Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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101 Left, Zhana Levitsky owner of Yes, Wolf Spirit. Cabot Street is undergoing a re- vamp to make it a more pedestian- friendly street, with new trees and ornamental street lighting. 101 FOR ZHANA LEVITSKY, OWNER OF YES, WOLF SPIRIT and Yes Art Space in Beverly, there's a lot to love about Downtown Beverly—the support- iveness of the city and chamber of commerce, the art spaces and artists, the food, proximity to the beach, Lynch Park, Larcom eatre—but there's something else, too, something less concrete that always catches her attention. "e one thing I've always loved about Bev- erly is that you see pedestrians that are walk- ing for pleasure," she says. ere's a youthful- ness to the city, of course, thanks to Montserrat College of Art and Endicott College, which certainly contributes to that "out-and-about" vibe, but more than that, Levitsky thinks it's a sign of a healthy, dynamic downtown. at's fitting, since downtown Beverly is undergoing a change that has walking at its heart. Cabot Street is in the midst of a revamp, dubbed the Cabot Street Project, which aims to make the stretch of Cabot from Winter Street to Abbott Street more pedestrian friendly, with Downtown Beverly PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELISE SINAGRA wider sidewalks, sidewalk bump-outs, new trees, and ornamental street lighting. Ashley Springett, an educator at Sa- lem Academy Charter School, who's also a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor at the Greater Beverly YMCA and runs the fitness and wellness company Sol Fit, agrees, saying she enjoys living in "close proximity to places I love." "I live in the Downtown District, which means I can very easily walk to various restaurants, shops, and conveniences on Cabot Street, the public library or the Bev- erly Common on Essex Street, and just a few blocks to Dane Street Beach!" Springett says. "With Montserrat College of Art so close by, the neighborhood feels youthful, vibrant, and diverse, and I have really enjoyed being close to various events." Downtown Beverly also feels creative, not only in the artistic sense—although there's certainly plenty of that—but also as a place that's constantly growing, changing, and push- ing itself to improve and expand, all while people are "holding are one another up and supporting each other" without competition, says Levitsky. "What I love is that people will graduate from local colleges and instead of moving away, they'll settle down and open businesses in downtown Beverly," she says. ere's also a sense of independence down- town that's refreshing. "I think people actually really care about the flavor of, and the quality, and just the niche offerings that are housed in downtown Beverly," Levitsky says. "You have independent arts businesses, where people are able to sell their own products with a storefront. at's so encouraging. You don't get to see that a lot." A SPACE FOR ARTISTS N O R T H S H O R E N E I G H B O R H O O D S