Kylie S

Get Spinning with the Salem Arts Festival

Mar 312016

The Salem Arts Festival, held every year on the first full weekend in June (June 3-5, 2016), has become the first harbinger of summer in downtown Salem over the past seven years. But a lot of work and fun goes into supporting the Arts Festival all through the spring, and there are plenty of ways for YOU to get involved right now!

Are you an artist/performer/craft artisan? There’s still time to apply for this year’s festival – deadline April 8!

Do you, or an organization you’re affiliated with, want to contribute your own small piece of art to a large-scale community-built public art project? Move With Me, a collaborative public art project led by artist and architect Claudia Paraschiv, will feature a temporary installation of community-produced pinwheels over Front Street during the festival. Student/artist/organizational groups can contact Claudia about participating, or individuals can join a pinwheel workshop any Tuesday evening in April.

Are you a business or individual who would like to support the festival? Sponsors who make a commitment by April 5 can get complimentary tickets to our amazing Fashion Show fundraiser! Speaking of which…

Do you like FUN?! Now in its third year, our annual Fashion Show Fundraiser is quickly becoming one of the hottest nights of the year. There’s no better way to show your support for the Arts Festival, and thanks to our fundraiser sponsor People’s United Bank, absolutely all proceeds from the evening go directly to supporting the festival in June.

Salem Arts Festival 2015 Photos by Creative Salem_4748

The Salem Arts Festival is organized by Salem Main Streets and a collaboration of Salem organizations which provide support for the festival, including the Salem State University Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Arts Association, Salem Food Tours, and Creative Salem.

Business Spotlight – Melt Ice Cream

Business Spotlight, New Businesses, Salem Dining 1 Response »

Mar 242016

We’re bringing the monthly Business Spotlight back! Every month, Salem Main Streets will highlight a business in downtown Salem that might be relatively unknown, off-the-beaten path, misunderstood, or just plain cool. This month, we took a trip with our partner Creative Salem to get a sneak peek at an older business with a new vision. Thank you to Creative Salem for the amazing photo-documentation – you can see their glossier version of this article here.

RESIZED Melt Ice Cream collaboration with Salem Main Streets and Creative Salem_0468

What: Melt Ice Cream
Where: 60 Washington Street, Salem, MA
Owner: Christiana Kroondyk

Many locals got understandably anxious this winter when they saw brown paper on the windows of The Salem Screamery, a favorite ice cream parlor, but when we got the scoop (sorry, couldn’t help ourselves), the news ended up to be better than we could have anticipated. After a year of operating the Salem Screamery, the current owner is finally transitioning the business over to reflect her own brand and vision. The results are simply delicious.

Salem resident Christiana Kroondyk isn’t afraid to do things a little unconventionally, with flavors or with business. Kroondyk first started dreaming about her own ice cream line during a 2009 vacation, when she visited an ice cream parlor with deliciously unconventional flavors and thought, “I want to do that!” She started playing with her own combinations at home a few years later, and came up with the concept of Melt as an artisanal ice cream line. The original plan was to start as a vendor at farmers’ markets and slowly develop the product over time – but when the chance came to buy the Salem Screamery last year, it was too good to pass up.

This definitely turned Kroondyk’s timetable around a bit – instead of establishing the product until she was ready for a storefront, she suddenly had a storefront before she had established her own product! She made the decision to keep operating as the Salem Screamery for the first year, continuing to source from Bliss Bros. Dairy while learning the ropes of running a storefront business and slowly introducing her own, unique homemade flavors. If you noticed new options popping up last year like pumpkin, sweet potato fluff, or anise with candied fennel seeds (!), you have an idea of where this is going.

RESIZED Melt Ice Cream collaboration with Salem Main Streets and Creative Salem_0501

So what makes Melt different? Kroondyk’s vision for Melt has always included a strong focus on community and locally-sourced ingredients. Current flavors feature a number of ingredients from local, regional businesses, including coffee beans from Atomic Coffee Roasters (Salem), sea-salt brownie bits from Jodi Bee Bakes (Salem), chocolate from Taza Chocolate (Somerville), tea from MEM Tea (Watertown), nuts from That Nutty Redhead (Rockport), and candies from Sweet Lydia’s (Lowell). The interior is open and inviting, including work by local artist Scott Froeschl (keep your eyes peeled for a mural coming soon). Last but not least, all ice cream is now made on-site in Melt’s beautiful, brand-new ice cream mixer! Kroondyk has also started making additional ingredients in-house, including homemade waffle cones.

Melt Ice Cream opens its doors on Thursday, March 24th, and will be open SEVEN DAYS A WEEK: for now, 1pm – 8pm on Sunday – Thursday, 1pm – 9pm, and Friday – Saturday. Stop in to treat yourself and support a great new local business!

