Author: Matthew Green
I am a translator, origami artist/teacher, and photographer, a blogger, former philosophy professor, and I love to sing.
You can see my photos on Flickr and buy prints of some of them on Fine Art America.
You can find me on
Instagram, Twitter (@mehjg), and in various and sundry other social media sites on the web.
Tragabigzanda Political Theatre Festival starts this weekend!
– Matthew Green
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Jalapeños hosts a fundraiser for Henry Allen’s North Shore Folklore Theatre
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Second-Hand Stores in Gloucester and Rockport: printable summary
Back in June, I moved to a new apartment, and did some shopping at second-hand stores (thrift stores, consignment stores, antique stores, etc.). I soon realized that there were more stores of that kind than I had suspected! So, I started my series of posts on second-hand stores in Gloucester and Rockport. What I didn’t even suspect was that I’d end up with a list of 28 stores, almost all of which I’d visit and photograph!
If you have been following this blog, you’ve probably seen at least some of my posts in this series. Unfortunately, two of the stores I visited have since closed – “Stuff” on Main Street (which closed before I could post about it) and “Junque and Disorderly” on Washington Street. But that still leaves us with a list of 26 stores, with a significant range of specialties and prices! I was able to visit all but two of them in person.
My conclusion after this marathon of posts is that Gloucester and Rockport should be known as a destination for second-hand items of all kinds: clothes (contemporary and vintage, for men, women and children), furniture, interior decoration, books, music, art, tools, etc. A few of the stores are only open in the summer, but many are year-round.
To make this information available in a manageable format, and to encourage people to “make the rounds” of the stores, I compiled a spreadsheet with the name, brief description, location, hours, website, phone number, email, and a link my GMG post about the store (where applicable). I wasn’t able to get all the information for every store, so if you have official data to help me complete or correct the spreadsheet, please leave the information in a comment on this post!
For the moment, I am making the spreadsheet available in a printable PDF file here: Second Hand Stores in Gloucester-Rockport – 13-09-09. It is 6 pages long, each page providing different info about all the stores (i.e. page 1 has the names and descriptions, page 2 is names and locations, page 3 has the names and hours…). Once the information is confirmed, I will possibly format it as a Word document, depending on what turns out to be most convenient and manageable.
Did I leave any stores out? (I just remembered one that should probably be on the list and isn’t…) What would be the best format? Suggestions are welcome!
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Registration for A.S.A.P. – After School Acting Program!
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End of Season sale at St. John’s Thrift Shop
As a part of my series on second-hand stores, I reviewed St. John’s Thrift Shop back in June.
As I wrote there, the shop is open during the summer. I just found out that the Thrift Shop will be closing for the season on Thursday, Sept. 12. They will be winding up with a half price sale during their last week (next Tuesday-Thursday, 10-2). Now, their prices are already super affordable. This sale means that the prices will be so good, they will almost be giving things away! It’s not the biggest thrift store in the area, but they have a wide spectrum of items, from clothes to toys, from practical kitchen items to framed art. The store is located in the St. John’s Episcopal Church parish facilities at 48 Middle St. The easiest way to get there is to park in the lot which has its entrance on Washington St. roughly across from Midori and Tedeschi); the door to the shop is at the back of the lot.
They are also beginning the changes needed to get the shop ready for the winter fair. Donations make it possible for them to offer quality items at great prices, helping both people on limited budgets and helping to support the church and it’s ministries. Here is the request for donations from their website:
“We are still collecting any and all of your unwanted household items to make sure the shop is looking top notch for that day. Donations can be left at the top of the basement stairs, inside the parking lot entrance (please don’t leave anything outside the door) or contact Martha Whitney at 978-283-9843 or whitneym777@yahoo.com to arrange for large quantities or bulky items. As always, we cannot accept computers, TVs or other items costly to dispose of if unsold. Thanks for your ongoing support!”
