TESO Life Plans Allston Store at Former Blanchard's

TESO Life is listed as the incoming tenant at the former Blanchard's liquor store site on Harvard Avenue.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Photograph of an unlettered brick storefront with dark wood display windows and empty shelving on a quiet Allston sidewalk under overcast daylight. — TESO Life is listed as the incoming tenant at 103 Harvard Avenue in Allston, the former Blanchard's liquor store that closed in September after more than 70 years. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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TESO Life is listed as the incoming tenant at 103 Harvard Ave in Allston, the former location of Blanchard's liquor store, which closed in late September after more than 70 years in business. The parent company's website lists the Allston location as coming soon, without an expected opening date.

Why it matters

The move places a retailer specializing in Asian lifestyle products in a space previously occupied by a longtime neighborhood liquor store. Blanchard's cited declining sales and management changes as reasons for its closure.

The former Blanchard's Allston store spanned 8,000 square feet and had operated for more than 70 years before closing. No opening date for the incoming TESO Life location has been published.

The players

TESO Life

TESO Life is a retailer specializing in Asian lifestyle and retail products, with a parent company based in New York.

Blanchard's

Blanchard's is a longtime liquor retailer in the Boston area that continues to operate locations in Jamaica Plain, Brockton, and Revere.

The details

TESO Group's website lists TESO Life as the incoming tenant at 103 Harvard Ave and marks the location as coming soon. TESO Life already operates a store on Washington Street in downtown Boston, which opened in June.

June 2026: TESO Life's Washington Street store in downtown Boston opened.
Late September 2026: Blanchard's announced the closure of its Allston liquor store.
November 5, 2026: TESO Life was listed as the incoming tenant at the Allston site.

Market Landscape

The Allston vacancy follows Blanchard's decision to retain its other Greater Boston locations while exiting one of its larger former stores. The incoming tenant would bring a lifestyle retailer into a space historically occupied by a neighborhood liquor outlet.

Allston shoppers who relied on Blanchard's for liquor now need to travel to its Jamaica Plain, Brockton, or Revere locations or other nearby retailers. Residents can expect a new lifestyle retail option once the TESO Life store opens, though no date has been set.

The takeaway

Neighborhood retail turnover can reshape local shopping options quickly, so residents who depend on a specific store should confirm its status before planning trips.