty Supply at 1530 Dorchester Ave. – well-known in the neighborhood for having scantily clad mannequins displayed in the front windows – is looking to become a salon and retail outlet. The plan is to put seven hair stations and other accessory stations where the retail floor is currently – minimizing the retail and maximizing the salon. The FCCA was generally in support of the measure but did have a few questions. Owner Nadege Marcelin would operate six days a week at first, but prefers to be open seven days.

•There is talk among neighborhood leaders, arts organizations, and the Little Saigon Cultural District about creating a ‘Graffiti Alley’ art project on the wall abutting the MBTA station and the VietAID development. The idea is to commission a professional graffiti artist to start the effort and invite community artists to add to the wall over time. One exists now in Cambridge.

•Police from C-11 reported that an armed robbery took place on Sept. 14 in the early morning hours at the 7/11 in Fields Corner when a Black male in his 50s came into the store and produced a firearm. He made off with $200 in cash. There are no leads in the case, police said.