What is the best neighborhood in Boston to open a Dessert Shop?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the best neighborhood in Boston to open a Dessert Shop is Teele Square, with 78% average survivability. 62 of 88 neighborhoods analyzed exceed the 70% two-year survival threshold.

How much more revenue can a Dessert Shop make in the best vs. average Boston neighborhood?

In Teele Square, the best possible Dessert Shop location in Boston offers approximately 9.9% more expected revenue than the average location. The worst-performing neighborhoods could yield approximately 16.7% less than average.

What is the city-wide average survivability for Dessert Shop in Boston?

The city-wide average survivability for Dessert Shop across Boston is 71% for surviving more than 2 years. Top neighborhoods like Teele Square substantially outperform this average, reaching 78%.

What are the worst neighborhoods for Dessert Shop in Boston?

The most challenging neighborhoods in Boston for Dessert Shop include Wellesley with 59% average survival chance, Winchester, and Methuen. However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well.

What should I consider when opening a Dessert Shop in Boston?

Among all factors in our model, Revenue Capture Score carries the most weight in determining long-term survivability. StreetSpring computes Revenue Capture Score by projecting the business's market share based on competitor quality and quantity, mobility patterns, and forecasted consumer spending for the specific business type.

Survivability Rankings for Dessert Shop in Boston

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Boston to open a Dessert Shop, from Teele Square (78% survival) to Wellesley (59%).

April 24, 2026•17 min read

By Bobby Koons | Last updated: April 26, 2026 | Weekly methodology review | Methodology

Quick Summary

#1 Neighborhood: Teele Square — 78% average survivability for Dessert Shop

Neighborhoods at or above 70%: 62 of 88 analyzed

City-wide average: 71% for Dessert Shops

Most challenging area: Wellesley at 59%

Revenue advantage (top vs. avg location): ~9.9% more expected revenue in Teele Square

Data freshness: 2026 data · Full methodology →

Summary
10 Best Neighborhoods
Where Would a Dessert Shop Make the Most Money?
What Should I Consider?
Where Should I Start?
FAQ: Best Neighborhoods
FAQ: Can a Dessert Shop Succeed in Lower-Ranked Areas?
FAQ: How Often Are Rankings Updated?
FAQ: Is a Dessert Shop a Good Tenant?
Landlord Survivability Data
Best Neighborhoods for Any Business

Summary

Of all the neighborhoods in and around Boston, Teele Square ranks #1 for opening a Dessert Shop with 78% average chance of surviving more than 2 years, with the best locations offering 87% and the most challenging locations in Teele Square at 67%. The worst neighborhoods include Wellesley with 59% average chance. Surface conditions can change in a week — for the most current score, the live StreetSpring tool beats any static page.

Top-Survivability Boston Neighborhoods for Dessert Shops

**Comparable neighborhoods nationally:** Teele Square resembles **Barney Circle (Washington DC)** and **Highlandtown (Baltimore)** most closely — all three carry higher-income, high high-earner share, and low poverty. Operators evaluating Teele Square for Dessert Shops can read those peer neighborhoods as parallel signal.

**What goes wrong for Dessert Shops in Boston.** 88 tracked neighborhoods, scores spanning **59% to 78%** (average 71%). **Teele Square** leads at 78% (3 existing competitors); **Wellesley** anchors the bottom at 59%. The 19-point spread is the dominant failure mode: choosing the wrong Boston neighborhood costs more upside than any operational tweak can recover.

Teele Square ranks #1 of 88 neighborhoods analyzed in and around Boston for Dessert Shop survivability with a score of 78% as of 2026. The top 10 neighborhoods are:

How rent and competition shape the leaderboard

Rank	Neighborhood	Best Locations	Average Locations	Challenging Locations
1	Teele Square	84.0% – 88.0%	76.1% – 79.8%	66.0% – 70.0%
2	Cambridge Highlands	83.0% – 87.0%	75.3% – 79.1%	67.0% – 71.0%
3	Cambridgeport	82.0% – 86.0%	75.0% – 78.8%	68.0% – 72.0%
4	Kenmore	84.0% – 88.0%	74.8% – 78.6%	68.0% – 72.0%
5	Strawberry Hill	81.0% – 85.0%	74.7% – 78.4%	65.0% – 69.0%
6	Fenway	81.0% – 85.0%	74.6% – 78.4%	65.0% – 69.0%
7	Allston	83.0% – 87.0%	74.5% – 78.3%	65.0% – 69.0%
8	Watertown	80.0% – 84.0%	73.8% – 77.6%	64.0% – 68.0%
9	North Quincy	82.0% – 86.0%	73.3% – 77.1%	64.0% – 68.0%
10	South End	81.0% – 85.0%	73.3% – 77.0%	66.0% – 70.0%

Notable runners-up worth a second look

A low-ranking neighborhood can still contain high-potential storefronts — the address matters most. However, market conditions change daily, and it's best to use StreetSpring's live data to check the Survivability Score for a specific address.

Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each neighborhood. See our full methodology →

Try StreetSpring to see if this location is still the best and see if there are locations to rent in this area right now.

Where Dessert Shops Earn the Most in Boston

In Teele Square, the best possible location offers the opportunity of making ~9.9% more than the average location in or around Boston.

On the other hand, in Wellesley, the worst possible location could result in making ~16.7% less than the average location in the city.

The right location can make a business; the wrong one can break it. Opening a Dessert Shop in Boston requires careful location choice. Across 88 neighborhoods analyzed, the overall average survival chance for a new Dessert Shop is 71% for lasting more than 2 years — due to a combination of many factors across competition, consumer spending, and location dynamics. The interplay between location characteristics and business type produces unique survivability scores for every combination.

