BEST OF THE NORTH SHORE 2010
Welcome to the BONS 2010! The wait is over, the votes have been tallied and it’s finally time to unveil this year’s top picks for our region’s best.
Click on the categories below for the winners in over 100 sub-categories. Readers’ Choice winners are noted just below Editors’ Choice selections.
BONS 2010 Categories
Past BONS Winners:
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Think learning to play an instrument is mere child’s play? Think again. By Bryan McGonigle
Jennifer and Steve Spungin of Salem School of Music
Where a carpet business once stood on Pleasant Street in Salem, the walls are now filled with music. Steve and Jennifer Spungin celebrated the opening of the Salem School of Music in May with a day-long extravaganza and high hopes.
“It went great; it was a pleasant surprise, even with the rain,” Jennifer says. Some people who attended hung out for hours—enjoying vaudeville-style guitar machine entertainment from musician Erik Royer and other fun activities—and several people registered for classes on the spot. “It really validated our thought that this will be a great hangout.”
The Salem school is an expansion of sorts. The Spungins own and operate the Marblehead School of Music, which they opened in 2007. Steve was a professional musician and gave lessons out of their home to supplement their income, and Jennifer was a teacher in Boston for several years who had created a drop-out prevention program for the schools. The pair decided the logical thing to do would be to combine their specialties and teach people how to rock out on the North Shore.
“I was in between tours and giving private lessons at the house, and the kids were filling up the house,” Steve says. “We wanted to be more local, and it became inconvenient to be teaching out of our home.” The school also provided an opportunity for other professional musicians to teach, Steve adds, because many musicians in bands have to work regular jobs and only play music on the weekends. “We had no idea what the demand in Marblehead would be,” Jennifer says. “It grew rapidly and filled a niche we didn’t expect.”
The Spungins credit the success of their Marblehead school—and their optimism about their new Salem school—to their out-of-the-box approach to teaching music. “We’re really trying to find top-notch musicians, but [they] also have to be able to teach, and that’s a whole different set of skills,” Jennifer explains. The teachers each have their own style, and the Spungins have a conference for each student where they figure out which teacher would best match that student, a strategy that the Spungins say works great for everyone.
The Marblehead School of Music currently has about 200 students and gives about 200 lessons a week. During the summer, there aren’t as many private lessons, but there are special programs including a music camp, a week-long intensive program where students work on a specific project.
“We try not to be a typical music school, a place where parents just drop their kids off to take lessons,” Steve says. The school offers specialized programs for kids ages two to five, using music-related games and stressing the value of practice and parental involvement. The school’s “Little Drummer” program for young children helps them to transition into comprehensive lessons. With older kids, the school stresses musical writing to teach them a language to go along with talent development and also uses group workshops to foster the kids’ sense of musical collaboration.
The Spungins also rent Abbott Hall in Marblehead for performances. “We try to get [the kids] to play music with each other, and it’s very social,” says Steve. “It’s basically a party where kids play music.” The couple also purchased the Salem building with that idea of collaboration and social music in mind. The building has several recording rooms where students can work together on everything from practicing to recording. “That’s one of the reasons this space was great for us,” Jennifer says of the Salem school building, sitting with her husband on the sofa in the school’s lobby. “It allows for more community activities. The school in Marblehead is great for private lessons, but this allows for Friday night jam sessions.”
The Marblehead school attracts students from all over the North Shore. Twenty percent of the school’s clientele comes from outside of Marblehead. The Spungins are hoping that the new Salem school will not only attract new business but will also be more convenient for current students who live closer to the Salem location.
Susan Weinstein of Marblehead has two sons who are enrolled in the Marblehead School of Music. Tali, who is 12, is learning the drums, and Noah, who is 8, is learning the electric guitar. With her children involved in several extracurricular activities, Weinstein says studying music is a daily challenge. But Tali and Noah stay focused and practice regularly, and she has noticed a lot of progress in their music, which she says is a result of the school making the lessons fun and engaging.
