The Village Bank will open its first branch in Wellesley later this year. The move both expands our presence and launches an innovative new branch model designed to support local businesses and contribute to an active, engaging town center. The new 4,300-square-foot branch will be located at 579 Washington Street and is expected to open in summer 2026.
At the heart of the Wellesley location will be a 725-square-foot retail incubator space, developed in partnership with UpNext, that reimagines the role a bank branch can play for residents, businesses and community. The new branch model integrates banking services with a dynamic, street-level retail pop-up designed to showcase hyper-local businesses and foster community connection.
“Our approach to growth is intentional and community-driven,” Village Bank president and CEO Joseph A. De Vito said. “We believe in expanding into locations where we can add value to our customer base while offering services to a new population. Just as important, we wanted to do this in a way that strengthens the community. We’re excited to debut a new concept that will support local business and provide the same dedication and service to our customers.”
The retail incubator, which will be co-branded with The Village Bank, will operate as a dedicated storefront within the branch, hosting a rotating series of pop-ups curated by UpNext. The concept is designed to give local makers and entrepreneurs meaningful exposure, access to new audiences, and operational support, while bringing consistent energy and foot traffic to Washington Street.
“The Village Bank is known as a strong community partner, and we were inspired by their willingness to think differently about what a bank can be,” UpNext founder and CEO Allison Yee said. “This is more than a retail incubator. It’s a community gathering space, a platform for local entrepreneurs, and an active streetfront that contributes to the daily life of Wellesley. We’re excited about the opportunity to help bring this vision to life and support local businesses in a meaningful way.”
The partnership with UpNext is the first of its kind for The Village Bank and is expected to serve as a model for future branches. UpNext will share additional details in the months ahead about how local businesses can apply to participate in the incubator and future pop-up rotations.
In addition to traditional banking services and the retail space, the Wellesley branch will include a community room available to residents during non-banking hours for civic meetings and community activities.
“We want to provide the same Village Bank experience to Wellesley as we do in the communities we currently serve and make those customers and businesses part of our family,” De Vito said. “Adding a partnership with Allison and the great work UpNext does for local businesses makes this an even more exciting opportunity.”