Coming Soon To Brookline: Soofa Signs

BROOKLINE, MA — If you've wandered down Harvard Street to the Allston line, you've probably seen it: The gray with purple and orange accents on the sidewalk, similar to a bus stop sign. In the middle is an automated changing marquee pronouncing "Today's neighborhood Newsfeed," complete with upcoming calendar events. That's a Soofa sign, and it's coming to Brookline.

Brookline's Select Board approved a year-long pilot to feature them around town. The solar run electronic paper will display public, "municipal messages," paid messages from local businesses and "community messages" curated and maintained by Soofa employees.

"It's about building community," said Ed Krafcik of the Cambridge-based company Tuesday of the project.

The company - which was also behind the solar charging USB benches that was once rolled out across Boston in years past - just installed a dozen of the signs around Boston. The plan is to install between 15 and 24 in Brookline's commercial areas, including Coolidge Corner, Washington Square, Saint Marys and Brookline Village.

Brookline's Department of Public Works officials are behind the project, according to Todd Kirrane.

"DPW envisions it as a way to announce parking bans, bridle path event, or movies in the parks, they see this as a great medium that the town can now use to reach a broader group of people," Kirrane told the Select Board Tuesday night.

Creators say they consider the signs digital bulletin boards, similar to one you might see in a coffee shop. Anyone who has a local event they want highlighted signs up for a free Soofa account and then posts the event there, akin to how you can sign up to post an event to the Brookline Patch.

Rather than bright lights and flashy colors, the signs use a type of electronic paper similar to what you might see on an e-reader. The company installs them on sidewalks near bus stops near public plazas. Soofa plans to install signs in Coolidge Corner, Washington Square and Brookline Village.

The company has met and gotten approval from the transportation division, economic development division, the pedestrian advisory council, the economic development advisory board, the Coolidge Corner Merchants association and chamber of commerce among others.

Local businesses will end up financing the project once the pilot is over through advertising, according to Soofa employees.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).