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.

Dogtown Book Shop

Posted on by Matthew Green

So far, I’ve reviewed second-hand stores that were either antique stores or thrift stores, all of which carried a variety of items, even if they had their areas of greater focus.  Here’s one of our stores that specializes in only one item: books!

_Dogtown books façadeBob Ritchie, the proprietor of Dogtown Books (132 Main St.), has stocked an incredible amount of books, “used and unusual”, as the sign says. He is selective – he tries to avoid cheap mass-distribution paperbacks, for example – but even so he has books representing a wide variety of genres, periods, etc.  See for yourself:

As with the vast majority of the people I have dealt with in these stores, Bob is also a really nice person (he let me take a photo of him with Flat Stanley for the child of friends of mine in New York…), and is very competent in his field.  He has helped me find some great books, and bought some from me to resell.

So if you love books, this is a great place to go to peruse the stacks and to look for treasures in print from the past or the present. And, if you have interesting books (in good condition) that you don’t need any more, bring them in, and maybe you can help keep the shelves stocked with quality content!  It’s just a couple of doors down from Main Street Arts and Antiques, so it’s easy to visit both stores without moving your car or walking too far.

His posted hours are Monday-Saturday, 10-6, summer Sundays 1-5, with the note that “actual hours may be sooner or later”.

– Matthew Green

Previous posts in this series:

Second Glance
St. John’s Thrift Shop
The Sequined Fan
Pearl’s
Junque & Disorderly
Cape Ann Thrift Shop
Main Street Arts and Antiques

And we’re not even half-way through my list of second-hand stores to review…

Main Street Arts and Antiques

Posted on by Matthew Green

And now, after a cat post, back to our regularly scheduled programming – my series on second-hand shopping in Gloucester! Today we visit another antique store, Main Street Arts and Antiques (124 Main St.), run by GMG contributor David Cox.

_main street arts and antiques façadeThe store is open 11-5 Mon-Sat, 1-5 Sunday.  David sells a wide variety of items.  I asked him what his store has that others don’t – for what kind of item would his store be the go-to place?  His response: ephemera! Think postcards and things of that sort. I believe that genus also includes what I have seen there a few times – a significant selection of antique photos, photo albums, and scrap books, which are fascinating. They give you a glimpse into the life of a person or a family long-dead and often unidentified in the material.  For romantics like me, seeing those old photos and clippings allows you to imagine the story and background of the family, coming up with explanations for the clothing and expressions in the photos.  I bought some as a gift for my sister-in-law who enjoys vintage photos. I have to admit I wast tempted to keep some for myself…

So anyway, here are some photos of the store, to give you a better idea:

David Cox at his desk

As you can see, he has lots of different things!  He also sells prints of some of his own photos; his photographic skills are well known to regular GMG readers.

– Matthew Green

Don’t touch my catnip!

Posted on by Matthew Green

 

Taking a break from my second-hand store series, here’s a cute photo of Neo:


Neo is the cat-in-residence at my new apartment in Gloucester.  He is officially attached to the family upstairs, but he’s claimed me as an auxiliary affection provider (which is fine with me).  If I so much as squat down to pick something up when he’s around, he tries to crawl into my lap.  Of course, I allow him as often as I can!
Here he is enjoying a Dr. Pussum’s catnip toy from the Pop Gallery, a gift from my friend Vignette-Noelle.  He loves it!   It looks like he’s saying, “If try to take this from me, I’ll rip your face off.” Very sweet of him!  I bought some of these catnip toys before, for my parents’ two cats, and they were also very pleased.

– Matthew Green

Cape Ann Thrift Shop

Posted on by Matthew Green

Earlier I mentioned that there is another Gloucester thrift shop near St. John’s Thrift Shop, and with similar hours.  It’s the Cape Ann Thrift Shop, 70 Middle St., associated with the Trinity Congregational Church.

IMG_4855It’s open Tues.-Fri. 10AM-2PM, and Sat. 10AM-12PM.  It packs a surprising amount of things into a relatively small area!  Items of all kinds can be found, with rooms dedicated to men’s clothes, women’s clothes, kitchen items, glass and china, and books (although many other items can also be found throughout the store). I didn’t notice if there was also furniture for sale, but I suspect there may be at least some.  The prices are very thrifty indeed – I got two belts and a small crock pot “dipper” (more for heating dips and sauces than for making soup), all in practically new condition, for $7.  Because of the cramped quarters, I had to take lots of photos to show the kind of inventory you can find. Here’s a slideshow:

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It’s impressive to see all that and remember that these church-affiliated thrift stores are run by volunteers, who sort, clean, categorize, and label all these things! Kudos to all the volunteers who help make these stores possible.

