Downtown Spotlight: Pedestrian Mall, Round 2

 Business Spotlight, Salem Shopping, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jul 252017
 

We’re wrapping up our spotlight on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall businesses today, and we have learned SO MUCH!  For Round 2, we featured Tibet Arts and Healing, The Magic Parlor, The Peabody Essex Museum, The Coven’s Cottage, Flying Monkey, Coon’s Cards and Gift Shop and Penelope’s Pet Boutique, the Witch History Museum, Fountain Place Restaurant, Witch Tee’s, History Alive’s Cry Innocent, Angelica of the Angels, Witch City Ink, Witch Pix, and the Salem Trolley.

Over the past 10 days, we managed to highlight 28 storefront businesses currently operating on Pedestrian Mall – that’s still only 84%! Shout outs must go to Cabot Wealth Management, Dragonfly, For Kids Only Afterschool, Mass Bay Dental, and the Witch Mansion; the only locally-owned storefronts we didn’t manage to capture with an image that we thought did them justice. Not to mention the businesses in the Museum Place Mall that don’t externally face the Pedestrian Mall (your time will come!), or all the tour companies that operate on the Pedestrian Mall, or the second floor businesses, or Salem Five’s multiple offices , or all the offices surrounding Old Town Hall, or….PHEW!  The moral of the story is that the Pedestrian Mall is more than open for business.

See everything we hit in Round 1 here.  Have we missed your favorite “best kept secret” on the Pedestrian Mall? Let us know!

Here’s what we’ve learned during Round 2 of our #pedmallspotlight:

Downtown Spotlight: Pedestrian Mall, Round 1

 Business Spotlight, Salem Shopping, Uncategorized  3 Responses »
Jul 192017
 

We’re a little over halfway through our spotlight of the Pedestrian Mall businesses. So far we’ve hit Red Line Cafe, Trolley Depot, Emporium 32, New England Dog Biscuit Company, Aroma Sanctum, Village Tavern, Modern Millie, Wicked Good Books, Village Silversmith, Pamplemousse, Polonus, Bewitched, Omen, and FreakyElegant.  We thought we knew already knew a lot about these local storefronts, but we have been learning SO MUCH this week!

Have we missed your favorite “best kept secret” on the Pedestrian Mall? We still have more to share, but we want to hear from you!

If you haven’t been following along, here’s what we’ve learned so far during our #pedmallspotlight:

The Public Salon to Engage Community & Cultivate Local Talent at Farmers’ Market

 Salem Event, Volunteer Opportunities  No Responses »
Jul 192017
 

 

Whether you have artistic talent or not, you’re invited to take part in a very interesting project-based workshop that will be conducted for 6 weeks on Salem’s Artists’ Row during the Thursday Farmers’ Market from 3 to 7 pm.

Mayor Kim Driscoll and the Public Art Commission have launched the Artist in Residence: Pilot Program at Artists’ Row with Claudia Paraschiv, (architect and owner of Studioful – Architecture, Community Art, and Neighborhood Design, and founder of the Salem Public Space Project).

Paraschiv explains, “The purpose of The Public Art Salon is to create beautiful, participatory, resident-led projects on an ongoing basis to inspire local communities. Practically, we make friends and create projects in public space that connect local people and places. People come together to design and build community-driven projects, cultivate local talent, and build productive relationships.”

For example, on a previous such project in Dorchester, she worked with the community to build a 50-foot bench over the course of 15 weeks. It is equipped with sounds activated when you sit, sections with indentations for flowers, and even a chess-board ready for play while waiting for the bus. That was the driving need for the bench as the existing bus shelter and bench at that time were tucked away, out of the bus driver’s sight, causing for many a missed passenger.

Why Do It During The Farmers’ Market?

The Artists’ Row tenants chose to hold it during the Farmers’ Market to draw the market crowds onto the Row. Paraschiv is hosting the Salon between Boston Woodturning and Ceramics by Sibel. Salons are held outdoors for maximum visibility and accessibility. Additionally, Farmers’ Markets are a great place to incubate new types of civic practice as well as new business ventures.

Paraschiv added “I hope participants will enjoy expressing themselves through their creations, and feel a sense of pride and ownership at having contributed to a collective public art piece. I also hope participants will learn new skills from crafts to what plants are best for pollinators, and how policy and legislation affects pollinators. Finally, I hope people will feel a sense of joy, wonder, and community.”

The Public Art Salon is a free, drop-in friendly event open to all age and skill levels. Kids are absolutely invited, however, it is very much an activity for all ages since residents help build tables, as well as craft artistic surfaces, and more.

Salem Farmers’ Markets are in session Thursdays now through October, from 3-7 pm in Derby Square.