RESIZED Melt Ice Cream collaboration with Salem Main Streets and Creative Salem_0458

Holiday Happenings – A Recap

Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, Uncategorized No Responses »

Jan 242016

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For those new to Salem and the work of Salem Main Streets, there’s a frequent misconception that life must get quieter for us after October. We do our best to laugh politely when we hear this from friends and family, as nothing could be further than the truth! Little do they know that we have been planning for months for Holiday Happenings, a collection of events and initiatives celebrating downtown Salem that keep us going non-stop from mid-November through New Year’s Eve.

We’re often so busy looking forward to the next season that we often neglect to celebrate what we’ve just accomplished. As we prepare for our Annual Meeting on Tuesday night, we wanted to take a quick chance to recap all the different pieces that made up Holiday Happenings 2015 for Salem Main Streets – you’ll see what we mean about going non-stop:

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Wreaths and Ribbons – to add to the festive atmosphere, we hung over 100 wreaths around the downtown (this year with lovely white lights, thanks to the City of Salem’s Electrical Department!), and a squad of 25+ volunteers spent a beautiful November morning lugging ladders around and covering the downtown in red ribbon.

The Holiday Tree – our holiday tree on Lappin Park is always a perfect example of the collaborative spirit of Salem, and this year was no exception. From the hours the City’s Department of Public Works donates in helping to decorate, to the community partners who help with selection, delivery, and donations for the tree, to the hundreds of tourists who give donations to Duchess Gigi in October specifically for the tree, and of course, one beautiful, locally-grown and donated tree!

Santa’s Arrival and Tree Lighting – due to a logistical snag, we re-combined these two popular events on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and we are so glad we did! We have never had such a crowd (see picture at the top of this post), and it was truly an incredible way to welcome in the season.

Small Business Saturday – Main Streets teamed up with the Salem Chamber and 40 downtown businesses this year to help promote shopping small and local the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and despite the less than ideal weather, the city was packed with happy shoppers all day long. It also marked the beginning of a month-long partnership with the Boy Scouts, who sold wreaths and wrapped gifts out of the Info Booth as a fundraiser.

Salem Winter Market – we tried something new this year, and decided to move our winter extension of the Salem Farmers’ Market to one weekend day a month, rather than a weekly weeknight through November and December. It seems like you all approved – we saw over twice as many people in those two days than we did for the entire winter market season last year!

Holiday Window Contest – our annual holiday window contest between downtown businesses returned with a vengeance, this year with a social media component where shoppers posted pictures of their favorites.

Festive Friday Nights – we are constantly trying new ways to encourage downtown shopping, and this year we encouraged over 30 downtown retailers to commit to staying open until 8 pm every Friday in December. We gave it kind of a trial run this year, but we are looking forward to hearing from businesses whether we should expand on this in future years.

New Year’s Eve – and last but certainly not least, our New Year’s Eve LAUNCH! event was bigger and better than ever, with over 700 attendees during the two hour event and a “greener” countdown this year with beachballs and paper whirligigs and airplanes to replace the less environmentally-friendly balloons we’d used in the past.

Phew! No wonder we’re just getting around to recapping it now! But what was it all for? Why does Salem Main Streets DO all these things in the first place? Join us for our Annual Meeting on Tuesday night at Ames Hall at the YMCA at 5:30 p.m. and find out!

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Salem, MA All Year Round – and This Week

Uncategorized No Responses »

Nov 012015

Less than 24 hours ago…

The day after. The streets have been swept, the barriers are being moved away, and sooner or later, the portapotties will roll out of town. Halloween is over for another year. All the fun is over, too, right? WRONG! Salem, MA is truly alive and well all year round, and next week alone is a perfect example of how much there is to do and enjoy every day in this great city.

Let’s get the sad news out of the way first. Today, Sunday 11/1, is the last official day at Artists’ Row. We’ve had some amazing tenants this year – as you may have seen from our profiles of Nikky Bergman Jewelry, Boston Woodturning, Diane Hoffman Textiles, and Witch City Wicks. But don’t be too sad – Boston Woodturning and Ceramics by Sibel are going to continue working in their spaces as long as they can stand the cold, and all tenants will be returning for a special event on Nov. 22 (more details to come).

November 1st also signals the start of sales all over town – and not just on Halloween merchandise! For example, fashion boutique J. Mode is offering 30% off any single apparel item of your choice, SUNDAY ONLY, NOV. 1, open 12-5pm.

We’re also entering the season of giving, and The House of the Gables is kicking off a major Thanksgiving Drive to help It Starts With Me to provide 150 Thanksgiving dinners to families on the North Shore. Right next door to the Gables, the new Zephyr Gallery is celebrating the opening of their next show, “Giving Thanks”, on Friday, Nov. 6 starting at 5:30 p.m.

