Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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DENTAL CARE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY specializing in: cosmetic dentistry general dentistry veneers crowns bridges implants Bolt of Brightening: Bolt upon bolt of vibrant fabric on display at Zimman's . armoires without batting an eye," Forster recalls. "That's not happening anymore." Michael Zimman says the shop is weathering the current economic downturn well, but that isn't giving him any confidence. "When the economy was [bet- ter], I pretty much knew what was going to happen from year to year," he says. "Now, I have no idea. Not that your future is ever certain, but you could kind of project the next week, the next month, the next year." Zimman has ridden out recessions in the past, but he says this one feels different. "In previous recessionary times, hon- estly, I never noticed them. This is much closer to the Depres- sion… The middle class is evaporating." He admits it could be his age. "Perhaps some of the optimism of youth has faded. But the fact of the matter is there are fewer and fewer people with disposable income." It could be because of this economic uncertainty that Zimman isn't pressing his own children to become the fourth generation in the family business. "I want them to feel like they are doing something that's really secure," he says. "If one of them came to me and said, 'I'll do whatever it takes,' we'd have a conversation. But if it's just for a paycheck, what's the point? You have to have a certain amount of passion." In the short term, Zimman plans to keep evolving with the times, in a balancing act between keeping prices reasonable and offering a high degree of service. "It's a great sense of pride for us to be really keeping it going," he says. "We don't sell anything that people need, but people don't live by bread alone. There's a lot to be said for having beauty in your life." ● n The Portfolio Headquarters: Lynn. Number of Employees: 20. Year Founded: 1903. Products: Textiles, furniture, and decorative items from around the world. Owner: Michael Zimman. Operations Manager: Patty Forster. Contact: 80 Market Street, Lynn, 781-598-9432, zimmans.com. FAMILY OWNED Restaurant Style Cut Steaks & Roasts Homemade Marinades & Sausage Produce Bakery Deli Prepared Meals Wine, Beer & Liquor Speciality Groceries March/April 2012 nshoremag.com March/April 2012 nshoremag.com 105 NICHOLAS T. PAPAPETROS, DMD 19 Barnard Street Andover MA 978-475-5333 www.smileandover.com 7000_Dentistry.indd 1 06/20/11 4:24:58 Open 7 Days 978-688-1511 1077 Osgood Street North Andover, MA 01845 www.butcherboymarket.com Quality, value, and service for over 50 years