WS Development’s $5,000 sponsorship of the 21st Annual South Boston Street Festival helps build bridges between traditional Southie and the waterfront.

“We are part of the South Boston community,” said Yanni Tsipis, Senior Vice President, Development for WS Development, which is developing 33 acres on the waterfront composed of residential, hotel, office, retail, entertainment, civic, and cultural uses as well as public open spaces.

“We are bringing dozens of new businesses to the waterfront and it’s very important to us that each of those new businesses are part of the South Boston community and that the South Boston community embraces the businesses that are coming to the waterfront as part of their community and part of their mental map of the neighborhood,” he said. 

“The Street Festival is just one wonderful way of making sure that there is a high level of awareness both for folks who live in South Boston and for all the new businesses who are moving into the waterfront. It’s very important to us to build that bridge.”

Donna Brown, executive director of South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation, is grateful for WS Development’s sponsorship. “WS Development’s support of the Street Festival allows us to put on a wonderful event as we build community and connections.”

“So many people who are moving to the waterfront and who have new businesses here might think of it as its own neighborhood,” Yanni said. “This is part of South Boston and it is incredibly important to forge a connection both physically and psychologically between these parts of the neighborhood.”

WS Development is opening tons of new retail and restaurants and shops and bringing in new residents. “We think it is important that everyone who moves here or is opening a business here is making connections to the South Boston community,” Yanni said. 

And the Street Festival will definitely help make those connections. WS Development will have a table at the Festival as will a number of its retail businesses. 

“An important priority for us is to have our new businesses become better known in the residential South Boston community,” Yanni said. “That's why the festival is such a great event. It’s a one-stop; people can meet new business owners and become familiar with all the businesses in the neighborhood from Andrew Square to the waterfront. It’s a wonderful gathering.”

The street festival provides an opportunity to come together, Yanni said. “There’s no substitute, especially these days, for everyone coming together, open air, in this kind of setting. It provides the community with a chance to meet a lot of the shop owners who are pillars of the business community. It’s not very often to have an event where you see the residential community meeting with and mingling with the business community in an organized fashion.

“It’s great to have residents and businesses all together in the same place … to make connections. That is how you build a real sense of community in a very organic, approachable way.”

Meeting Southie’s elected officials is another important aspect of the festival, Yanni said.  

“South Boston has such a strong history and tradition of having incredibly hands-on, dedicated elected officials. The Street Festival provides an opportunity for new business owners to meet their electeds. It’s important for new residents and businesses to feel supported by their elected officials, and in South Boston we’re so blessed to have a terrific delegation at the city, state, and federal levels.” 

WS Development is grateful for the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation and the Chamber for putting the event on this year, Yanni said. “The event is more important than ever this year coming out of COVID, and the connections people will find are more important than ever so we’re very grateful that the event is happening.

“We’re so happy and very humbled to support it.”