SBOL_Jeanne

By Ginger DeShaney When Rachel Titcomb was growing up, she started her day with Petula Clark. Now she wants her Southie neighbors to start their day with Petula’s.  “My mom really loved Petula Clark,” Rachel said. “She would blast Petula Clark every morning to wake me and my siblings up. It put us in such a good mood.” That’s the idea behind the name of her new restaurant at 81 L Street: Petula’s. “My sisters and brothers have flashbacks. There was a lot of Petula Clark going on in my house,” she laughs. Petula’s will be an all-day restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is set to open in early May, starting with dinner service, and by June, breakfast and lunch will be added. [...]

By Ginger DeShaney The amount of leather Kathryn Rizzo watched get tossed during her time working for a luxury handbag designer in New York sparked a passion.                        She had a boss who handed her a full leather hide – you could still see the shape of the cow – and asked her to get rid of it or make something out of it. At the time, Kathryn didn’t have the space in her tiny apartment or the know-how on what to do with that hide, but it stuck with her for years. “I think about how much I've thrown out now and it hurts my soul,” she said. During her time in the New [...]

By Carol Masshardt The art of plants is displayed in the work of  Julio Cesar Roman-Rios of Micro Plant Studio on West Broadway, and the inspiration was formed through his experiences of both trauma and resilience. His path to the Museum of Fine Arts, followed by a Tufts University Master’s Degree in Public Policy, he has now been a business owner for the challenging past five years. His life and work is a testament to community, possibility and effort. Healthy plants and his uniquely designed pots create an environment of hopefulness and creativity, but the inspiration is decades old. Originally from Puerto Rico, nature caught his imagination and spirit early and in what were often trying circumstances. The impact of domestic violence inflicted on his [...]