Word comes today that 903 Mills Market, the quirky little neighborhood gathering spot whose name is also its address, has changed hands. In an e-mail message, Nick Massoni, one of the owners who opened the eatery in 2003, said the new owners, as of today, are Nicola and Miriam Pastore, who previously have owned a restaurant in Rome, Italy. The cafe was sold, according to Massoni, because his two partners wanted to get out of the business. Massoni will stay on for two months to help the new owners. He says it is their intention to continue with the same concept and staff.

Less market and more of a cafe, 903 Mills Market took a former neighborhood grocery space and transformed it to a beer, wine and sandwich purveyor that also served a nightly “blue plate” special. Almost all of the seating is outside, and anyone driving by the corner location is apt to see most of the tables occupied on sunny days and into the evenings. It was the conceit of the market, which opened on 9-03-03, to close nightly at 9:03. That wasn’t adhered to so closely after a while. In the past year, improvements to the property have included a fence to separate the patio from the street and a few cursory parking spaces. Most people, especially during the busy lunch hours, park on Gore Street and near Lake Davis.

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