In England in 1992, two young moms, Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland, couldn’t find the kinds of books they wanted for their kids: visually captivating stories that celebrated global awareness and sparked curiosity. So, they started a fledgling children’s publishing company from their homes. Now, 30 years later and based in Concord, MA, Barefoot Books is an award-winning, international business named by Forbes as one of the 25 Best Small Companies in America.
Meet Patti Ganek and Lyca Blume. Patti’s paintings of semi-abstract florals and seascapes seem as if they were created spontaneously from the ether of her imagination. Lyca creates one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces made from unique beads, pendants, and watch movement pieces collected on her travels.
For more than 30 years, Debra Stark tirelessly led her community towards a healthier lifestyle by making organic and healthy foods available at her “Natural Gourmet” store – first opened in 1989 at a time when most people thought of health food as “tofu and twigs.” Debra’s charm, persistence, and genuine belief in what she was trying to achieve eventually overcame the naysayers, and the shop soon became a thriving cornerstone for the West Concord community and beyond.
When you’re a kid, spring and summer are about long, lazy days spent playing, exploring, and having fun. We talked with Marie Foley, owner of The Concord Toy Box, to discover this year’s most popular summer toys and games.
The Friends of Minute Man National Park are sponsoring what must be one of the best fundraising programs in a very long time! You can buy a gorgeous wool fedora hat made with wool from the Minute Man sheep herd and the proceeds go to care for the sheep.
To provide a fun incentive to support the shops and restaurants still recovering
from being closed for so many months during the pandemic, the Concord Together initiative is launching the “Summer Solstice Passport Event”
which will run through August 20th.
So much is different about the holidays this year. With dear friends and family far away, gift giving takes on a whole new meaning. Channeling that effort locally is a great way to also support the friends and neighbors who run our local shops and restaurants. That support means so much to them – and they are showing the love right back, by working hard to make shopping local both safe and fun this holiday season.
To provide a fun incentive to support the shops and restaurants still recovering
from being closed for so many months during the pandemic, the Concord Together initiative is launching the “Summer Solstice Passport Event”
which will run through August 20th.
Shops all across Concord have worked hard to reconfigure their storefronts, install plexiglass sneeze guards, create distance markers, integrate no-touch or low-touch point of sale technology, and train their teams to be in compliance with all sanitizing and safety standards put forth by the state. And while the shops are all business when it comes to safety, they are truly so happy to see their friends and customers again!
