New Sports Bar in Walpole Open, Stoughton Residents Want a Trader Joe's, and More Regional Business News

French Company Eying Invensys Takeover

Invensys, which has a location in Foxborough, could see new ownership if a bid for the company is accepted.

Schneider Electric of France has approached the British company with a takeover bid of over $5 billion according to the Guardian.

The offer comes off of long standing speculation that Invensys would be bought by a foreign company. 

Under British stock exchange rules, Schneider has until August 8 to make a firm interest or drop its interest in a takeover.

The Guardian also speculated that Siemens, ABB, Emerson Electric, or General Electric could place counter-bids.

Crease in Walpole Now Open

Alan Lightfoot has always had a love of hockey, and he’s opened the Crease in Walpole to help share that love with the town.

“We’re really big hockey fans here,” he said. “I was born here but my parents are Canadian, and I always followed the late 60s early 70s Bruins.”

Lightfoot bought the place for the Crease a few months ago and has been getting it ready ever since. He said he wanted to have it open during the Bruins bout with Chicago this year, but it just wasn’t to be.

Lightfoot himself was and still is a general contractor in the town. He said the location is perfect for him, as he lives about a half mile from the restaurant.

“The opportunity came up and I took it,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to have a little bar.”

A Trader Joe's in Stoughton?

With Shaw's announcing it will be closing six of its underperforming supermarkets - including the Stoughton location - by August 3, Shaw's Plaza on Washington Street will lose its anchor store, and a 35,000 square foot retail space will be vacant.

Billed as "your neighborhood grocery store," a group of Stoughton residents are petitioning that Trader Joe's open up in the downtown neighborhood, filling this soon-to-be vacant Shaw's location.

Stoughton resident Adam Dawkins created a "Bring Trader Joe's to Stoughton" Facebook page on Monday, and the group already has more than 300 members (as of Thursday at 5 p.m.), and keeps growing.

Studio 58 in Sharon Making Art for Nearly 20 Years

Elaine Goldstein started Studio 58 in her Sharon home 20 years ago and she said it’s been quite a ride.

“I was a fifth grade teacher and I had given up my tenure when my children came along,” she said. “My husband did a lot of traveling and I needed to be here.”

Goldstein said she started teaching one cartooning class at the Cottage Street School, and realized she had something.

They said they had to turn away 150 kids, they all wanted to my course on cartooning,” she said. “Then one of the parents said why don’t you start your own school, my son really loved your course.”

She said she then redid her sun room into a studio and started to get a following. She said it came through word of mouth.

Construction on Cavallo and Signoriello's New Building in Sharon Under Way

Ben Cavallo and Keith Signoriello have planned their new building for almost a year now, and construction has finally started.

“The goal is to be done by the end of 2013,” Signoriello said. “We’re supposed to be all moved in at the end of the year.”

The company, after purchasing Colonial Insurance a year and a half ago, needed more space. They work out of two offices right now.

Ben Cavallo and Keith Signoriello have planned their new building for almost a year now, and construction has finally started.

“The goal is to be done by the end of 2013,” Signoriello said. “We’re supposed to be all moved in at the end of the year.”

The company, after purchasing Colonial Insurance a year and a half ago, needed more space. They work out of two offices right now.