“I think that they’ve learned to love playing because they take lessons from guys who are extremely supportive and encouraging and are wonderful teachers,” Weinstein says. She adds that the school has been extremely accommodating to her children’s schedules and goals, and the teachers focus on her kids as individuals. “Steve and Jen have these great teachers,“ Weinstein says. “They’re kid-friendly, with a nice balance of being supportive and encouraging yet requiring kids to learn techniques.”
In today’s tough economy with family budgets tightening, music schools are becoming an affordable source of recreation and enrichment, and enrollment is up. “A few years ago when recession hit, I noticed an increase in music lessons, especially in the summer” says Tom Moore, who owns The Fabulous School of Music in downtown Beverly. “Nobody wanted to go on vacation or spend a lot of money. There’s been a huge enrollment of adults. They’re entertaining themselves as opposed to going out to be entertained.”
The Fabulous School of Music currently has more than 200 students and 16 teachers, and much of the time their studios are filled. Moore has added ensembles to the school’s schedule, including a “rock school” that teaches kids to play rock music and allows them to perform on weekend afternoons at the Pickled Onion. Moore says the kids have been attracting large audiences.
Moore credits his aggressive online promotion strategy with the school’s rising success. In addition to focusing advertising online, the school is active on Facebook and Twitter and has an interactive website where students can become members and comment on blogs.
Farther up the shore, Donna Cannatelli co-owns the West Newbury School of Music with her husband Joe. They opened the school in 2005 when Joe, who owned a recording studio, wanted to teach music and not simply record it. Today, the school has 12 teachers. Donna, whose background is in accounting, handles the books. Business has been great, Donna says. Their schedule is often booked solid from the time kids get out of school to the time they close.
Like the Spungins’ schools, the Cannatellis’ school promotes social learning. “Every parent has not only said to me that their child practices more, [but also] they see an advancement,” Donna says. “We treat them like rock stars; we let them use the studio equipment if they want to. They just thrive on it.” The Cannatellis have made music an inclusive family business. Their 29-year-old daughter Danielle works at the front desk, and their three-year-old daughter Angela studies theory and plays four different instruments.
The West Newbury School charges per week so that parents can make sure their kids like the music lessons before making a commitment. Lessons are $25 per half-hour lesson, and there are no administrative costs. Also, students are not charged for lessons they miss. And like the Salem and Marblehead schools, the West Newbury school offers summer sessions and week-long camps for the kids. Students study their music in groups and get to pick a name for their band, then design an album cover and t-shirts. In October, the students perform at the town’s Apple Harvest Road Race.
Summer group participation costs between $150 and $200, consisting of either eight one-hour sessions or a solid week from 9am to 2pm. Cannatelli says it fosters advancement at a time when many kids who participate in band during the school year aren’t practicing. “Summer comes, [and students stop playing] altogether and put their instrument in the closet and have to relearn everything,” Cannatelli says.
But it’s not just the kids who are learning how to rock. A growing number of music school students are adults, many of whom are doctors and lawyers looking to develop or hone their inner musician. “I find that the adults understand and appreciate the instructors’ time and really put a lot into it,” Cannatelli says. “Kids do pick up faster but sometimes tend to take their lessons for granted, but adults are fabulous.”
Judith Thompson of Essex is not someone you would normally think of when talking about music lessons. She is 70 years old and attends Marblehead School of Music, taking piano lessons. Thompson studied piano as a child and has played it as a hobby since, but she lives by the idea that it’s never too late to learn new skills.
Thompson knew how to play classical music, but she wanted to learn jazz. So she went to the Marblehead School of Music two years ago and has been honing old skills and learning new ones since. “It was kind of like riding a bike,” Thompson says of picking up piano lessons again after decades. “It wasn’t that I hadn’t played. I had always played but wasn’t a serious musician. It was mostly for entertainment, and once in a while I would play for children’s choirs.”
