Business - Marblehead Current

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Making yoga accessible with modifications

27Sep

By Melissa StaceyNo Comments

Business

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Making yoga accessible with modifications

The following is an interview with Michelle Ball, owner of Michelle Ball Yoga. To learn more about her yoga classes, workshops and private sessions, go to Michelleballyoga.com. Tell us about Michelle Ball Yoga and why you started it. I decided to pursue a yoga certification during the height of the pandemic. After completing my certification, I wanted to share this practice with others knowing how much it had helped me, both physically and mentally. Once we were able to connect socially again, a friend of the family approached because she had heard I taught yoga. That was the beginning! A few of us began to meet outdoors at beaches and parks in Marblehead and it became a consistent weekly meet-up. Michelle Ball started her yoga business during the pandemic. COURTESY PHO...

With new gallery, ’Header hopes to ‘spark creativity’

27Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Art, Business, Culture, Local News, Top Stories

With new gallery, ’Header hopes to ‘spark creativity’

Artist Ian Sherwin, who grew up in Marblehead, is coming home and opening a new gallery on State Street next month. The space will showcase artists from around the country and offer a variety of programs and classes. “I’m here to inspire, teach and lead,” Sherwin said, speaking while renovating his one-room gallery at 1 State St. “My mission is to spark creativity.” Sherwin, who graduated from Marblehead High in 1995, fell in love with art as a kid. Ian Shewrin, who is opening a new gallery on State Street, unboxes works by artist Jennifer Lashbrook. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER “It was my escape, my salvation,” he said. At Marblehead High, school nurse Lynne Breed noticed his talent and encouraged him. The two are still friends. Artist Ian Sherwin created this p...

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Power of Speech aims to help kids communicate, feel empowered

20Sep

By Melissa StaceyNo Comments

Business, Local History

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Power of Speech aims to help kids communicate, feel empowered

The following is an interview with The Power of Speech owner, Jessica Brown, M.S. CCC-SLP, conducted by Discover Marblehead. The Power of Speech provides speech and language therapy for children of all ages. To learn more about Brown’s play-based approach, go to thepowerofspeech.us. Jessica Brown started her Marblehead speech therapy practice in 2016. Tell us about The Power of Speech and why you started it. The Power of Speech provides speech and language therapy to children of all ages and abilities. We have a welcoming therapy space right at my house in Marblehead, as well as a backyard that is designed with my clients in mind. Connecting with each child, building their confidence and growing their ability to effectively communicate in a way that works best for them are a few thi...

Historian/photographer/Current contributor Dan Dixey wins Person of the Year

14Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

About Us, Business, Local News, Nonprofit corner

Historian/photographer/Current contributor Dan Dixey wins Person of the Year

The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce honored historian and photographer Dan Dixey as the 2023 Person of the Year at its 71st annual meeting Thursday night at the Corninthian Yacht Club. Dan Dixey accepts his Person of the Year award at the Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. CURRENT PHOTOS / LEIGH BLANDER Dixey has more than 5,000 photographs of historic Marblehead and his feature The Dixey Collection appears regularly in the Current. Dixey has published photography books and recently produced a documentary on lobstering in Marblehead. His wife, children and grandkids all cheered him on as he acccepted his award. Other award recipients included: The Chamber of Commerce hosts its 71st annual meeting and announces award winners at the Corinthian Yacht Club. Frank Regan Co...

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Do you know what quilling is? Ellen Harrington does.

14Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Business, Local News

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Do you know what quilling is? Ellen Harrington does.

The following is an interview with Ellen Harrington, owner of Red Agate Design, conducted by Discover Marblehead. You can view Ellen’s jewelry collection on her Instagram page at @redagatedesign. Tell us about Red Agate Design and why you started it. I started Red Agate to share my love of design with others. When I retired, I found that I was craving a creative outlet in my life. To fill that need, I started quilling, which involves rolling, shaping and gluing strips of paper together to create art pieces. From there, I ventured into working with wire and beads and turning those pieces into necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other jewelry. It’s been a fun and creative journey for me and I hope my pieces make others feel special. People should feel free to contact me at ellenharrington...

