Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 32 MARCH 2020 FAC E S + P L AC E S for a spot across the parking lot. Additional expansion will make room for new stores, restaurants, and outdoor spaces. "The mall is a huge anchor for Peabody and a big draw," Healey says. "They're con- stantly revitalizing their offerings." There's also plenty going on beyond the mall, however. In recent years, new restaurants, shops, and cultural facilities have been popping up downtown. "There's a lot going into downtown," says Teresa Reade, president of the Peabody Chamber of Commerce. "A lot of great new restaurants are going in almost every day." In 2016, Breaking Grounds Café opened. A project of the nonprofit group Northeast Arc, the coffee serves beverages, sandwiches, and baked goods, as well as providing employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities. And last year, Granite Coast Brewing opened a family-friendly taproom, where guests can sample craft beers, play games, and taste foods from local producers at pop-up events. The Mills58 project is also exciting inter- est. Local businessman Edward Greeley is revitalizing a once-decrepit mill building on the eastern side of town, creating spaces for an array of businesses. The fourth floor is populated by a group of antique vendors sell- ing everything from tchotchkes to furniture. Essex County Brewing has opened a taproom in the building. Other tenants include a co- working space, a fitness studio, a bookseller, and a demonstration kitchen for popular meat subscription service ButcherBox. This spring, a food pavilion will open in the building, offering specialties from a range of vendors. There will be a bakery, a smoothie café, a coal-fired pizzeria, a burger grill, and a homemade pasta bar. An Italian sweet shop will sell imported treats and let visitors watch the process of creating gelato. "People can go there to shop, they can go there to exercise, they can go there to work, they can go there to relax," Greeley says. The changes and improvements have also reached out of the commercial realm. Two years ago, the city unveiled the transformation of Crystal Lake from a swampy, unwelcoming pond to an inviting park complete with boating and fishing city to find a permanent location. Binding all of these changes together is a strong community spirit, say locals. Volunteers are always game to help out with service projects, and residents are genuinely eager to support and patronize new local businesses, Healey says. Existing businesses, she explains, don't see new shops and restaurants as competition, but as collaborators. "The old businesses are rallying around them," she says. "There's definitely a pay-it- forward type of attitude." docks, an illuminated water fountain, and a gazebo. "Peabody is very proud of its outdoor space," Healey says. CuriousCity is a children's museum that opened last year as a project of the Peabody Cultural Collaborative. Its mission is to create an inclusive space for play and imagination with exhibits that let children tinker with gears and levers, explore the power of wind, and stage their own puppet show. The initial run was so successful that its stay has been extended and organizers are working with the PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT BOYD Top to bottom: Felton-Smith Historic Site, and Brooksby Farms "Peabody is very proud of its outdoor space." — Edward Greeley