Thompson told her instructor Ken that she wanted to be able to play piano by ear but didn’t think she would be able to. Ken told her she can learn that skill and made sure she did. And she says he pushes her just enough to keep her moving forward. “I like the fact that he challenges me to do something I’ve not done before,” Thompson says. “When I first started with him, I played ‘Moonlight Sonata,’ which I’ve played many times. He asked me what I wanted from lessons, and I said I really wanted to learn something new. That’s when he started me thinking about jazz and learning new rhythms.”
Thompson would like to take her new skills and play for audiences more, perhaps in a volunteer capacity. She is a retired nurse executive and spent much of her career in elder services, and she already volunteers as a driver for North Shore Elder Services. She would love to put her new musical skills to use playing for elderly people. “No matter what kind of music you play or what instrument you play, it’s a great way to entertain yourself, and it’s always something I’ve turned to when I’ve felt bad and when I’ve felt good,” Thompson says, adding that her husband and children have been very supportive of her new musical journey. Her biggest fan is perhaps her 93-year-old mother, who Thompson said is thrilled that she has reignited her passion for music.
But whether it’s a 70-year-old woman learning to play to the piano or a three-year-old studying music theory, it’s clear that music instruction is one subject that appears to have no age limit. And with plenty of schooling options on the North Shore, residents around these parts should have no excuse for saying “I wish I had learned to play an instrument.”
Photo: Sadie Dayton
Marblehead native Jenny Johnson basks in the glow of local TV stardom.
Jenny Johnson looks like a movie star and talks like the girl next door—a winning combination that draws viewers in as she guides them through the gorgeous, the green, the simple, and the sensational subjects of “New England Dream House.” Hosting the NECN show is the latest feather in the cap of the Marblehead native.
In 2005, Johnson became an associate producer at NECN, then stepped in front of the camera in 2007 with the “Jenny Cam” segment of “TV Diner.” NECN belongs to Comcast, which also owns the sports channel CSN. Johnson, a lifestyle reporter at both, asks Celtics players for their restaurant recommendations, tours their homes, and interviews their families. She also interviews movie stars like Brooke Shields and Brendan Fraser. Becoming the host of “Dream House” in July of 2009 was a logical step for the rising star.
Now a Bostonian, Johnson returns to her favorite haunts as often as possible. “When I can roll down the window and get the smell of the ocean, I feel so lucky to have family here. I go for a [Marblehead] Neck run and think that going home is like going to a vacation house.”
She also says that she loves to walk in Old Town, in Manchester-by-the-Sea, and along Gloucester Harbor, adding “All these beach towns are so quaint, so different.” Hosting “Dream House” has given her a newfound appreciation for contemporary styling and a neutral palette. “I have seen incredible homes; there is so much talent in the design community,” she marvels, but adds that while North Shore real estate can be pricey, she hopes to buy here some day. “No matter where life takes me, I have to be close to the ocean.” —Regina Cole
Seven ways to shoulder books in style.
1. Patagonia red shoulder bag, $69, Rapids. 2. North Face brown pack, $85, Rapids. 3. Hemp graphic backpack, $24, Andover Gift Shop. 4. Embark pink graphic messenger bag, $9.99, Target. 5. Four Peas junior guitar backpack, $25, Pink Hearts, Blue Soles. 6. Skip Hop bumble bee backpack, $20, Lively Kids. 7. Littlelife ladybug mini-pack, $39.95, The Rugged Bear. —Lysa Pelletier
Spruce up your house with these floral accessories.
Photographs by Sharon White, styling by Lysa Pelletier
Rep-Air birdhouse clock, $88, Andover Gift Shop.
Cultural Intrigue lantern, $20, Sweetwater & Co.
Wrapping paper, $3.50 (sheet); and note cards, $10, Helen Thomas.
Laura and Lindsey Design pen and pen holder, $9.95, Heetsz & Mahtini
Magenta vase, $18; and soap dishes, $16 (large), $14 (small), Roost.