13Sep

By Claire TipsNo Comments

Business, Local News, Uncategorized

Bliss Salon builds talent, loyalty with apprenticeship program

“It takes an entire salon to raise a hairdresser,” said Rich Cutting, co-owner of Marblehead’s Bliss Salon, in a Current interview about the salon’s New Talent Development Program that turns aspiring cosmetologists into skilled hairstylists. The program was created “out of necessity,” Cutting says, because so many new cosmetologists simply don’t know how to cut hair. Recent graduate from the New Talent Development Program at Bliss Salon, Katrina Mason, adds the finishing touches to her client’s cut and blow-dry. CURRENT PHOTO / CLAIRE TIPS In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and its dramatic effect on the labor market have further impacted Bliss Salon’s ability to hire and develop young hairstylists. Cutting and his wife, Kim, founded Bliss Salon 22 years ...

HOLY MOLY: There’s a new bagel man in town

6Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Business, Local News, Top Stories

HOLY MOLY: There’s a new bagel man in town

On a recent Friday morning, Dave Aldrich was busy in the kitchen at the JCC in Marblehead filling delivery bags with his newest project — handmade bagels from scratch. Aldrich launched his new bagel business, Grab the Bagel, in August and it’s already a big hit. He’s baking and selling about 1,500 bagels a week. David Aldrich invested in all kinds of equipment to stock his bagel kitchen at the JCC. Aldrich, who also runs the nonprofit Grab the Torch, started baking for his neighbors during COVID. After a favorite bagel shop closed, he decided to Google bagel recipes … and the rest, as they say, is history. “I never baked in my life before this,” Aldrich told the Current at the J’s kitchen recently. “It’s all chemistry. I started about 18 months ago developing recipes. In Ja...

Community Store leaving void one year after closure

6Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Business, Local News, real estate, Top Stories

Community Store leaving void one year after closure

One year after closing, the Marblehead Community Store, 214 Beacon St., remains vacant. The decades-old grocer anchored Beacon Street for over 50 years before shuttering last August. In some residents’ eyes, the market offered more than groceries — it was a community hub. Resident Charlotte Lewis wishes a new Community Store, like the one that shuttered a year ago at 214 Beacon St., would open on the west side of Marblehead. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER “It’s not actively being listed anywhere,” said Charlotte Lewis, a Marblehead resident who lives near the building and is a real estate broker. “We go to Crosby’s instead.” Known for its on-site butcher and made-to-order sandwiches, the Community Store is missed. “I have a personal interest in it because I am a neighbor,” Lewi...

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Get to the point with Holly Shuman Acupuncture

6Sep

By Melissa StaceyNo Comments

Business, Local News

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Get to the point with Holly Shuman Acupuncture

The following is an interview with Holly Shuman, owner of Holly Shuman Acupuncture at 118 Pleasant St., conducted by Discover Marblehead. To learn more about her practice, visit HollyShuman.com. Tell us about Holly Shuman Acupuncture and why you started it. Holly Shuman Acupuncture is a boutique-style practice that focuses on women’s health with a particular interest in fertility. I started as a general practitioner treating a variety of conditions — like pain, insomnia and digestive health — but the demand for fertility support was so great I decided to specialize in helping families from preconception to postpartum. I adore Marblehead and was thrilled to relocate my Boston practice closer to home. As the pandemic continued on longer than anticipated, it was the perfect time to ...

2Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Business, Education, Local News, Nonprofit corner

Marblehead Chamber of Commerce announces workshop series

The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce has unveiled its 2023-2024 Educational Workshop Series, a roster of in-person events aimed at aiding local businesses. The workshops will take place at 62 Pleasant St. — Business insurance and liability coverage: David Bruett, an insurance industry veteran with 18 years of experience, will lead a workshop on business insurance and liability coverage Sept. 6, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The session will discuss various types of business insurance policies and offer a Q&A on both business and personal insurance. Lunch is included. — Fraud prevention: Aileen Sheehan, senior vice president at Eastern Bank, will host a "Fraud Schemes & Statistics" workshop on Sept. 20, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch will also be provided. — Retirement savings: Dan Brother...