– Matthew Green

Junque & Disorderly

Posted on by Matthew Green

Looking back at the places I’ve reviewed so far, we have Second Glance (a little bit of every kind of item, including a significant clothes section, but more thrifty and less antiques), St. John’s Thrift Shop (also a wide variety, very affordable prices, located right in downtown Gloucester), The Sequined Fan (specializing more in exotic and beautiful items for around the house or for wearing), and Pearl’s (with more emphasis on small furniture, although also with a variety of  other items). Now, for a store that is more focused on antiques, large and small: Junque & Disorderly!

JDLocated at 57 Washington Street, this is properly an “antiques and collectibles” store, as the sign indicates.  They have a wide range of items for the household, from trinkets to furniture.  It is a large space, and a shared venue for several different dealers, so the price range varies.  I was amazed at some of the deals! If I had more space (and a little more money), I’d have walked out with a beautiful wooden set of dining room furniture, a mantle clock, etc…  They also have nice paintings and framed photos and things of that sort. I almost bought a nice reproduction of Murillo’s “Immaculate Conception” with a hand-painted (faux gilded) wooden frame, but I already have more religious images than space to show them!

Their hours are:
Mon – Tue: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

– Matthew Green

Note: I am on vacation for about 10 days. I have material for a few more posts in this series, but I probably will have to interrupt it for a few days until I get back. In the meantime I’ll share some photos from vacation!

 

Pearl’s!

Posted on by Matthew Green

Pearl’s (222 Main St., Gloucester) is the focus of the 4th installment in my series on local second-hand (thrift, antique, consignment, etc.) stores!

DSC07605Like the other stores, Pearl’s has a variety of items, including jewelry, knick-knacks, etc.  But this store has more of a focus on small furniture – shelves, tables, etc.  For instance, at my visit, they had a beautiful set of wooden nesting end tables (seen in one of the photos below), as well as many other items.

As mentioned in a previous post, Pearl’s is next door to The Sequined Fan, so it’s easy to visit both at once.  Unlike the thrift stores, neither Pearl’s nor The Sequined Fan have any significant collection of clothes, although they do have accessories.  Pearl’s is open Mon-Sat 10-5, Sunday 12-4.

– Matthew Green

Stores previously featured in this series:

Second Glance

St. John’s Thrift Shop

The Sequined Fan

 

The Sequined Fan

Posted on by Matthew Green

Continuing with my series on second-hand (thrift, consignment, antique, etc.) stores in Gloucester, I stopped in to check on The Sequined Fan on East Main Street!

DSC07604

 

While they sell some antiques, they do not identify as an “antique store”. They offer a variety of items and price ranges, aiming to have “something for everyone” (from exquisite oriental porcelain, to potholders in a “dollar bin”), with an international flavor.

My overall impression is that this is a place to go for beauty.  You can also get more utilitarian items, like the aforementioned potholders, but but the focus is more on decorative items like pictures, jewelry, lamps, throws, etc., and functional-but-beautiful items like painted tea sets, pitchers, etc.

The Sequined Fan is open Wednesday-Saturday, 10-5, and Tuesday and Sunday by chance (closed on Monday).

If you don’t have a place to put these items, you can always get some shelves or tables (as well as other items) next door at Pearls, the subject of tomorrow’s post!

– Matthew Green

St. John’s Thrift Shop

Posted on by Matthew Green

Located right in downtown Gloucester under the buildings of St. John’s Episcopal Church (48 Middle St.), and with an entrance and parking available off of Washington street (more or less across from Midori and Tedeschi), the St. John’s thrift Shop is very accessible either on foot or by car.

SJ0They are open Tuesday-Thursday, 10-2, during the summer (generally starting in May and ending in September).  Martha Whitney (in a photo below), who runs the shop, told me that they have aimed to synchronize their hours with the other thrift shop a few doors down, sponsored by the Congregational Church (to be featured here another day).  That makes it easy for someone to visit both shops in one trip.

Their inventory includes some clothes and a wide, eclectic variety of other household items, including kitchenware, books, framed pictures, clothes, blankets, etc. From my experience, prices are very, very affordable, and everything is clean and carefully selected.

I have picked up several useful items here over the past week, including a nice warm afghan, a wastepaper basket, and a corkscrew. Definitely worth checking out!

