Northshore Magazine

"It was, and continues to be, a community that has maintained an active interest in keeping good old-fashioned family values." —lorraine sacco, lynnfield resident says Hockenbury, including a photography exhibit beginning in February; a maypole in May; road races, a field day, and parade in June; concerts on the common during the month of July; a pontoon boat tour of Pillings Pond during "Pillings Pond Day" in August; and an antique house tour in September. Hockenbury says most of the events will take place on the Lynnfield Town Common or at its meetinghouse, which will have a celebration of its own in recognition of the circa 1714 building's identity as the third oldest Puritan meetinghouse still standing on its original green, according to the Lynnfield Historical Society. It's still in use and is popular for event rentals; town departments also hold meetings there, Hockenbury says. But MarketStreet isn't the only place where Lynnfield is growing. Hockenbury says the town is trying to create a bike trail that will link with trails in Peabody, on one side of town, and Wakefield on the other side. Lynnfield is also adding to its common. "We're in the middle of creating a little park area with a gazebo on one side of our common," Hockenbury says. "We're…going to really add to the beauty of our town." "It lends a whole different atmosphere," she says. "To have some restaurants and shops available I think is going to be a big plus for the town." But what sets MarketStreet apart from other shopping centers isn't just its charming character and fantastic location. It's the eclectic mix of upscale and quirky restaurants and stores, like Vineyard Vines, lululemon athletica, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Polka Dog Bakery, and The Grove Boutique & Café. "We have such a great assortment between popular brands and local retailers like The Grove," Horn says. "It's nice to have that mix." In fact, many of the stores and restaurants are relatively rare or hard to find on the North Shore. For instance, Polka Dog Bakery's MarketStreet store is the "treat boutique's" first location outside of Boston, and only its third retail store anywhere in the country. The Grove Boutique & Café is the second location of a popular Manchester-by-the-Sea spot, and MiniLuxe's MarketStreet location is its first on the North Shore. MarketStreet is also just the third location of the Bostonborn blow-dry lounge, Be Styled. And moms love to let their kids get a candy fix at IT'SUGAR while they shop for premium denim and apparel from brands like Prairie Underground and Splendid at Hot Mama, says store manager Lindsey McElroy. Other lifestyle elements of MarketStreet also add to its appeal, including restaurants like Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse, Wagamama, Yard House, Fugakyu, and Legal C Bar; the retro lounge-meets-bowling alley, Kings Lynnfield; and Arborpoint, a luxury apartment community. "You're just going to find a more stylish approach," says Horn. "But there's something for everybody." Community Notables: Left to right, Nanci Horn, The Grove Boutique & Café, and Polka Dog Bakery stores, says Nanci Horn, MarketStreet's general manager. Although some Lynnfield residents were worried about the increased traffic that the shopping plaza would bring to their quiet town, its location just off of Route 128 seems to have quelled those fears. And the folks at MarketStreet love Lynnfield as an affluent North Shore nexus between Boston and southern New Hampshire that's convenient to Routes 1, I-95, and 128. "It's a desirable market, it's a great spot, convenient location," says Horn. "What we have here in terms of retail and restaurants the community is thrilled with." Among those residents is Nan Hockenbury, who's lived in Lynnfield for most of her life. She says with the addition of MarketStreet, folks in Lynnfield will no longer have to leave town to do most of their shopping and dining. photographs by robert boyd JanFeb14 Lynnfield.indd 33 January/February 2014 nshoremag.com 33 11/22/13 1:37 PM

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