Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1355320
66 APRIL 2021 I N - D E P T H organizations, documenting each one to tell the story of the evening on social media for those who couldn't attend. He photographed and marketed the growing number of festivals in Salem dedicated to the arts. He has since put on a performance series at North Shore Mall, of all places, and packed drive-in movies projected onto the hangar at Salem's Winter Island. But, back then, it was difficult to make money. "I was ready to throw in the towel completely," remembers Andrews. "Then, I had a very generous person throw me some money with the caveat of making the business what I always wanted. The reality is that Creative Collective was born out of complete frustration for creative small businesses." In 2017, with the money came a real business plan toward his dream of community-building. Andrews had an investor. Today, with a dedicated staff of six, the mission of Creative Collective is to work with modern, open-minded businesses looking to make the world a more artistic, cultural, and creative place. Relying on this creativity helped businesses survive the pandemic. What makes the creative community sometimes intimidating, says Andrews, is the ability for creative types to excel in a crisis such as the pandemic. "It's flexibility," he says. "They have an inherent ability to be light on their feet. To be able to see things in multiple ways." When the City of Salem closed streets and encouraged restaurants to move their dining outdoors last summer, leaders called on Creative Collective to help. Andrews solicited artists to paint murals on the Jersey barriers protecting tables from cars. This led to similar projects in Beverly, Lynn, and Peabody. "This crisis has honestly been fantastic for us in many ways," says Andrews. "We lost a ton of money, but we were able to put ourselves at the forefront of economic development." When a restaurant opens, such as two coffee shops in Salem during the beginning of the year, Andrews can tell you "I was ready to throw in the towel completely. en, I had a very generous person throw me some money with the caveat of making the business what I always wanted. e reality is that Creative Collective was born out of complete frustration for creative small businesses." — John Andrews 4 MARKET STREET | IPSWICH JEWELRY✷ CLOTHING✷ GIFTS B E T S Y F R O S T D E S I G N .C O M 4 MARKET STREET | IPSWICH JEWELRY✷ CLOTHING✷ GIFTS B E T S Y F R O S T D E S I G N .C O M