– Matthew Green

Second Glance, the biggest thrift shop in Gloucester

Posted on by Matthew Green

My first review in my series on second-hand stores in Gloucester is “Second Glance” (2 Pond Rd., Gloucester), the thrift shop of Open Door, a local hunger-relief charity.

sg1

It has a wide selection of items, including clothes, kitchen utensils, books, CD’s, toys (in small quantities, from what I’ve seen), dishes, knickknacks, furniture, etc.  It is well organized, clean, and affordably priced.

The place is often busy, so there is a fairly quick turnover of popular items. It’s worth checking back often – and if you see something you want, get it while you can!

They have ample hours, Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., both for purchasing and for donating.  Proceeds go to support the Open Door hunger relief efforts.  So whether you are looking for a useful item for your home or your wardrobe, or you have items in good condition that you want to pass on to another owner, this is a good place to go!

But just because it’s awesome, doesn’t mean it has everything all the time. The other locations I will be reviewing are well worth checking out too!

– Matthew Green

Buying Second-Hand in (and near) Gloucester

Posted on by Matthew Green

Whether you are looking to save money, to save the environment by keeping usable items in circulation, or to find vintage and antique treasures, buying (and selling) second-hand items is worth looking in to.  I’ve been particularly interested in buying second hand as I work to finish furnishing my new apartment without spending lots of money!

Fortunately, there are many places in and around Gloucester where you can buy good quality “pre-owned” items! Since I’ve been visiting most of them, I’ve realized that it might be helpful for other people to get an overview of what I’ve seen. So, I have decided to make a series of posts highlighting each of the ones I visit, giving you an idea of what they offer. They each have their own focus and character, some being more for the thrifty and others for treasure seekers who don’t mind spending more cash.

For starters, here is a list of the places I’ve found so far (although I haven’t visited all of them). Let me know if I’ve missed anything! I’ll start offering photos and a few more details about each place tomorrow. Note that some of these places (especially those attached to a religious organization) have very limited hours; I will do my best to get the full info as I review each place.

Starting with the center of Gloucester I have found:

  • “Pearl’s” antique store (222 Main St., Gloucester)
  • “The Sequined Fan” antiques and fashion accessories (220? Main St., Gloucester)
  • “The Eco Boutique” consignment shop (in Brown’s Mall, 186 Main Street, Gloucester)
  • “Stuff – old stuff, new stuff”, closing soon (161 Main St., Gloucester)
  • “The Dress Code” consignment shop (159 Main St., Gloucester)
  • “Main Street Arts and Antiques” (124 Main St, Gloucester)
  • “Gabriel’s Limited” antique store (100 Main St, Gloucester)
  • “Banana’s” vintage clothing (78 Main St., Gloucester)
  • “St. John’s Thrift Shop” at St. John’s Episcopal Church (48 Middle St., Gloucester)
  • “Junque and Disorderly Antiques and Collectibles” (57 Washington St., Gloucester)
  • “Cape Ann Thrift Shop” affiliated with the Congregational Church, I believe (70 Middle St., Gloucester)
  • “St. Vincent de Paul society” clothes closet, at St. Ann’s Church (Holy Family parish) (70 Pleasant St., Gloucester)
  • “Past Present Shoppe” consignment store (30 Railroad Ave., Gloucester)
  • “Second Glance” thrift shop (2 Pond Rd., Gloucester)
  • “Bub’s Tool Consignment” (11 Pond Rd., Gloucester)
  • “Annisquam Exchange” (32 Leonard St., Annisquam)
  • “Thrift Shop” at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport (4 Cleaves Street, Rockport)

Who would have thought we would have that many consignment, thrift, and antique stores in such a small area?  And I am sure I missed some!  As I mentioned before, please let me know what I am missing from the list.

[UPDATE]

I forgot to include some specialty 2nd-hand stores:

For books, there’s:

  • “Dogtown Book Shop”, all sorts of books “used and unusual” (132 Main St., Gloucester)

For music:

  • “Mystery Train Records”, which sells LP’s and CD’s (21 Main St., Gloucester)

For bicycles:

  • “Big Mike’s Bikes” sells new and used bikes (50 Maplewood, Gloucester) – Thanks to James Dowd for pointing that out!

– Matthew Green

Taste the Promise! – Great food for a great cause!

Posted on by Matthew Green

Taste the PromiseA very appetizing fundraiser for a very worthy cause! Family Promise helps homeless families get back on their feet by providing temporary housing and a variety of services to assist them in finding employment and permanent housing.

– Matthew Green

 

Something to soothe your eyes

Posted on by Matthew Green

I’ve been too busy moving to do be able to get much together for a blog post – I’m working on something about all the great places to buy 2nd-hand items in Gloucester, based on my experiences these days, but it’s not ready yet! So, here’s a photo I took two years ago, on vacation in Ireland.