What Should I Consider When Opening a Dessert Shop in or Around Boston?

Picking the right location is the single highest-leverage decision in launching this business — Survivability Score is the lens that frames the rest of the decision. Among all factors in our model, Revenue Capture Score carries the most weight in determining long-term survivability. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors. The analysis behind these rankings spans millions of data points across competition, spending, and mobility. Areas with complementary competitors tend to generate higher overall foot traffic. These forecasts are generated using StreetSpring's unique analytical framework.

Consideration	Common pitfall	What to verify before signing
Foot traffic seasonality	Looking at a peak-summer Tuesday and assuming year-round volume.	Walk the block at 3 different times across 2 different weeks. Ask neighboring tenants for their slow-season % drop.
CAM + hidden costs	Stated rent looks great, then CAM fees, signage charges, and after-hours utilities add 15-30%.	Get the full operating expense breakdown for the past 2 years. Ask which costs are landlord-capped vs. uncapped.
Competitor density	Counting only direct competitors and missing adjacent-category overlap (e.g. coffee shop near a bakery).	Map all businesses serving overlapping customer needs within a 5-min walk. Use StreetSpring's competitor view as a starting point.

This can be summarized as:

Revenue Capture Score = Projected Market Share × Forecasted Spend on Specific Business

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. StreetSpring refreshes survivability data continuously — check the tool for the most current score at any address.

Where to Launch a Dessert Shop in or Around Boston

The neighborhoods with the highest survivability for this business type are Teele Square, Cambridge Highlands, and Cambridgeport, while the most challenging neighborhoods would be Wellesley, Winchester, and Methuen. Market conditions are changing daily and it is best to use StreetSpring's most up-to-date data. Market dynamics shift frequently; validate these insights with real-time data from StreetSpring.

Related Articles:

Where Dessert Shops Thrive in Boston

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the top neighborhood for a Dessert Shop in Boston is Teele Square with 78% average survivability, followed by Cambridge Highlands and Cambridgeport. 62 of 88 neighborhoods analyzed exceed 70% two-year survival.

StreetSpring refreshes survivability data continuously — check the tool for the most current score at any address.

When Lower-Scoring Neighborhoods Can Still Work for Dessert Shops

Yes — neighborhood averages mask significant block-by-block variation. Even in neighborhoods ranked outside the top 10, individual storefronts with strong foot traffic, low direct competition, and favorable lease terms can outperform the area average. These averages are directional, not definitive; the best decision comes from analyzing your specific storefront. Always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform for the most accurate prediction.

How Often Are Dessert Shop Rankings in Boston Updated?

StreetSpring recalculates survivability scores regularly using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. Rankings are updated quarterly; the live tool always reflects the most current predictions for any address in Boston.

What Makes a Dessert Shop a Strong (or Weak) Boston Tenant?

In Teele Square, StreetSpring forecasts a 76.1% – 79.8% average chance for a new Dessert Shop to survive more than 2 years, depending on the exact storefront. Check the current Survivability Score for any address instantly.

Landlord Survivability Data for Dessert Shop in Boston

Tenant longevity is a top concern for commercial landlords. In Teele Square, a Dessert Shop tenant averages 76.1% – 79.8% chance of lasting more than 2 years — the strongest outlook in Boston. Cambridge Highlands follows at 75.3% – 79.1%, while Cambridgeport shows 75.0% – 78.8%. You can see the Survivability Score for your location for any business right now.

Each prediction is calibrated to the specific address, factoring in foot traffic, competition, and consumer spending at that exact location.

What Are the Best Neighborhoods in Boston to Open a Dessert Shop?

You can see the best neighborhoods in or around Boston to open any type of business in our article Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Boston.

Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for Boston are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

View technical data for Boston

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.

Visual Data

Bubble chart of business subtypes in Boston by survivability score and location density — Every business subtype in Boston plotted by score vs location count — bubble size shows market depth. Find Dessert Shop relative to its peers.

Waterfall chart of best and worst Dessert Shop neighborhoods in Boston — Top and bottom neighborhoods for Dessert Shop in Boston — each step shows the gap from the city average. Wider spread = location matters more.

How we measure this: Shorter leases compress survival horizons. We assume a 5-year base term unless listing data overrides.

**Boston at a glance.** Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It serves as a cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston))

**Daytime/resident distribution (Boston):** LEHD LODES data across 129 Boston neighborhoods: median ratio **0.25:1**, top-quartile **2.36:1** — a strongly-residential commercial-corridor profile. Use this to triangulate which neighborhood matches your concept's natural demand-timing (weekday-commuter vs. evening-and-weekend).

**Operating-cost data point:** Per EIA Form 861, US DOL, and Tax Foundation 2024, Boston's state-level operating costs read: commercial electricity **10.9¢/kWh** (above the 10.8¢ 24-metro median), state minimum wage **$15.00/hr** (below $15.00), combined sales tax **6.2%** (below 7.7%), and effective commercial property tax **1.20%** (above 0.96%). Composite tier vs peers: **average**.

**How we benchmark:** BLS Business Employment Dynamics, March 2025 release reports **50.0% 5-year survival** for Dessert Shops nationally. StreetSpring's Boston model — which incorporates competitive density, traffic patterns, and rent dynamics — produces an average **survivability score of 67%** for Dessert Shops across the city.

Related Resources

Same business type in other cities:

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Survivability Rankings for Dessert Shop in Boston

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