Yellow and green pillow, $38, Zimmer 360. Sunflower pillow, $78, Comina.
Wool rug, $76, Comina.
Rosebud slippers, $45, Sophia’s.
Seven watches for any occasion.
(From top to bottom)
1. Coach silver bracelet watch, $458, Macy’s.
2. Skagen silver band watch, $105, Irresistibles.
3. Cartier watch, $4,350, Royal Jewelers.
4. Tokyo Bay silver watch, $85, Chameleon.
5. Swiss Army diamond studded watch, $1,295, Nazarian Jewelers.
6. David Yurman bracelet watch, $3,250, Royal Jewelers.
7. Versace silver watch, $1,350, Elyse Jewelers.
—Lysa Pelletier
Photograph by Sharon White
Turn heads with these three fall looks.
1. Babette polka-dot sheer top, $228, J.Mode. Nesh by D.A.R. grey sateen skirt, $152, Helen Thomas.
2. Vintage ‘70s stripe wrap dress, $28, Modern Millie. Black leather waist belt, $152, J.Mode.
3. Nesh by D.A.R. black mesh top, $78, Helen Thomas. Tt black ruffle sweater, $320, Dresscode. Western Wear black and white drape skirt, $110, Helene M. —Lysa Pelletier
Photograph by Sharon White
With adventures, restaurants, and nightlife galore, Burlington, Vermont is the ultimate late-summer retreat. Continue reading Burlington, Vermont
On stage, in front of thousands is where she shines. But for singer and Rockport native Paula Cole the lure of home and the sound of the ocean prove perfect fodder for her new album, Ithaca. By Leslie Martini, photographs by Christopher Churchill.
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If you thought for a minute that Rockport native Paula Cole had left us behind, think again. This Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has come back to her North Shore roots—the rocky coast where it all began. Over lunch at Cygnet Restaurant in Beverly Farms, Cole dishes on her summer tour, the string of sold-out performances, and the fervor surrounding the September release of her latest album, Ithaca.
From a distance, as she walks onto the outdoor terrace, there’s no mistaking Paula Cole. She looks like she did from the 90s, but better. Behind the understated, seemingly effortless style—black pants, tank top, and an oversized straw hat—is the recognizable ebullient smile. Her warmth is both contagious and disarming. At 42, the songwriter is ready to begin anew. She is youthful, energized, and glowing—but mostly, she is authentic. Rest assured—Paula Cole is home at last.
If our waiter recognizes Cole, he hides it well. He is more than happy to accommodate our mutual vegetarian diets by checking with the kitchen. Within moments we are deep in conversation, and when Cole speaks, or listens (and she does listen!) you become the most important person in the room.
Cole’s love for animals runs deep—she owned two rescue dogs while living in New York City—and she displays an impassioned tenderness when describing them. Whether discussing her music, animals, nature, her daughter, her sister Irene, or her parents, the same benevolence and genuine respect is at the core of Paula Cole.
Over lunch, Cole reminisces fondly about growing up on the North Shore. At age two, the family moved to the Rockport area, where Cole’s grandparents were well situated. Cole’s mother, a visual art teacher at Rockport Elementary School, and her father, a biology and ecology professor at Salem State College and a part-time polka musician, made music a way of life. Gathering around the piano and upright bass (both fixtures in the home) with a book of American standards was a ritual. “We had our own living language,” says the whimsical Cole. “My older sister Irene was a far better piano player, which made for good fodder to see who could get more practice time. I was a natural little canary.”
At Rockport High School, singing remained an integral part of her life, yet “a career in music seemed impractical,” Cole explains. Summer music camps, however, turned the impractical into the possible—the gifted teen was soon offered a scholarship to Berklee School of Music in Boston.
While studying jazz singing and improvisation at Berklee, Cole was offered a record deal with a jazz label her senior year—an unprecedented opportunity. “It just didn’t feel right,” Cole says, reflecting on the enormous decision she made to turn it down. A natural clairvoyance, it seemed, guided her, she says. The waiting paid off, and in 1992, the sound of her own ethereal, deeply poetic material led to a call from Peter Gabriel, who invited her to join him on his “Secret World Live” tour. She flew to Germany, and in front of audiences of 60,000, she began the process of stealing hearts.