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Mary Rose Vintage Design
This new vintage store on Main Street has already gotten some GMG love, but my series on second-hand stores on this side of the bridge would be incomplete if I were not to cover it too!
Mary Rose Vintage Design (269 Main Street) opened this summer. Hours are Tue – Sun: 10:30 am – 5:30 pm. It doesn’t have a big sign our front yet, but it is located roughly across the street from Sequined Fan and Pearls, and has a chalkboard sign out front on the sidewalk:
Jackie, the owner (who happens to be from Australia), has a great sense of design and a distinctive aesthetic that you perceive as soon as you walk in the store. Besides having an interesting assortment of vintage items, she has them arranged in little vignettes, often featuring “mildly creepy baby dolls”. Jackie’s friend Zach helps out in the store, and shows up in one of the photos below:
Main Street in Gloucester really should be known as a destination for second-hand and vintage stores!
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Gloucester fire engines
So important, and so cool! Thanks to all the firemen who put their lives at risk on a regular basis to keep our people and our property safe!
– Matthew Green
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Main & Pier – another antique/vintage store!
Another antique and vintage store has appeared in Rockport! It is called Main & Pier, appropriately because that is precisely where it is located!
It has a lot of different kinds of items, from small to large. Here are some photos of my visit:
The hours are daily from 11 to 5-ish. According to the owner, the hours will likely change to fall hours in October. They will likely be everyday except Wednesday… subject to change! The phone number is 978-501-5927, and you can call for more information.
– Matthew Green
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Art Longwood Books
The other day I was walking in Rockport on my way to photograph a couple of second-hand stores for my ongoing series, and to my surprise, I discovered two more stores to add to my list!
The first one, which I will profile today, is Art Longwood Books (33 Broadway #3), which specializes in “used books in art, design, and other subjects.” Although they specialize in books on the visual arts, they are buying in all subjects. The business originally opened in Cambridge, MA in 2003 and moved to Rockport in May of this year. It will be open year-round, Thursday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday 12-5 (Monday and Tuesday by appointment). The store isn’t not really obvious from the road, but there is a sign in front of the house (see photo above) behind which the actual store is found:
The interior is a cozy space, a sort of bibliophile’s dream hideout:
Jeffrey Postel and Sadie Dudley are the couple who run the store. Although they only moved to Rockport relatively recently, they have had connections in the are for a long time, including a business relationship with fellow seller of used books Bob Ritchie of Dogtown Books (profiled earlier in this series).
The other store which I discovered that day was Main and Pier, an antique store that I will cover in the next post in this series!
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St. Vincent de Paul Society “Clothes Closet” Thrift Store
As mentioned in previous posts in my series on second-hand stores, it several local churches have thrift stores which aim to provide affordable items to everyone, but especially to those who are most in need. The proceeds of these thrift stores generally go to support the churches and, as a consequence, their ministries to those in need in other ways as well. Such is the case at St. John’s Episcopal Church thrift store and at Trinity Congregational’s Cape Ann Thrift Store, which I have already reviewed, and at the Rockport Unitarian Universalist Society Thrift Shop (which I have yet to visit).
Holy Family Parish offers something similar, run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society. It has a “Clothes Closet”, located in the basement of the former St. Ann’s School, open to the public on Wednesday evenings from 5:00p.m.-8:00p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00a.m.-1:00p.m. The entrance is found on the side of the building facing the parking lot next to Pleasant Street.
They mostly stock clothes and shoes, although some other items like furniture may be available upon request. Here are some photos of what they have in stock:
They also have a food pantry for families in need. See their web page for more information. The St. Vincent de Paul Society is also looking for more volunteers to help with the different services it offers to those in need; contact information is available on the web page.
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“Twilight Lounge” on Pleasant Street
Just got this note from Meg of the “Neighborhood Apothecary“:
I came up with a crazy idea the other day that we will be trying on Sundays from now until November. There will be a “Twilight Lounge” in the courtyard in front of the shop (17 Pleasant Street) from 5:30pm to 10pm. It will feature tea for $1, dancing, and some great old tunes. Dress is casual or retro, whichever people prefer. There might be sweets if I can get some of the local bakeries on board. Very family friendly.
