Mar 6, 2023 | Businesses, Community, Shopping, Uncategorized
Tell us about Living Swell and why you started it. In 2015 I decided to open a design studio/boutique in Marblehead as an extension of my interior design business. I wanted to create a place where people would be inspired by my unique design style and discover an extraordinary selection of hand chosen curated collections. The boutique, Living Swell, embodies a timeless coastal vibe, while always being on the forefront of style. Our interior design services include kitchen and bath design, home renovation, project management, yacht design, bespoke window treatments, upholstery and products, interior decoration and design.
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? Some of the best advice I’ve ever received during my career include “design with intent”,” trust your instincts” and “own your style”.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? My favorite spot has always been the north side of Fort Sewall, looking out over the water to Beverly and Manchester.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? People might be surprised to learn that when a good song comes on at Living Swell, we break out into total dance mode.
For More Information:
Living Swell
Owner: Diana James
34 Atlantic Ave. in Marblehead
www.livingswellmarblehead.com
Mar 5, 2023 | Businesses, Community, Shopping
Tell us about All Chic At 152. All Chic At 152 is a boutique with clothing from the USA, Canada, and Europe. We sell trendy and affordable clothing and accessories for women. You’ll find our store in downtown Marblehead at 152 Washington Street. One of my favorite things to do is shop for unique pieces for my customers/clients. We have new merchandise arriving daily and I love every minute of it!
What made you decide to open your store? I started in business in 1992 with my first store Rags to Riches which I owned for many years before it was destroyed alongside my shoe store Funky Feet, and many other businesses, in the devastating fire on School Street on February 19, 2003. Shortly after the fire, I went into real estate but within about a year, I decided to reopen Rags to Riches on Pleasant Street. When I began heading in the direction of selling new clothing, I moved my store to 41 Atlantic Avenue. Not long after that, I opened All Chic Boutique and moved down the street. After many years at that location, we relocated to Florida, where I continued to sell real estate. When I returned to Marblehead, an overwhelming number of people requested that I reopen. So, in October 2021, I opened All Chic At 152 and I am so happy I did!
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? My parents always told me, “If you work hard, you will be rewarded.” I can truly say they were right.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? My favorite spot in Marblehead is Washington Street. The foot traffic is awesome, and I love all the customers and their pets who pop in to do some shopping and visit with me.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Something some people may be surprised to know about me was I was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland and I love to get my hands dirty in my garden.
For More Information:
All Chic At 152
Owner/Buyer: Siobhan Phelan
152 Washington St in Marblehead
www.allchicat152.com
Dec 21, 2022 | Businesses, Community, Pet, Shopping
Tell us about Creature Comforts & Pawsitively Marblehead. Creature Comforts & Pawsitively Marblehead (CCPAWS) are businesses that are centered around your pets! Creature Comforts is our pet service side of the business, which includes our doggy daycare (and adorable dog buses!), dog walking and in-home pet care services – where we’ve cared for everything from cats to bearded dragons to chickens!
Pawsitively Marblehead is our boutique shop, located on Atlantic Ave, that features toys, accessories, and gifts for the pets and pet lovers in your life! We focus on carrying quality, local brands that you wouldn’t typically find in larger chain pet stores and we love collaborating with other local businesses to create unique pet products.
Both businesses were started by Brooks and Ned Williams over 20 years ago, and James and I happily took over the reins (or leashes in this case!) from them in 2019. As an employee of theirs for 7 years before this transition, I knew many aspects of the business already, but it has certainly been quite a learning experience to be on the owner’s side of things now. We love working directly with the animals we take care of, as well as with our customers and clients to figure out the best products to help enrich the lives of their pets…and getting to drive a dog bus now and then isn’t a bad way to spend the day either!
What is the best piece of business advice you ever received? The most important piece of business knowledge that I’ve received is how important it is to have reliable staff – they truly are the core of our business and we wouldn’t be able to do what we did without them. When dealing with people’s pets, it really is like dealing with a member of their family, so being able to trust and rely on our staff is critical. This was especially important when James and I welcomed our son Everett last year – we relied heavily on our manager Amy and the rest of our staff to hold down the fort as we adapted to life as first time parents. We are so thankful for our awesome team and their never-ending enthusiasm for the animals we care for!
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead? James and I can both say hands down that our favorite spot in Marblehead is Chandler Hovey Park. We just love everything about the lighthouse, and actually have quite the collection of different photos, paintings, and trinkets of it around our house … so much so, that we often joke that we live in the Marblehead Museum! I grew up sailing from Marblehead along the Maine coast and have always appreciated how different and unique our lighthouse is compared to the traditional white lighthouses you see in most places.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? You may already know that prior to owning CCPAWS, I worked at the New England Aquarium for 10 years in both the Rescue & Rehab Department and the Marine Mammal Training Department, but what you may not know is that part of my job in the Rescue Department was driving an ambulance (yes, an actual medical ambulance!) that we had outfitted to respond to animals including sea turtles, seals, and stranded dolphins and whales. And I have to say, driving a dog bus is actually easier…go figure!