More success followed in 1996, when Cole released a self-produced album that would ultimately catapult her to mega-stardom. This Fire was a smashing success, earning Cole several Grammy nominations, and the coveted award for Best New Artist. “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and “I Don’t Want to Wait” would become the most popular of the hit singles and the titles that would help This Fire reach multi-platinum selling status. Her bellowing, spine-chilling vocals broke down barriers and united vastly diverse audiences.
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Cole possesses a keen sense of awareness when she looks back on the unremitting pace of working and touring during those first few years. “I never stopped,” she says. “I remember the advice of Emmy Lou Harris—she told me not to do it too fast. She has this motherly energy,” Cole says of her close friend and mentor. As for her other mentor, Tina Turner, Cole says, “She had the ability to come out of a dark place and to believe in herself in her 40s. It’s about staying positive.”
“This second career is more authentic,” Cole says with the easiest of smiles. Getting back to work took courage, and Cole is proud of her latest album, Ithaca, her first album since 2007’s Courage, which was preceded by an eight-year break in which she raised her daughter and went through a divorce. Included are 10 new songs, eight of which were written during Cole’s divorce. “The songs are about love, my child, self-knowing, and living an examined life. It’s about beginning again and the healing process,” she explains. “I set a new bar for myself. Back when I worked on Courage, I was a bit of a broken bird. I ended up co-writing, which was a great experience. This time, I wrote all my own songs again. I needed to prove this to myself and have a hand in the production.”
Here on the North Shore, Cole has many inspirations. Having access to the important things—family, nature, the environment, and the sea—keeps her grounded. She possesses the calm introspection of a disciplined yogi. But don’t seek her out at yoga studio near you—being seen isn’t her style. You’d be more likely to spot her photograph in the dictionary under the word, “authentic.” “Rockport is sort of my Ithaca,” Cole says, referring to the full circle—the journey to finding the inner peace and coming back to the start with her spirit intact.
So what does the future hold for Cole? “It’s scary to think about the impact of digital music, but when I perform, and people tell me the lyrics move them, or I did something for them, I know I have to keep writing.” Thankfully for the rest of us, writing music is what Cole plans to do…for a long time.
While Cole hopes that Ithaca will inspire her fans and music lovers around the world, for those of us on the North Shore, it serves as a family reunion of sorts. Cole’s soul-stirring, poignant lyrics will be heard echoing across the mountain tops of North America, but here at home, merely listening to the crashing waves along our shoreline will remind us of the artist’s enduring presence.
High-end fashions get a price check at Beverly’s Mint. Continue reading Mint Boutique
As the summer wanes and the crowds retreat from our coastline, now is the best time to jump into a kayak for a day to tour the remote inlets and rocky shores from Ipswich to Gloucester. By Tamsin Venn, photographs by Joel Laino.
In summer months, the waters around Cape Ann can resemble a kicked hornet’s nest, with motorboats zooming about in a frenzy. Come September, the Evinrudes hibernate, and as heat of an Indian summer lingers, the calm waters along the coast can be had all to yourself—the best time to meander in your sea kayak.
If you could plan any sea kayaking trip on the North Shore for a day, the Ipswich-to-Annisquam jaunt couldn’t be a better selection. Start at Pavilion Beach in Ipswich and paddle behind Crane Beach to the quiet waters around Hog Island. Continue out the mouth of the Essex River, follow Wingaersheek Beach to Annisquam Lighthouse, and finish at Lane’s Cove’s breakwater. Tidal estuaries, sand dunes, salt marshes, a 17th-century farm, a lighthouse, and the open ocean await you on this 10-mile journey that follows the shoreline almost entirely. Early morning is the best time to start, before the winds come up; bring a picnic and make a day of it. Later, tuck into one of the local eateries at day’s end to refuel and relax.
