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Amesbury News, MA
June 6 2009
In downtown Amesbury, new business is booming
By Pamela Canning
Fri Jun 05, 2009, 01:46 PM EDT
Amesbury, Mass. -
A period of reduced economic activity. That is the definition of
recession, which we are reminded of daily. But the country's current
financial woes don't appear to be scaring new businesses from opening
up in downtown Amesbury. Whether it's jewelry, clothing or a coffee
shop, new ideas and new energy are becoming a reality in this eclectic
town.
Just ask Aram Zemanian of Zemanian Jewelers.
In January 2008, Zemanian moved his business from the Jewelers
Building in Boston to 40 Main St. in Amesbury. Asked why he chose
Amesbury, he responds with enthusiasm.
`I began thinking of the North Shore and started checking out
Amesbury, which is an up-and- coming town,' he says. `The town is
simply beautiful.'
A grandson of two grandfathers who survived the Armenian Genocide,
his work ethic is simple.
`Honesty and trust is needed in my business. I do all of my work in
house and have built a work area enclosed in glass so that the
customer can see what I am doing,' he says. `I understand that it
takes a while to build up trust.'
`Many of my Boston clients have followed me to Amesbury and they
enjoy coming here and walking around,' he adds. `A playground is
needed in the town. I see many mothers walking with their children
and it would be nice to have a central place to meet.'
Another new business owner, Nancy White of Real Bodies ' Clothing from
Bali, started her business in 1998 in Milford, N.H., and moved it to
Amesbury in December 2008.
Real Bodies ' Clothing from Bali is just that: the designs are made
for a normal-sized women and they are made in Bali. White frequents
Bali at least once a year to check on her crew.
`We make all of our clothes and have even made fabrics when needed,'
White says.
`We batik many of our creations, and each image on our pieces
symbolizes something significant,' she adds. (Batik is a fabric
design process using wax and dyes.)
`As soon as I drove into Amesbury I realized what an amazing town it
was,' says White.
`Amesbury has really chosen me. I was told Amesbury was looking for a
women's clothing shop and I was just drawn here,' she continues.
White is a strong advocate for the Sustainable Business Network,
which emphasizes the importance of local businesses.
According to its Web site, `The Sustainable Business Network of
Greater Boston (SBN) is an organization of business leaders committed
to changing the way the world does business. SBN has 20 years of
experience in bringing business leaders together along with others
interested in topics such as business ethics, the multiple-stakeholder
model, and sustainable workplaces to share information and take
action. Today, we are building on that history in a new, intense
effort to make significant progress toward a sustainable world.'
White believes strongly that businesses cannot only survive but can
thrive collectively during this time.
`I stand by the motto, `Live Free or Die.' Working together,
supporting each other in a collaborative way, is what I am all about,'
White says.
Deb Pagley, owner of the gift shop Park Place and also president of
the Amesbury Downtown Business Association, makes it very clear why
businesses are opening up in Amesbury.
`The owners of the buildings, being rented, are offering fair and
reasonable rents,' she says. `I left Newburyport three years ago
because the rents became too high and it was clear I was being pushed
out.'
`Businesses also feel they are on the fringe of something big here in
Amesbury,' Pagley adds. `We are a family and we are not being
smothered by chain stores.'
`We are also surrounded by people in key positions who care about our
town and want businesses to be successful,' Pagley says.
Pagley, who is also involved in the Sustainable Business Network,
notes that if a consumer spends 10 percent of his or her annual total
budget in their hometown, the businesses will be able to sustain
themselves.
Stefanie McCowan, executive director of the Amesbury Chamber of
Commerce, is optimistic and sincere in her wanting the best for these
people she has come to admire.
`The positive vibe coming from the Chamber and the ADBA is also
fueled by the business owners. We all want the same thing ' success
for each other and our town,' says McCowan.
Other new recent additions to the local business community include
Davis Jack's Restaurant at 36 Main St., Plum Island Coffee Roasters at
32 R Elm St. Amesbury (and 54 R Merrimac St., Newburyport) and Trend
Setters Boutique at 85 Main St., opening the middle of June.
And the Trendsetter's Boutique is opening on Main Street in the old
Bob's Shoe storefront, according to Pagley. Grand opening will be
Saturday, June 27, with a `sneak peak' June 25 and 26, from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. The shop will offer new and gently used clothing and
accessories, on consignment.
`Now that the Chamber and the ADBA are working closely together again,
there is a beautiful game of telephone going on. No one is left out of
the loop and everyone's opinion is valued,' McCowan says. `It's
unfortunate that other cities and towns have trouble with this concept
as it clearly works.'
