Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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years earlier. When the couple moved to Salem from Medford in the late 1990s, the downtown had scant options for din- ing and entertainment, Bill recalls. Then, perhaps 10 years ago, things started to change as new businesses opened, at- tracting more visitors and employees to the neighborhood. The Driscolls wanted to be part of the transformation. They decided there was an opening for the kind of shop they like to frequent when they visit other towns: Shop ne 66 nshoremag.com November 2014 remembers Sharon, who left her job with an anti-hunger nonprofit organization to build her new business. The renovation took more effort than expected, but the result is a shop that blends the modern and the rustic. Behind a sunny yellow front door, the store is part old-fashioned neighborhood grocer, part contemporary gourmet shop, and part lunch spot. The produce section in the front includes some local and organic offerings as well as some conventionally grown staples. Bulk bins hold nuts, flours, and dried fruits, and wooden shelves offer a carefully chosen range of oils, pastas, chips, and crackers. For lunch, the sandwich menu in- cludes house-roasted pork loin, turkey, and roast beef. Homemade quiche, scones, and cookies are available all day. Indoor seating and a pair of sidewalk tables draped in colorful tablecloths give customers a place to sit and enjoy their food. A selection of prepared grab-and-go entrées and sides—mac 'n' cheese, Thai tuna burgers, curried lentil salad—are made fresh daily. The first couple of years were stress- ful, as they honed their business concept and dealt with the economic downturn. Now, however, they have found their place in the community. "Now, it's feeling good," says Sharon. "It's great to walk to work and know all your neighbors." milkandhoneysalem.com Church Street The shop is warm and inviting to passersby. personal, warm, and—most important— filled with good food. "We wanted to create a business that complemented some of the other things going on and fill a void," Bill says. To house their dream, they found a for- mer real estate office tucked away on a side street. The floors were covered in old carpet that still bore indents tracing the edges of cubicles; telephone wires dangled from the ceiling, and there was no water access. "It was just a shell of a space,"