New Businesses – Page 4 – Salem Main Streets

Open Invitation to Join YOUR Salem Main Streets

Contests, New Businesses, Salem Event, Salem Farmers Market, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Feb 212015

There are many exciting things happening behind the scenes at Salem Main Streets, and we want to bring them to light. So——

You are invited!

Please join us for Salem Main Streets’ Annual Meeting

Tuesday, February 24, 2015
5:30 pm to 7 pm
at the Salem Five Community Room, 210 Essex Street

– Celebrate Salem Main Streets’ (SMS) achievements over the past year
– Learn more about SMS mission and goals for the coming year
– Enjoy an evening with SMS supporters, volunteers, committee members, and constituents

Free
Cash bar and light refreshments
Open to all who live, work, and play in downtown Salem

Explains Kylie Sullivan, SMS Manager, “For many nonprofits, ‘annual meetings’ are primarily a function of the board and those concerned with the administration and governance of the organization. We are throwing the doors wide open for this meeting – inviting all our board and committee members, volunteers, downtown businesses, partners, sponsors, residents, municipal officials and employees, you name it. The message we want to send is that this is YOUR Main Streets and that everyone who cares about the downtown community should feel invested in the operation of Main Streets.”

Frankly no one can remember the last time Main Streets held an annual meeting. It’s time! We have so many great achievements to celebrate and recognize. Yes, we are talking about the Volunteer Booth, and the Farmers’ Market and the Holiday Tree— and so many more. And we are talking about you!

“We have so many great partners involved with Main Streets,” continues Kylie, “and we want them to be able to understand how their contribution fits into the larger Main Streets picture. Many of our partners and volunteers may only be involved with just one part of Main Streets (the info booth, the Farmers’ Market, Salem’s So Sweet) and they don’t really know how it connects to the larger mission and goals for SMS.”

To that end, while there will be a “speaking” portion of the meeting, it will be noticeably short; greater focus will be devoted on mingling with each other and visiting “stations” manned by committee members around the room to learn more about the different aspects of Main Streets and give feedback.

Consider this is to be more an interactive ongoing conversation, rather than a passive presentation.

We look forward to seeing you and listening to your input, and hopefully your participation sometime during the next year with one (or more) of our projects.

(Photo courtesy of Social Palates is of the Hula Art Project, an example of “board and committee members, volunteers, downtown businesses, partners, sponsors, residents, municipal officials and employees,” working together)

Snow Day Tuesday – Shop & Dine Downtown Salem

New Businesses, Salem Dining, Salem Event, SMS News No Responses »

Feb 092015

We are all in this together. Salem merchants and Salem residents/visitors/shoppers. Snow kept falling and blowing on Monday. Most of us were home-bound. Tuesday the MBTA will not be operating. The Governor has declared a State of Emergency so you should not drive unless it is vital. What to do? Stay home? No! Support our local Downtown Merchants who have been taking financial hit after hit with these snow storms.

There is a Facebook page urging just that: “The recent weather hurts our beloved local businesses. If you can walk downtown tomorrow (or drive depending on what happens with the parking situation) then spend some money to keep Salem in business! ”

Check out the site. Business are trickling in with whether they will be open or closed on Tuesday.

You can also post questions for your favorite eatery or regular store.

We think it is a great idea. The shopping community working together to support the businesses of Salem.

Call your favorite spot before heading out, as some may indeed be open but with abbreviated hours. Boot up. Bundle up. And we’ll see you out there for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just gift shopping (Saturday is Valentine’s Day!).

(Erin Cyr event photo)

How Great Are the Stores in Salem?

Contests, New Businesses, Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Shopping No Responses »

Jan 312015

It’s your turn! Salem Main Streets through this blog & website, our Facebook page, our Twitter account and other sources is constantly waving the flag in support of how great the merchants and organizations in Salem are. But now there are two ways for you to show your support— with a vote!

As it turns out, voting is underway for the Wicked Local 2015 Readers Choice Awards (ballot appeared in 1/30/15 edition of Salem Gazette) and Northshore Magazine BONS 2015 Best of Northshore (begins 2/1/15).

