"Change is good," says Norman E. Moniz, proprietor of family owned University Upholstery. "There used to be a lot more racism than there is now. I'm Portuguese and I got picked on a lot when I was a kid."

"The Portuguese population has really increased," he continues. "You'll see their houses are now all renovated; the Portuguese have really rejuvenated the area, not that anyone gave us credit for it."

Inman Square has a unique personality, a strong sense of community and of older, long-standing families.  --Gerry Wolf, coffee shop owner

Families Depart

University Upholstery is right off Inman Street, next to an overgrown empty lot fenced in with chicken wire. Light sneaks in between the bolts of cloth that block the windows. The piles of batting, cushions and dust make the store a child's dream and an allergist's nightmare.

"I've run this shop for 44 years, and lived here longer," Moniz says proudly. "There aren't many of us around anymore."

Moniz and other residents say fewer families now live in the square, making room for a younger crowd.

"We had families years ago, but now there are a lot of new people, a lot of single people" Moniz muses. "A few families stayed around for a long time, but now people are more mobile, more transient." He sighs, looking down at his splitting knuckles.

Diane agrees.

"The Shamrock used to be an Irish family place. Now it's basically singles here," says the Shamrock bartender.

"There used to be a theater and a bowling alley here," she adds. "A lot of the things kids did disappeared--we used to have youth groups, like the Catholic Youth Organization, bean suppers, outings."

Now, the arrival of younger professionals is beginning to transform the originally blue-collar family-oriented community.

"Inman Square for a good number of years was strictly a family area, a workman's area," says Wheeler. "The area is changing. There are more, for sake of another word, yuppies who come in to eat."

"The older people pass away, the younger have moved out...now there's a more diverse clientele that's filled the gap," Wheeler says.

"There are a lot less working class type stores, a lot less 5 and Dime stores, or shoe stores catering to working class people," agrees Ruth A. Murray, a cashier at Jimmaize Cafe.