City of Boston Backstreets

Back Streets Are Integral to the Life Flow of the City and Help Form the City’s Economic Backbone

Back Streets are Boston’s manufacturing, wholesale, construction, commercial services, logistics and food processing businesses

They complement yet stand in contrast to “Main Streets” retail businesses, as Back Streets businesses are often unknown and undervalued but essential to the flow of goods
Over 4,000 businesses
Over 100,000 jobs

Category	Description	Examples
Manufacturing	Metal/chemical/high tech Printing and publishing	Zoom Telephonics Spire Acme Bookbinding
Wholesale	Distribution of goods Receiving and reselling	Cupp & Cupp Slade Gorton & Company
Commercial Services	Srvcs. for other businesses Data/security/maintenance	Jet-A-Way New World Security
Logistics	Moving/transportation Warehousing/storage	Casey & Hayes Boston Freight Terminals
Building and Contractors	General contracting Subcontractors	Suffolk Construction City Lights & Electrical
Food Processing and Importing	Fish/meat processing Production	Robbins Beef Co. North Coast Seafood

Facts About Back Streets Businesses Indicate Their Importance to Boston

Fiction	Fact
Back Streets Businesses are unimportant	Back Streets businesses: Employ over 100,000 people Provide revenue to the city Enable flow of goods and services in Boston Provide economic diversity to Boston’s economy
Back Streets jobs are undesireable	Back Streets jobs: Provide very attractive salaries Mesh with Boston’s changing population, and are crucial to many of Boston’s citizens
The disappearance of Back Streets is a sign of economic progress	Back Streets: Encourage and enable entrepreneurship Foster competitive service providers Business services are growing along with the leading industries Decline in Back Streets jobs has had devastating effects elsewhere