June 6 2009
In downtown Amesbury, new business is booming
By Pamela Canning
Fri Jun 05, 2009, 01:46 PM EDT
Amesbury, Mass. -
A period of reduced economic activity. That is the definition of
recession, which we are reminded of daily. But the country's current
financial woes don't appear to be scaring new businesses from opening
up in downtown Amesbury. Whether it's jewelry, clothing or a coffee
shop, new ideas and new energy are becoming a reality in this eclectic
town.
Just ask Aram Zemanian of Zemanian Jewelers.
In January 2008, Zemanian moved his business from the Jewelers
Building in Boston to 40 Main St. in Amesbury. Asked why he chose
Amesbury, he responds with enthusiasm.
`I began thinking of the North Shore and started checking out
Amesbury, which is an up-and- coming town,' he says. `The town is
simply beautiful.'
A grandson of two grandfathers who survived the Armenian Genocide,
his work ethic is simple.
`Honesty and trust is needed in my business. I do all of my work in
house and have built a work area enclosed in glass so that the
customer can see what I am doing,' he says. `I understand that it
takes a while to build up trust.'
`Many of my Boston clients have followed me to Amesbury and they
enjoy coming here and walking around,' he adds. `A playground is
needed in the town. I see many mothers walking with their children
and it would be nice to have a central place to meet.'
Another new business owner, Nancy White of Real Bodies ' Clothing from
Bali, started her business in 1998 in Milford, N.H., and moved it to
Amesbury in December 2008.
Real Bodies ' Clothing from Bali is just that: the designs are made
for a normal-sized women and they are made in Bali. White frequents
Bali at least once a year to check on her crew.
`We make all of our clothes and have even made fabrics when needed,'
White says.
`We batik many of our creations, and each image on our pieces
symbolizes something significant,' she adds. (Batik is a fabric
design process using wax and dyes.)
`As soon as I drove into Amesbury I realized what an amazing town it
was,' says White.
`Amesbury has really chosen me. I was told Amesbury was looking for a
women's clothing shop and I was just drawn here,' she continues.
White is a strong advocate for the Sustainable Business Network,
which emphasizes the importance of local businesses.
According to its Web site, `The Sustainable Business Network of
Greater Boston (SBN) is an organization of business leaders committed
to changing the way the world does business. SBN has 20 years of
experience in bringing business leaders together along with others
interested in topics such as business ethics, the multiple-stakeholder
model, and sustainable workplaces to share information and take
action. Today, we are building on that history in a new, intense
effort to make significant progress toward a sustainable world.'
White believes strongly that businesses cannot only survive but can
thrive collectively during this time.
`I stand by the motto, `Live Free or Die.' Working together,
supporting each other in a collaborative way, is what I am all about,'
White says.
Deb Pagley, owner of the gift shop Park Place and also president of
the Amesbury Downtown Business Association, makes it very clear why
businesses are opening up in Amesbury.
`The owners of the buildings, being rented, are offering fair and
reasonable rents,' she says. `I left Newburyport three years ago
because the rents became too high and it was clear I was being pushed
out.'
`Businesses also feel they are on the fringe of something big here in
Amesbury,' Pagley adds. `We are a family and we are not being
smothered by chain stores.'
`We are also surrounded by people in key positions who care about our
town and want businesses to be successful,' Pagley says.
Pagley, who is also involved in the Sustainable Business Network,
notes that if a consumer spends 10 percent of his or her annual total
budget in their hometown, the businesses will be able to sustain
themselves.
Stefanie McCowan, executive director of the Amesbury Chamber of
Commerce, is optimistic and sincere in her wanting the best for these
people she has come to admire.
`The positive vibe coming from the Chamber and the ADBA is also
fueled by the business owners. We all want the same thing ' success
for each other and our town,' says McCowan.
Other new recent additions to the local business community include
Davis Jack's Restaurant at 36 Main St., Plum Island Coffee Roasters at
32 R Elm St. Amesbury (and 54 R Merrimac St., Newburyport) and Trend
Setters Boutique at 85 Main St., opening the middle of June.
And the Trendsetter's Boutique is opening on Main Street in the old
Bob's Shoe storefront, according to Pagley. Grand opening will be
Saturday, June 27, with a `sneak peak' June 25 and 26, from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. The shop will offer new and gently used clothing and
accessories, on consignment.
`Now that the Chamber and the ADBA are working closely together again,
there is a beautiful game of telephone going on. No one is left out of
the loop and everyone's opinion is valued,' McCowan says. `It's
unfortunate that other cities and towns have trouble with this concept
as it clearly works.'