Your journey starts in Ipswich at Pavilion Beach, which joins Little Neck to Great Neck. Most kayakers launch at the north end, where there’s plenty of free parking. From the beach, you look over to Sandy Point Reservation, at the southern tip of Plum Island. That stretch of beach is state owned, allowing for kayaks to land. (Plum Island National Wildlife Refuge stretches eight miles north and prohibits landing.) Beyond is Ipswich Bay and the hazy outline of Cape Ann.
After launching, turn right (south) and paddle into the mouth of the Ipswich River. Then bear left toward the marshes into Fox Creek, a tributary of the Ipswich River. You have now entered the territory of mud, grass, and minnows. You are also now behind Castle Hill and The Great House, a large English Stuart-style mansion built by Chicago plumbing magnate Richard Crane in the early 1920s.
Head for the Hay Canal Bridge, which is on the road to Crane Beach. In 1820, a business called the Essex Canal Company built the half-mile canal from Fox Creek to the Castle Neck River to aid in transportation. The idea was to take the logs that came down the Merrimack River from New Hampshire forests to the shipbuilders in Essex. At the time, it was a huge success, but then the railroad arrived, the mud closed in, and it lost its commercial value. Now it’s just a narrow channel through which motorboats and kayaks travel.
After the bridge, paddle another few minutes until you reach the main channel, known as Castle Neck River. Now head for Hog Island, the large drumlin that looms ahead. Keep in mind that Fox Creek dries out at low tide; you must paddle through here three hours on either side of high tide. Once in Castle Neck River, you will be able to find a deep channel even at low tide.
In the late 1990s, Massachusetts Audubon spearheaded a project to protect thousands of acres of marsh behind barrier beaches from Hampton Harbor, NH to Gloucester in what is known as the Great Marsh, the largest span of marsh in New England. The Great Marsh includes this Essex Bay Estuary (as well as the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Parker River, and Ipswich River). Officials hope to improve sewage treatment and septic systems, as well as curtail animal waste and fertilizer run-off, making shellfish bed closure a thing of the past. The beautiful marshes you are traveling through make up just one corner of this vast expanse of 25,000 acres.
In early September, you will see wisps of pale sea lavender growing on the marsh and surviving high tides. The rest is a sea of grass. Spartina alterniflora, which the tide covers twice a day, is tough and wide; the coarse Spartina patens grow higher up and only get covered in the flood tides. Harvested in colonial times for salt marsh hay to feed livestock, this plant saved the farmers having to feed the cattle an extra salt ration. Prized by garden clubs, it is an excellent mulch with lots of nutrients minus the seed heads of grass and weeds. The alterniflora was also used for roof thatching; come back in October when the grass turns russet gold and you’ll see why.
In September, bird migration is in full swing. Many shorebirds start migrating south in July, peak in August and September, and go into November. For kayakers, the best time to spot sandpipers scuttling along the mud flats is at mid-to low tide. But you can always see the bigger birds; most notable are the great blue herons, which flock here in numbers before heading south. You will also see white egrets. The smaller ones are the snowy egrets with yellow feet, also known as golden slippers, while the larger great egrets have black feet.
By now you’re ready for a break. Remember, you’re going to take your time doing this trip. Keep Hog Island to your right, and at the Trustees of Reservations dock at the end of Hog Island, pull your boat up onto the beach. The Trustees of Reservations manage about 2,100 acres of beach and marsh, including Crane Beach and Castle Hill and seven islands in the Essex River Estuary and Bay.
Take the 3.5-mile trail from the dock to the top of the island. Hog Island, now known as Choate Island, is a truly magical place. It was the summer home of Masconomet, chief of the Agawam Indian tribe, who liked the high vantage point and the great fishing and clamming in the area. In winter, he and his tribe retreated to the woods in Middleton and Topsfield. In 1638, the Agawams sold the island, which eventually the Choates bought and built a house on in 1725—the prominent dark-brown colonial house, named for United States Senator Rufus Choate.
