Salem Shopping – Page 23 – Salem Main Streets

Turkey Day Means Still More to Do and See in Salem

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Nov 272014

Thanksgiving may signal that the year is almost over— but not as far as activities to see and do in Salem Ma! So, as you go about your Turkey Day preparations at home, or on way to grandma’s house (or wherever you are going), here are some ingredients for the rest of the year:

Holiday Tree Lighting
Holiday Art Market
Four Centuries of Christmas at the Gables
Christmas in Salem
“A Christmas Carol” Trolley Tour
Santa’s Arrival at the Hawthorne
Small Business Saturday
Salem Winter Market

We’ll be telling you more about these and other events in upcoming blogs. Didn’t want to stuff you with too much… info today.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Warming Up to Downtown Shopping

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Nov 222014

What do the over 100 restaurants, gift shops, other stores and attractions in Salem Ma have in common right now? Besides good bargains and eclectic choices, they have heat! Temperatures today (Saturday) are not expected to rise beyond the upper 30s. So you can sit at home, or go to a cold impersonal mall — or make Salem a one-stop warm & toasty shopping/dining daytrip destination. (This also applies to Sunday, or for that matter any day you would like to visit.)

But don’t take our word for it. Friday’s Salem Gazette had an article and an interview related to downtown shopping.

In the first of two front page stories, the emphasis was on the lengths North Shore communities (including Salem) go during the holiday season to invite and involve the community in local shopping over malls and big-box stores.

Ethan Hartley wrote “…local businesses in Massachusetts can offer something that you will be hard pressed to find under the bleak, florescent lights of a conglomerate store or a shopping mall — old-fashioned holiday cheer and excitement with an emphasis on building a strong community.”

Community is a key word. Salem Main Streets endeavors to work with our downtown merchants to design and promote events which increase business traffic and cement customer support/loyalty. The second article, an interview by Gregg Phipps with our manager Kylie Sullivan points to one of those projects, the Salem Winter Market.

Is the Winter Market successful in bringing people downtown to shop and do you think more and more people are turning away from mall shopping?

“That’s certainly the hope. There are so many great shops in downtown Salem, and we try really hard to ensure that our vendor offerings at the Winter Market complement rather than compete with the surrounding businesses.”

Kylie went on to explain that as much as the Market brings vendors to downtown Salem, it also creates a community gathering space in downtown Salem where residents and visitors from neighboring towns stop to chat with the vendors, other shoppers and even with merchants in surrounding stores.

Shopping need not be impersonal. It can be fun. The Winter Market will be closed this week in light of Thanksgiving but will be open again on Dec. 4, 11 and 18. Our stores, restaurants and attractions are open now. And the warmth you feel when you go inside comes from the people, as well as the heating vents.

Open Market Open For Biz – Traditional and a Bit Strange

Haunted Happenings, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping 2 Responses »

Oct 232014

Where can you find the “best independent designers, artisans, artists and crafters together in a maelstrom of cutting edge design, art and handmade wares?” Where else but in Salem Ma; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the last three weeks of October, you will find SOWA, an open-air arts market with over 50 booths.

Just to give you an idea of the eclectic items that await you, here are descriptions of three vendors that have been or will be available on the weekend.

Nick & Jillian of R.H. Mardigan Enterprises and Emry’s Handcrafted Fynery. She makes jewelry and accessories out of ephemera, resin and other findings. He makes leather cuffs and accessories with a steampunk flair. And from the Steampunk events at the Peabody Essex, you know there is interest in that genre.

Diane Koss of Cutesy But Not Cutesy, specializes in making monsters (we think we’ve seen a few of those in recent weeks in Salem), but she also makes monster designer toys that you can cuddle; and a popular item has been the amazing monster hoodies for kids, adults and dogs!

And then there is the strange relationship between Zombies (always a big item in Salem during October) and published author / illustrator Greg Stones. Just look at this picture representing (at least to us) the clash of a long running horror theme and a recent over-the-top horror craze.

SOWA will run Friday-Sunday 10/24-26 at Derby Square Vending from 11 am – 6 pm, and Essex Street Vending from 11am – 10 pm. For more info go to their website http://newenglandopenmarkets.com/

To Read Or Not to Read; Banned Books Week in Salem

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Sep 212014

Some people might compare a book ban to a witch hunt. That said it comes as no surprise Salem’s Wicked Good Books is participating in educating residents and visitors during Banned Books Week, taking place now through Sept. 27th.

Taylor Carozzi, Wicked Good Books manager comments “We are supporting this effort because it is important to society to guard and celebrate our freedom to read and have open access to information.”

Displays and materials about banned books will be available.

According to the American Library Association (ALA) “Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.”

The ALA puts forth that sometimes “books are challenged with the best of intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information.” Other times it is censorship.

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the actual removal of those materials.

You are invited to visit Wicked Good Books located at 215 Essex St. to see if you agree or disagree with the books listed.

Sounds of the Street, on Essex Street Pedestrian Mall

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Aug 082014

Essex Street Fair 2013 – Photo Credit Social Palates

Salem has many interesting sights and locations to serve and service our community. One that offers many uses is the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall. And especially so Aug. 9 & 10 when the 2014 Essex Street Fair will unfold from 10 am – 6 pm.

Regularly lined with stores and merchants offering delights to visitors and residents, this weekend our Essex Street Pedestrian Mall will be bright and musical and loud with the life of an annual Street Fair, sponsored by the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

What will you see? Crafters displaying their wares. What will you smell? Food vendors with tasty treats. What will you hear? Artisans discussing their methods.

The is a family friendly event, bring the kids. You will find something for everyone. Even possibly for Samantha the cat and Duke the dog!

This free event will run the length of Essex St. from the Daniel Low Building (Essex and Washington St.) to the Hawthorne Hotel (Essex and Washington Sq W.) The events are part of the Salem Heritage Days festivities.

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