BONS 2017 – Salem Winners

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jul 122017
 

It’s that time of year again – the Best of the North Shore‘s annual awards have been announced, and our Salem businesses and events have risen to the top again! Check out this awesome list of Salem-based award winners, or check out North Shore Magazine’s website for a full list –  http://www.nshoremag.com/bons-2017/.

DINE
Alfresco – Sea Level (Editors’ Choice)
Bacon – Back Alley Bacon (Readers’ Choice)
Bakery/Bread – A&J King’s (Editors’ and Readers’)
Indian– Passage to India (Readers’)
Italian – Firenze Trattoria (Readers’)
Kid-Friendly – Kokeshi (Editors’)
Mexican – Howling Wolf (Readers’)
Mussels – Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall (Readers’)   
New Restaurant (Casual Hangout) – Kokeshi (Editors’)
Pizza – Bambolina (Editors’)
Raw Bar – Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall (Readers’)
Seafood – Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall (Readers’)
Small Plates – Bambolina (Editors’)
Sushi – Opus (Editors’), Koto (Readers’)
Vegetarian – Life Alive (Editors’ and Readers’)

DRINK
After-Work Drinks – Opus (Readers’)
Bar – Opus (Readers’)
Brewery – Notch (Readers’)
Cocktail – Opus (Readers’)
Distillery– Rumson’s Rum (Editors’), Deacon Giles (Readers’)
Winery– Mill River Winery (Editors’ and Readers’) – Salem Farmers’ Market vendor!

INDULGE
Bake Shop/Pastry – Caramel Patisserie (French, Editors’), A&J King (Readers’)
Candies – Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie (Editors’), Harbor Sweets (Readers’)
Chocolate – Harbor Sweets (Editors’)
Dessert – Sea Level (Editors’), Caramel (Readers’)

SHOP
Books­ – Wicked Good Books (Readers’)
Cheese Shop – Cheese Shop of Salem (Editors’ and Readers’)
Clothing, Women’s Upscale– J. Mode (Readers’)
Gifts – Peabody Essex Museum Shop (Editors’)
Makeup Selection – Rouge Cosmetics (Readers’)
Yoga Apparel – Yoga Sakti (Editors’)

LIVE
Gourmet Market – The Cheese Shop of Salem (Readers’)
Personal Chef Service –  Fine Food + Cooking, J. Ricardo Sanchez (Editors’)

PLAY
Arts Festival – Salem Arts Festival (Editors’ and Readers’)
Community Walk/Run/Bike– Witch City 5K (Editors’)
Family Hangout, Indoor – Peabody Essex Museum (Readers’)
Festival (Fall)– Haunted Happenings (Editors’ and Readers’)
Festival (Spring) – Salem Film Fest (Editors’ and Readers’)
Museum – Peabody Essex Museum (Editors’ and Readers’)

RENEW
Barbershop – Paxton (Editors’)
Bed and Breakfast – The Merchant (Readers’)

MINGLE
First Date – Opus (Readers’)
Girls’ Night Out – Opus (Readers’)
Late Night Nosh – Howling Wolf (Readers’)
Movie Theatre– CinemaSalem (Readers’)

Strolling Through the Gardens of Salem

 History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals  No Responses »
Jul 082017
 

More than 10 traditional, quaint, and eclectic gardens are on display today until 4pm as part of the self-guided Garden Stroll hosted by the Salem Garden Club. These can be found within the private gardens of the McIntire Historic District. Also included in the tour is a stroll through the beautiful Ropes Mansion Garden.

Currently it is sunny, slightly breezy 80 degrees in Salem, perfect weather to walk amongst the flowers and as a side perk, get up close to the historical architecture to be found in the McIntire District, which encompasses an area with more than 300 historic structures. It is named after architect Samuel McIntire and includes living examples of his work including “magnificent sea captains’ houses as well as humble workers’ cottages.”

Most of these homes are privately owned and not open to the public, so don’t step on the grass and don’t look into the windows!

The tour is a fund raiser which will benefit many Salem civic projects which include:
• the planting and maintenance of the Washington Street traffic island;
• the plantings of the City Hall window boxes;
• the plantings at the Blue Star Memorial on Hawthorne Boulevard;
• providing monthly flower arrangement at the Salem Public Library;
• an annual scholarship awarded to a deserving Salem High School senior.

Complimentary refreshments of lemonade and cookies will be served to strollers along the route. Local musicians and artists will be featured in several gardens. These private gardens are not handicapped accessible. Pets and carriages are not permitted.

Tickets are $20 and available at First Church, 316 Essex Street, Salem, MA. For additional info including tickets, parking and specific details visit: SalemGardenClub.com.

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