The Salem Theatre opens the curtain on their final production in their old space at 90 Lafayette this week, before preparing for a big new move in 2016. Shakespeare’s Hamlet opens on Thursday, Nov. 5 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 21. Tickets can be purchased at http://salemtheatre.ticketleap.com/hamlet/.

The fun continues well into the weekend, with the National Park Service’s second annual Downrigging Festival on Saturday, Nov. 7 – a fantastic way to celebrate both our maritime heritage and the passing of the seasons. Later that evening, don’t miss the much-anticipated “Best Chef” competition at the Salem YMCA.

After you’ve gotten a taste at Best Chef Salem, the Salem Chamber’s fall Salem Restaurant Week kicks off on Sunday night. Running Nov 8-12 and 15-19, take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the amazing culinary scene is Salem as our restaurants take a chance to say “welcome back” to the locals.

And last but not least, we get to VOTE!!! On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Salem residents will get to make their voices heard, specifically regarding Ward City Councillors, City Councillors At-Large, and School Committee. Not sure where to go? Check this handy “Where Do I Vote?” tool.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to turn your clocks back today for Daylight Savings Time, so you get an extra hour to enjoy all that Salem has to offer!

October in Salem 101 – For Residents

Uncategorized No Responses »

Oct 132015

Crowd on Artists’ Row for Howl-o-ween – Photo Credit Creative Salem

In case there was any doubt, last weekend confirmed it – the Halloween season has arrived in full force in Salem, MA! While there’s little we love more than introducing people to our beloved city, many residents have mixed feelings about Salem’s popularity this time of year. Some even make it a practice to avoid coming downtown for the entire month.

But is this self-imposed exile really necessary? There are many times throughout the week when the downtown is accessible as usual, and truth be told, the local businesses miss their regulars! If the Halloween crowds aren’t for you, remember that things usually start to quiet down as early as Sunday night, and there’s really no need to stay away on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays (or even Thursdays). Some businesses have even pointed out that mornings on Saturday and Sunday can still be relatively quiet.

So don’t deny yourself your favorite haunts, just change your habits! Even better – a number of Salem businesses actually offer specials for Salem residents during the month of October. We’ve pulled together a list of just a few great ways for Salemites to enjoy the downtown over the next few weeks:

GREAT DEALS FOR EVERYONE

Boston Woodturning on Artists’ Row – Free woodturning demonstrations, lessons Tues, Wed, and the weekends, and a special on select items in the retail gallery during the month of October
Clever Diva Boutique and Consignment – 20% off yellow tag items everyday, open til 8pm
House of Seven Gables – 20% discount on general membership for first-time members in the month of October
J. Mode – Double points on purchases 10/10 through 10/30
Longboards – Local musicians and ½-off quesadillas every Monday from 9 pm-11:30 pm. ½ priced burgers on Tuesday 9 pm-11 pm. Trivia on Wednesdays starting at 8 pm, with $5 off lobster rolls starting at 9 pm.
O’Neill’s – 25 cent wings and live music on Mondays
Opus – Monday through Thursday, offers a 5-5-5 menu – five of the restaurant’s most popular appetizers, for just $5 each AND $1 oysters, available from 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Salem Dental Arts – has changed their weekday hours to 7am-3pm during October.
Waters and Brown – has a HUGE fall sale going on this month

SPECIALS JUST FOR LOCALS DURING OCTOBER (Whoohoo!)

Edward John Home Decor – 10% off for residents
Far From the Tree – Wednesday and Sunday, 20% discount to Salem residents with ID
The Happy Sunflower – $5 off any $25 purchase, open until at least 8pm
Kan.del – 10% discount for Sunday nights from 4pm to 8pm
Laura Lanes Skin Care – 15% off services Tues-Fri for Salem residents AND people who work in Salem.
Ocean Chic Boutique – 10% off for residents
Partridge in a Bear Tree – 10% off for residents, open every night until at least 9
RJ Coins & Jewelry – 20% off jewelry repair and insurance appraisals Mon – Wed with proof of residency
Salem Theatre – Salem Resident Night on Thursday, October 22 for “Rocky Horror Picture Show” – $5 off your ticket at the door with an ID! Discount tickets are also available online – printed ticket and ID must be presented at the door.
Salem Witch Walk – free for locals; and notes that, as long as they’re not sold out, some tour companies offer free or discounted tours to Salem residents.

And last but not least, don’t miss the LAST TWO WEEKS of the Salem Farmers’ Market – Thursday, Oct. 15 and Thursday, Oct. 22, 3 pm to 7 pm on Derby Square!

What say you, Salemites? What are your favorite tricks or treats for navigating downtown Salem during the month of October?

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