The lake in front of Kylemore Abbey, in Galway, Ireland

– Matthew Green

St. Ann School group photo

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Everyone is sad to see St. Ann’s School go.  Last week I took a series of final group photos.  The children were squirmy in the hot sun, so there’s no one photo where they all are smiling and looking at the camera. I hopped into one of photos, since it was my last week at St. Ann’s too (albeit the church in my case, not the school)!

_Group photo with me

Special thanks to all the people who kept the school alive for so many years – the parents, teachers, administration, donors, etc.

Please comment if you have good memories of this school that you’d like to share! But let’s not get into the “blame game” about why it is closing. The school board, the principal (Michele Butler), and everyone involved have done whatever they could to avoid this situation. Let’s focus on the positive, and on thanking the hard work of all the people who made the school the special place it was.

– Matthew Green

 

Babson Boulders at home

Posted on by Matthew Green

The Babson Boulders of Dogtown are one of the harder-to-find attractions in Gloucester; you have to download a map and go trekking through the woods. It’s well worth the walk, and can be a lot of fun (especially when it isn’t tick-and-mosquito season).

But you can also get your own miniature, customized “Babson Boulders” at home. Here’s mine:

Truth

 

It was a gift from the artist, my friend Michael Foley.  I don’t know of anyone else who makes these!  You can see more of his work, including other “boulders”, on his website or on Facebook. He also has work at “The Art Nook” on Bearksin Neck.

– Matthew Green

 

Saying farewell to Holy Family Parish – thank you to everyone!!

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Yesterday was my last Sunday at Holy Family Parish.  It was a bit emotional to be presiding my last Masses at the parish.  I got a very nice surprise when a group of friends of mine from the Wednesday night “Sing” and the Monday night Sea Chanty group showed up!

In the afternoon, the parishioners had a “going away” party for me in the parish hall.  There was a lot of food, including this beautiful cake:

cake

 

 

And another group of music friends showed up, and added live music to the mix!

live musicAfter came the evening Brazilian Mass:

and we had another going away dinner, with another delicious cake:

THANK YOU to everyone for all you’ve done for me during my time at Holy Family Parish!  The outpouring of support yesterday – kind words, business cards, greeting cards, gifts, music, hugs, etc. – reminded me once again that I have WICKED AWESOME friends in this amazing Cape Ann community! I hope to get out thank-you notes to those people who gave gifts and for whom I have a name and address, but if I miss you, please accept my thanks here!

Of course, although I am leaving Holy Family Parish, I am not leaving Gloucester or GMG! Why leave, when I am in such a great place with so many wonderful, talented, generous people?  I am starting to move my things into a new apartment today, and will hopefully finish moving my things and myself tomorrow. I hope to support myself in part by selling prints of photos, teaching origami and photography workshops (at The Hive for teens and adults and Art Haven for kids, and anywhere else I can), and possibly doing some translation work and/or language tutoring (Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and/or maybe Italian, although my Italian is a little rusty).

From tomorrow on, Fr. Linus Mendis will take my place here at Holy Family Parish. As of July 1, I will formally be on a year of leave of absence with permission from the Cardinal.   That implies that, although I continue to be a priest in good standing, I will not be doing any priestly ministry.  The archdiocesan policy with these things is that, since I am taking a year off,  I am not allowed to wear my clerical clothing or celebrate the sacraments in public (although I will continue to celebrate Mass in private – I am looking for a small altar for my apartment… ). Some people have asked if I should still be called “Father Matthew”, or just “Matthew”, or “Matt”, or whatever. Since I don’t know what will be going on at the end of this year (continuing as a priest for the archdiocese? seeking another option within priestly ministry, or taking another path outside of ministry?),  just call me whatever makes you comfortable. My preference is Matthew (with or without “Father”). For now, I will be signing my posts like this:

– Matthew Green

 

An evening in Rockport

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On Friday evening I went to Rockport for the (amazing) concert by “What Time Is It Mr. Fox?” and the Rockport High School Madrigal Choir at the Shalin Liu center.  Here are a few photos I snapped with my phone to try to capture some of the magic.

 

 

 

– Fr. Matthew Green

Strawberry shortcake, plants, home-made preserves and pastries, antiques, and more!

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Being sold this morning at St. Ann’s Church (70 Pleasant Street) as a fundraiser for Holy Family parish! Come get goodies for your garden and for your tastebuds!

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City Hall, a year ago today vs. today

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All the work paid off! Here is City Hall this morning:

City Hall today

 

 

Kudos to all the people involved in the restoration work!

– Fr. Matthew Green