5 01, 2023

CAN-do Attitude: Photo Sparks a New Passion Project for Local Candlemaker

2023-01-05T18:32:56-05:00January 5th, 2023|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on CAN-do Attitude: Photo Sparks a New Passion Project for Local Candlemaker

By Ginger DeShaney A photo of vintage beer cans started Devon McGinty on a creative journey that now provides her with a therapeutic outlet. “These are really cool looking,” Devon said about the beer cans in the photo she saw on SOWA’s Instagram page in 2020. She has always liked vintage and retro things. So she went and bought the cans, not knowing what she would do with them.  “I was brainstorming and I just came up with the idea of making candles out of that,” she said. “I like retro vintage mixed with modern and I just think it's a really cool way to keep things modern but also pay tribute to older things.” The only thing was, she’d never made a candle. So [...]

23 12, 2022

Fresh Boston Brings Good Vibes, Unique Concept to South Boston

2022-12-23T16:14:05-05:00December 23rd, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Fresh Boston Brings Good Vibes, Unique Concept to South Boston

By Ginger DeShaney Fresh Boston, at 232 Old Colony Ave., brings something unique to the neighborhood.  It’s a deli, a liquor store, a bar, a dinner spot, a brunch stop, a caterer, and more. “We want people to come in here and have a different experience. We want to change the way people eat and drink,” said owner Charlie Merritt. “This unique concept has everything you need with a vibe.”  When Charlie had the opportunity to expand on his Fresh Nantucket shop, he wanted to go where people knew the brand. “It’s a good time for us to be in this area,” said Charlie, who lives in South Boston. “It’s something Southie needed. We just want to be part of the neighborhood.” The shop has [...]

16 12, 2022

Annissa Essaibi George A New Opportunity for Service

2022-12-16T06:11:23-05:00December 16th, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on Annissa Essaibi George A New Opportunity for Service

By Carol Masshardt Endless passion, energy and focused commitment describe the new Executive Director of Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, former second place mayoral candidate in the City of Boston and City Counselor at Large for eight years and current small business owner, Annissa Essaibi George. Everything she does is about service and community with a well-honed leadership style that started in childhood when at twelve she had an eye on elected office in her future. “The common thread in everything I do and have done is about service and creating community. Here at the Stitch House (the place of this interview on a cold Saturday night during a class in sweater making), we are about a community that is comfortable and where new [...]

10 12, 2022

It takes a Village to Make a City

2022-12-12T10:30:51-05:00December 10th, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on It takes a Village to Make a City

By Carol Masshardt There are flashier places than Broadway Pastry and Coffee Shop on 258 West Broadway. But, as a customer, has there ever been a generation that didn’t like the storekeeper to know your name, and maybe even what kind of coffee you preferred? There is also something refreshing about having the same person greet you for years. All apply to Diego Silva, a fixture for nearly five years, who with his long-time co-worker, Bona, worked with a minor exception for health, during the entire pandemic. “I came here from Colombia at age 16 and lived with my aunt and cousin while going to Charlestown High School,” he said. “This kind of work is good for me because I like meeting people and being [...]

4 12, 2022

Women in the Trades – Leanne Boylan

2022-12-04T08:30:11-05:00December 4th, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on Women in the Trades – Leanne Boylan

By Carol Masshardt “Working hands do this work,” said South Boston daughter and Union 223 Laborer, Leanne Boylan, 57, and no one can tell the story better than she can. She has worked on a number of projects that have recreated the city while living her long-evolved dream. Graduating from Gate of Heaven and Cardinal Cushing High School, she began working at Joseph’s Bakery and stayed there for twenty-seven years. “My mother was old school, she wouldn’t go beyond H. St,” she said laughing and agreed that she followed suit but had her eye on becoming a tradeswoman for years. “Someone came into the bakery who had a union hat on, and it was Martin Walsh!  I was hoping to meet up with him and [...]