Have a good one!
Meg
Mayor Kirk stopped in to the Neighborhood Apothecary recently, and I just happened to be there to snap this photo of Mayor Kirk with Meg:
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Annisquam Exchange
A visit to the Annisquam Exchange (32 Leonard St., Annisquam) takes you out of the more frequented areas of Gloucester and Rockport and into the beautiful, historic, small-town atmosphere of Annisquam. Not that downtown Gloucester and Rockport aren’t charming, but Annisquam seems to me to have an even more magical air about it.
The Exchange is a consignment store that sells antiques, china, silver and collectibles (as described on their website), as well as some other cards, souvenirs, tee-shirts, etc. It is open from May to October, with hours that vary according to the season, clearly laid out on the website.
Here are a few photos from my visit!
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Sea Again New & Consigned Fashion & Accessories
Discovering stores that specialize in second-hand items in the Gloucester-Rockport area has been an adventure, and I keep discovering more! Often I’ll go to one store, and they’ll refer me to another. Unfortunately some also have closed since I started this series of posts – “Stuff” on Main Street is gone, and “Junque and Disorderly” on Washington Street is in its last days.
When I visited Bub’s Tool Consignment I found out that the owner’s wife, Joelle Williams, also has a consignment store. Her store, Sea Again, is in Rockport (14 Dock Square) and focuses on women’s clothes and accessories, including both consignment and new items.
The store is open year-round, although the hours vary somewhat according to the season. The best place to check for updated hours is their Facebook page or their website.
Besides the consignment clothes, they sell new clothes and new Italian Sterling silver and crystal jewelry.
The sign out front isn’t very big, but the building (photo at right) is very distinctive if you know what you are looking for!
Here are a few more photos I took during my visit:
Joelle Williams
Here are the previous posts in this series on second-hand stores (thrift, consignment, antique, etc.) in alphabetical order:
- Bananas
- Bub’s Tool Consignment
- Bullseye Books and Flyboys
- Cape Ann Thrift Shop
- Dogtown Book Shop
- The Dress Code
- The Eco Boutique
- Gabriel’s Antiques
- Junque & Disorderly
- Main Street Arts and Antiques
- Mystery Train Records
- The Past Present Shoppe
- Pearl’s
- St. John’s Thrift Shop
- Scout Vintage Finds
- Sea Again
- Second Glance
- The Sequined Fan
- StudioVo
- Vintage 211
We still have more to go in no particular order. (I have visited several of them already. I hope to get the rest before I go on another trip…)
- Annisquam Exchange
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Thrift Shop at the UU Society of Rockport
- Mary Rose Vintage Design
- Kalypso’s Gifts and Antiques (is this still alive? It’s physically still there but always closed)
- Art Longwood Books
- Main & Pier
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Mother of Grace Club Celebration
From Catherine Fontana (see her interview with Joey here):
You are cordially invited to attend our annual feast in honor of Mother of Grace, Sept. 6-8. All events will be held at 48 Washington St. unless otherwise stated.
Schedule of events:
Sept. 6th (Friday): 6:30-930PM Italian music
Sept. 7th (Saturday): 7-10PM Jim Geary and Band
Sept. 8th (Sunday):
- 8AM High Mass at St. Ann’s Church
- 2:30PM Benediction service at the Club (48 Washington St.) followed by the annual procession and a band concert
- 8:45PM Closing of the feast with a candlelight procession
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Bullseye Books in Rockport: Second Hand Stores series continues
I keep discovering more and more second hand stores on this side of the bridge! One that had escaped my original list (which I have still not exhausted) was Bullseye Books in Rockport (25 Main Street). I stopped in the other day while showing a friend around town.
They specialize in used books, but also have other vintage ephemera and other items, including “Flyboys” Scarves.
