This is the second time I've shared an image of The Driftwood with the last being in my Keep it Local series. It was hard to not shoot every storefront I passed during this mid-February snow storm and the Driftwood seemed to call out for its moment with the red facade perfectly highlighting the falling snow. It would be a great weekend to stop here for some corned beef hash, pancakes, maybe fried dough...
Even though every FL Woods label clearly states 'Established 1938' on it, I hadn't realized that it has been in this same exact location on Washington Street for all of those 84 years. Please correct me if that's wrong as their site states they have been here for 'over 75 years'... Anyway, the store is a Marblehead institution and I couldn't pass up the chance to capture the storefront with snow falling on this mid-February morning.
When the Spirit of '76 bookstore closed its doors a few months ago, I thought I had missed a chance to capture its facade. When I looked through my archive this week, I was happy to find this shot from March 23, 2014. As we finish off a second week of social distancing, it is more important than ever to try to support our local businesses before they face the same prospects as the Spirit of '76.
Back to the top of St. Michael's steeple for today's image of the Muffin Shop at dawn. I was moving around and around the top of the steeple on this October morning hunting for new compositions when I spotted this one of the Muffin Shop surrounded by a canopy of trees and backed by Marblehead Harbor and our lighthouse. I'm sure the employees were hard at work producing muffins for their early morning customers. I wish it was cold enough to catch a few wisps of smoke coming up from their kitchen...
After capturing yesterday's image from the top of the Jeremiah Lee Mansion, I walked towards my car and passed the shops lining Washington Street. As I headed past Candy Pop Sweet Shoppe, I stopped in my tracks at the signage indicating they had permanently closed. A check on their Facebook page shows the shop is relocating to the Berkshires. This is as good a reminder as any of the importance of 'Keeping it Local' when you are in need of candy, books, toys, clothing, furniture, or any of the many other products and services offered right here in town. The [...]
On March 23rd, I was out shooting a sunrise and then headed to Pleasant Street to capture the Warwick Theater. I then turned to see what other local businesses I might be able to photograph and realized I was standing directly in front of The Riptide. When I decided to share this image, I turned to the Riptide's Facebook page for a bit of background on the bar/lounge. I had no idea so much history resided here: The Riptide Lounge became a bar in the late thirties or early forties when it was known as Kylie's It is believed [...]
One hour - that's how long we waited from the time Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine opened its doors to our first meal there. We had passed by the opening soon sign countless times as we drove by on Pleasant Street and my kids kept asking when we might go. The thought of a sushi restaurant in Marblehead, and one whose chef had such a strong following at his former location, was too good to believe. And so it was that on the opening night, we dined on dishes familiar and new. The meal was excellent with fresh fish at very [...]
I have tried to feature local businesses on Fridays but really felt the need to post a photo of Spring as this too-long Winter comes to a close. When I looked in my archive, I found this shot taken on April 14, 2012 and figured I could get the proverbial two birds with one shot... Crosby's Marketplace is a compact supermarket located off Washington Street in historic Downtown. The family owned market has been serving Marblehead for decades and has a few other stores located throughout the North Shore. Within a few weeks, this tree should be in bloom again. [...]
Today's Keep it Local entry features Khouri Flooring which moved to its current location on Washington Street in the Summer of 2013 and promptly volunteered its space for the Marblehead Festival of Arts Photography Display. Khouri flooring is a family owned business which offers an array of flooring products and has been doing so for over 85 years. Visit them at 139 Washington Street or online at: http://khouriflooring.com This winter has been a tough one for capturing Marblehead's storefronts for this 'Keep it Local' Friday feature. I try to shoot these stores in the mornings during the winter parking ban to [...]
Did you know that Marblehead is home to an environmental graphic design firm? Burke + Design was founded in 2002 and is currently located on Washington Street. It's motto is 'design for the built environment' and its website shows a collection of designs that incorporate that philosophy. Learn more at: http://www.burkeplus.com