Good things come in threes

Then there are the places that exist solely because someone has a vision. It makes sense to them. They decide to make it happen.

It doesn’t always make sense to others, unfortunately — say, raw food in a neighborhood known for pasta and pizza, a high-end clothing boutique/video game lounge/sustainably sourced restaurant, an awkwardly named spot serving pastries injected with ice cream.

But when the unique idea has mass appeal, it’s magic. There’s a place like no other. It is quirky, carried out with passion. These are what we call labors of love, and we love them back. A restaurant in a former pasta factory in Somerville, started by academics without restaurant experience. A crackerjack spot in an East Boston shipyard where people come in strangers and leave friends (may Scup’s rise again). A hot dog cart in an industrial lot where the humble frank is lavished with the attention generally only given products deemed artisanal.

Or a tapas bar/record and book shop. Tres Gatos opened in February in Jamaica Plain, a recasting of the store Rhythm & Muse. Brick-and-mortar music-and-lit isn’t exactly a growth sector these days. Proprietors David Doyle and wife Maricely Perez-Alers decided that it made perfect sense to start offering their wares alongside Spanish small plates. “Eating tapas is about sampling, sharing, and connecting, and that approach fits perfectly with R&M’s role as a neighborhood indie book and music store,’’ says Tres Gatos’ website.

They were totally right.