It’s near the Toad Hall bookstore too, so if you are out looking for books old and new, you can visit both in one trip. Not to mention Art Longwood Books, a new store for used books – especially art books – on Broadway in Rockport, in walking distance of Bullseye and Toad Hall. But that’s material for another post… as my series on second-hand stores continues!
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Midori, my favorite oriental restaurant
A few months ago, Midori Chinse and Japanese bistro (32 Washington Street) started hosting an “Artist’s Cocktail”, 8-11PM on Wednesday nights (live music by Henry Allen and the New Swingset, as well as by guest artists; plus other things like poetry and dance by guests, etc.). That event was the occasion for me to eat at Midori for the first time in a few years. The time I had been there in the past I had not been overly enthused by the food, but now that has totally changed! I now go almost every Wednesday night and sometimes once or twice more during the week. It helps that I now live very nearby, but I would probably go even if I didn’t. The prices are reasonable, and I love their food! They offer a wide range of Chines and Japanese cuisine. (Their Japanese dumpling soup is one of my personal favorites.)
Besides that, the owner and staff are friendly and take care of their regular customers. A few times the manager has sent to our tables complimentary portions of something special from the kitchen or a scoop of ice cream. Just yesterday he sent my friend and me small, well-presented plates of fantastic, spicy macaroni and cheese.
A sampling from their $8 lunch buffet:
Here are some more photos I’ve taken there:
A few people have mentioned that when that restaurant first opened several years ago they had a bad experience of one kind or another. If that was the case, as far as I can tell things have really changed! Although sometimes the wait staff seems stretched a little thin, I (and friends of mine) have been going regularly for months with no problems. On the contrary, it’s now my favorite oriental restaurant in town!
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Neighborhood Apothecary Grand Re-Opening
This note is from Meg, the owner of the Neighborhood Apothecary, about which I recently posted:
Hello Everyone,
Whooo, moving is always an experience! I hope everyone had a good week last week.
In recent news, we are open at 17 Pleasant Street (open 10am to 8pm). You can pop in for an all new single serve tea, only $1, check out some of our new books, or walk around barefoot on our new brick floors!
Grand Re-Opening!!
This weekend, August 24th & 25th.
A free cup of tea for each customer and a few cool giveaways. Feel free to bring friends, family, and that random person you always meet walking down main street in the morning.
All the Best!
Meg
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Origami bicycle
I have been ramping up my origami activity a bit recently, and wanted to make an origami bicycle for a friend. I tried to find instructions for one, but could only find references to two origami bike designs – and one is really a scooter, not a bike, while the other is a great design, but very complicated and not fully documented. So, I decided to try to come up with my own design. Because of the geometry of a bicycle, I decided to fold it from a long rectangle instead of a square. (While squares are more common, origami can be made out of different shapes of paper.) Here are my sketches and rough draft:
After another rough draft, I came up with this model:
It’s made from an single long rectangle with no cutting or glueing. It could still stand for some improvement, but I think it’s a good start!
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Maplewood Car Wash – a great experience
At the Gloucester block parties this summer, I have come across the table for Maplewood Car Wash (50 Maplewood Ave). I hate to admit it, but I hadn’t washed the car since I moved to Gloucester 2 years ago, and hadn’t vacuumed it in at least a year. I am a terrible procrastinator. In fact, I got the car second hand from a family member, and we hadn’t had it professionally cleaned then either, so there was a desperate need! I saw the Maplewood Car Wash booth as a reminder as an opportunity to clean up… So, I made an appointment for this past Monday for a thorough “bumper to bumper” interior and exterior cleaning. Here are the results:
When I saw it in the parking lot, I literally asked myself if this was really my car, it looks so good! This is Eduardo, one of the workers who made my car look so good:
Andrew (I believe he is the manager?) was very courteous and professional, as were the other people I dealt with. The bumper-to-bumper job costs $130, and it was well worth it.
– Matthew Green
Good Morning Gloucester 