For More Information:
Creature Comforts & Pawsitively Marblehead (CCPAWS)
Erin & James McCarthy
52B Atlantic Ave, Marblehead
781-639-0449
www.ccpaws.com
Aug 24, 2020 | Businesses, Community, Travel
Tell us about your business. Work Loft is an oasis for independent professionals and remote employees looking for a convivial and focused environment to get their work done. Whether it’s a private desk or a private office, our members enjoy amenities that help them sail through the work day comfortably and successfully (beverages, snacks, amazing wifi, printing, breakout spaces for phone and zoom calls, a wonderful conference room for meetings, and more). Besides offering an amazing environment for a successful and focused work day, we offer members ultimate flexibility with no long term commitments or unpleasant notice periods. We keep it easy and fair – isn’t that how we all want to be treated as valued customers?
What made me want to start your business? Working from home for 15 years drove me to start Work Loft! At first, working from home was a dream. I could stay in sweatpants all day long, I could walk to the fridge whenever I felt like it, I could do a bit of work then a bit of personal things to break up the day. Then I realized – I was in sweatpants all day, hanging out at the fridge, and getting distracted by personal things that ended up dragging the work day longer and longer. Soon, my kitchen island became my office….that I never left! It was always there and I was constantly checking mail, putting out fires, helping colleagues. I lost my work/life balance, I never saw anyone else, and it’s really no surprise that the fridge/sweatpants combo led nowhere good. Realizing how many other people there were like me in Marblehead, I started looking for a great location. It had to be in the heart of town, surrounded by other businesses that people wanted to visit during the day, with a good vibe and plenty of parking. When the building at 1 Spring Street (across from Starbucks!) became available, I jumped on it.
What do you love most about Marblehead? The village lifestyle. I’d been living in Europe for fifteen years before coming ‘back’ to New England. When shopping for our new home town, I insisted on a location where I could walk to almost everything. That combined with the beautiful quaintness of the homes, historical buildings and small footprint drew us to Marblehead. Ten years later, and we’re still loving it. The people we’ve met, the connections we’ve formed with the town, have all made Marblehead our longest ever stay in one place.
What hobbies/interests do you have? Food and travel. And I love combining these – eating like a local wherever we go is an important part of experiencing the spirit of a place.
For more information:
Work Loft
Email: info@workloftmhd.com
Website: https://www.workloftmhd.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkLoftMHD/
Aug 14, 2020 | Businesses, Community, Pet
Tell us about your Hound Around, LLC. Hound Around, LLC provides an assortment of things for your dog. We offer in-home overnight pet care, daily walks as needed, and our Hound Crew Doggy Day Trips, which are weekday hikes at various locations on the North Shore. Your dog will have the opportunity to make friends, learn to walk in a cohesive group, and achieve excellent health with good exercise. We are happy to also announce the newest addition to our business, our Hound Around Doggy Bags which are a monthly subscription bag that include a variety of treats, toys and so much more.
What made you decide to start your business? We love dogs! When we were discussing our business, I was completing my undergraduate degree in Business Administration at Salem State University and just walking dogs on the side, and my boyfriend, and now co-owner of Hound Around LLC, was working as a landscaper. We decided to create a business where we could live a healthy lifestyle, do what we enjoy doing most, and provide Doggy Day Trips for our beloved dogs on the North Shore.
What do you love most about Marblehead? I have been blessed to grow up in Marblehead, and I love the peace of the ocean and my close nurturing community. I started out as a babysitter and a dog walker for many families growing up, and so they know me, and my family. This is a solid foundation in which to start a business, I have the respect, kindness and word of mouth from those that know me well.
What hobbies and interests do you have? I enjoy scrapbooking, networking and problem solving. I love sunshine and beaches. I love traveling; I have had the good fortune to see and learn about Italy, Ireland, Hawaii, Arizona, Virginia, a twenty-day road trip from Northern CA to Southern CA, and Israel. I still have Iceland on the list for my next adventure!
Oct 11, 2019 | Community, News, Travel
Melissa Stacey learned to love Marblehead and all its history and foibles from her grandfather and she has spun that passion into a business, Discover Marblehead, aimed at passing that love along.
When Stacey was growing up she would come to Marblehead every summer to stay with her grandparents, Donald and Mary Stacey. As the local postmaster, a member of the Board of Selectman and the board of the Marblehead Historical Society, Donald Stacey went out of his way to ensure that his young granddaughter shared his love of the town and its quirks, even down to the 18 public rights of way that the Selectmen walked once a year.
Read the rest of the article in The Marblehead Reporter – https://marblehead.wickedlocal.com/news/20191007/business-urges-newcomers-to-discover-marblehead
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