Rules, regulations, how to vote, when voting ends, etc. etc. can be found on their respective websites.

Through both the newspaper and magazine voting, you can single out gift shops, food stores, restaurants and so forth that provide the kind of customer experience you not only appreciate but want to share with others.

In both of the “best of the best” balloting our merchants will be competing with other businesses in North Shore communities, so be sure to convince friends to vote as well for their Salem choices.

If you’d like an idea on how well we fared last time on the BONS event, here is a link to a past blog As you’ll see, Salem was well-represented. Let’s do it again. Show these local merchants you like not only their products & services, but also the way they conduct business.

(Image courtesy of chayathonwong2000 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

You Can Get Something For Free— Parking in Salem on the 24th

New Businesses, Salem Event, Salem Shopping No Responses »

Dec 222014

Let’s face, as much as you plan your gift lists, and check them twice, yes even thrice, comes Dec. 24th and you find someone just not getting the right gift message from you. Or one of the kids just doesn’t have enough stuff in his/her stocking.

What to do? Come to Salem Ma. We are open on the 24th and to make it easier for you, Mayor Kimberly Driscoll has announced that parking in all city-owned locations in Salem will be free on Wednesday, December 24. That not only is free parking but convenient as in not a football field away parking.

Whether you seek a romantic gift, a rare oddity, something fun & whimsical, or appropriate and suitable, our Downtown merchants have you covered.

So, to the procrastinators, the “oh-oh I forgot aunt Edna’s” and the seekers of the “perfect” gift to convey a special message, we say bring it on. And bring your car. We’ve got a nice free spot for it on Dec. 24th.

Great Holidays Do Really Begin Here in Salem

Contests, New Businesses, Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News No Responses »

Dec 102014

Can you remember a simpler time when holiday shopping was a simple stroll through friendly hometown stores and not a race through impersonal, giant, crowded malls? We do. And we are bringing that back.

Salem Main Streets is introducing a Holiday Stroll on Saturday, Dec. 13th to encourage residents to shop local and enjoy their downtown during the holiday season. Over 40 downtown retailers have committed to staying open until 8 pm on the 13th, and most will be offering special holiday discounts, promotions, and yummy refreshments all day.

How’s that for customer appreciation and “small town” ambiance.

A full list of participating retailers is available for your use.

In keeping with our goal of this being a total community effort, Boy Scout Troop 83 will be running a gift-wrapping station on Derby Square throughout the day, and will be joined by Troop 24, which will be selling wreaths in part to benefit the restoration of the Arch on Salem Common.

And while we are promoting all things Salem for Dec. 13th, don’t miss the Pickering Wharf businesses’ Winter Walk of the Wharf, including a stroll with Santa from 1-4 pm.

But that’s not the only event we have to make your trip worth your time. To add that extra bit of spice to our holiday gift to shoppers, Main Streets is once again conducting the Salem Holiday Window Contest, which runs now thru Dec. 13th.

Over 40 downtown businesses will be participating in the annual Holiday Window Contest, and this year the public can vote on their favorites at a participating business, or online at www.salemmainstreets.org/windows. These retailers go all out to do up their windows to entertain you, and if past entries are any indications (and they are!), we have many, many creative minds— and a couple of far out ones, as you would expect from Salem, MA. A full map of participating windows can be found here. Voting ends on Dec. 13th.

And one more thing. Creative Salem is giving us an extra promotional boost (…thank you, John…) with a related photo contest. For your chance to win a Creative Salem prize pack (valued at $150) take a picture while you are strolling through town or looking at store windows. Share it on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Vine); use the hashtag #salemwindows when posting! Winner will be chosen on the 14th.

Shop, vote, take pictures, find bargains, chat with friendly sales people. All courtesy of your downtown merchants of Salem, MA.

For additional info, contact Kylie Sullivan, Salem Main Streets Manager, at 978-744-0004 or kylie@salemmainstreets.org.

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