Oh, Pickles and Ice Cream. You might have been a fine maternity store, but when word came along that you were closing and that Parnassus Books was taking over your space for a much-needed expansion, I doubt many people shed a tear. And unlike The Belcourt’s grand expansion, this one didn’t keep us waiting for months — the bookstore reopened before we knew it, and now boasts a fancy piano, a stage for the big-name talents it now can accommodate, and so much more. LAURA HUTSON