2 12, 2022

Michaela’s Market Pops Up on West Broadway

2022-12-02T15:18:15-05:00December 2nd, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Michaela’s Market Pops Up on West Broadway

By Ginger DeShaney Michaela’s Market has popped up at 369 W. Broadway, the former location of Sweet Tooth Bakery.  South Boston’s Michaela Colvin is selling her crocheted items and holding classes in the Event Gallery Room through the month of December. The shop is open weekdays from 4:30-7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Michaela has her own Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarketMichaelasCo) and attends craft fairs but had been thinking of getting a physical space or looking for a place to pop up.   At a recent South Boston Chamber of Commerce event, Michaela talked to Donna Brown, executive director at South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation, about possible spaces for a pop-up. South Boston NDC owns the building on West Broadway and [...]

20 10, 2022

Let’s Celly! Local Vodka & Soda Company Wants Everyone to Celebrate Life

2022-10-20T22:46:07-04:00October 20th, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle, News|Comments Off on Let’s Celly! Local Vodka & Soda Company Wants Everyone to Celebrate Life

By Ginger DeShaney Because it’s important to celebrate every moment, the co-founders of a new canned vodka and soda company put it right in their name.  “Celly is short for celebration,” said John Dooley, a co-founder of Celly with his brother, Tyler, and his dad, Kevin.  “We wanted our brand to embody this idea that you need to celebrate every single moment, every single day of your life,” John said, especially with COVID and where the world is now. “We want to ensure that people are taking the time, taking the moment to cherish everything that life has to offer,” he said. “We're definitely trying to embody that spirit and bring that positivity back into everybody's lives.” John and Tyler both attended College of the [...]

18 09, 2022

Look Who’s Cooking! Gabe Branch

2022-09-18T18:21:54-04:00September 18th, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Look Who’s Cooking! Gabe Branch

By Carol Masshardt  An artist from Sioux City, Iowa, Gabriel (Gabe) Branch, is also a serious and experienced cook and the new Chef at Gray’s Hall on East Broadway. His creativity and thoughtfulness seem a particularly good match for this popular and mature small plate and wine bar, and it all started when he was eleven years old. “My friend’s dad was a member of the Elks, and they needed help, so I started busing. From there I worked at a pizza place for seven years, and then in Iowa City, I was a dishwasher, then started cooking, and was a line cook at a dinner. I also studied painting, photography, sculpture, and still like art, but I took this route in a sort of [...]

9 09, 2022

South Boston Lithuanian Club Makes Comeback After COVID

2022-09-09T10:46:34-04:00September 9th, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on South Boston Lithuanian Club Makes Comeback After COVID

By Ginger DeShaney Back in the day, the South Boston Lithuanian Club was the place to be. Today, with $1 million in renovations, the Club president is hoping it will regain that status. “The Club has been here forever,” said president Joe Austras. “But COVID shut us down.”  Renovations were already under way at the Club, also known as the South Boston Lithuanian Citizens’ Association, before the pandemic hit. Beautiful ADA-accessible bathrooms were put in on the fourth floor.  When COVID hit and shut everything down, the Club decided to expand its renovation. “We decided, let’s take advantage of being shut down.” The main hall on the fourth floor was revamped. A permanent bar replaced a portable bar, and with input from caterers, an amazing [...]

30 08, 2022

Urgent Care Center Coming to the South Boston Seaport

2022-08-30T09:59:31-04:00August 30th, 2022|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on Urgent Care Center Coming to the South Boston Seaport

An exciting new medical service is coming to the Seaport on September 6th. South Boston Health Seaport will be reopening as South Boston Health Seaport URGENT CARE at 505 Congress Street. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer these services to people who live in, work in or visit the South Boston Seaport” said Bill Halpin, CEO of South Boston Community Health Center. “Everything we do is patient centered. This new urgent care center will allow patients to walk-in and receive high quality, compassionate and timely professional medical care.” The new urgent care center, part of South Boston Community Health Center family, will be staffed with medical providers who can see both adults and children and can treat a broad range of non-life- threatening conditions. [...]

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