Choate and Long Island, connected by a causeway, were working farms in the 18th and 19th centuries. You’ll also walk past the 1778 Proctor Barn. Cornelius Crane, son of Richard Crane, and his wife, Mine, are buried at the top of Choate Island, which overlooks Plum Island Sound. Choate Island is open year-round 8am to 4pm, and it’s best to allow a minimum of two hours for a visit here.
After a picnic, paddle over to the back of Crane Beach to what’s known as the inner beach. The water tends to be warmer on this side, and you can land a boat wherever you want. In late summer, the beach is filled with what my British cousin likes to call “gin palaces” or large motorboats, moored three and four abreast, but in September, you’ll have the place to yourself, along with sanderlings, crickets, and a sailboat or two.
Leaving the shores of Crane Beach, you will exit through the mouth of the Essex River. That mouth can be turbulent at times, especially when the wind is going one way and the tide another. Cross over to the Victorian mansions on the other side, round the point, and follow Coffins Beach, around Farm Point, to Wingaersheek Beach.
Right across from the Annisquam Yacht Club (note the sailboats moored and a flag flying), you can land on Wingaersheek Beach for another break. That spot is at the north end of the Annisquam River, which opens into Ipswich Bay. At the other end, it empties into Gloucester Harbor, making Cape Ann an island. That geographic fact is celebrated every July in a challenging 22-mile open ocean race for paddlers around Cape Ann called the Blackburn Challenge, sponsored by the Cape Ann Rowing Club. The club’s original intent was a fun outing with an overnight on Thacher Island off Rockport, but the event has now turned into a three-plus-hour race, attracting some of the world’s best paddlers.
At the mouth of the Annisquam River in 1631, colonists settled in Annisquam Village, a delightful collection of clapboard houses on quiet streets. In those days, Annisquam rivaled Gloucester as a fishing and shipbuilding center, strategically located on the edge of Massachusetts Bay. The river was considered an important harbor of refuge for vessels traveling along the coast. As you paddle up the shore, you pass a series of coves that provided shelter from storms, known well by seafaring vessels. Those now provide the same havens for kayakers.
After the Annisquam Yacht Club, you will pass Annisquam Lighthouse. Government officials built the lighthouse at Wigwam Point, a common meeting ground for local Native Americans, to serve as a marker for the entrance to the Annisquam River in 1801. In 1897, they replaced a second lighthouse with the white brick tower you see now. They added a foghorn in 1931, but soon decided to operate it only from May to October so summer residents could sleep peacefully at night. The Coast Guard completely renovated the lighthouse in 2000, replacing several thousand old bricks, and today it is automated, though a Coast Guard family lives there. On a clear day, when you aren’t concentrating on waves casting spray onto your face, you can see the New Hampshire coastline and Mount Agamenticus in Maine.
Although a sleepy town today, Lanesville was once a great fishing port where you could bring back a boatload of fish from Ipswich Bay. Later, the cove became prosperous for granite quarrying, but when that industry died in the 1930s, it left a quiet village with granite stoops and colorful flowers, completely untouched by national superstores.
Paddle through the breakwater, make a sharp left, and land on the concrete ramp. This will mark the end of your North Shore paddling day. Best of all, you don’t have to travel far to experience all of this; a splendid coastline sits right here in your own back yard.
Finnish running shoe maker Karhu turns to the proving grounds of the North Shore for some old-fashioned R&D. By Alexandra Pecci.
Karhu’s world head-quarters might be in Beverly’s sprawling Cummings Center, but inside, it feels Scandinavian. The wide-open sunny office is sleek and vastly minimalist, with décor that’s all blond wood, chrome, and glass. The only real embellishment comes in the form of brightly colored sneakers that line the walls in shades of orange, red, and blue.
“When we go to Finland, a lot of the Finns say, ‘Hey, you’re doing Finnish better then the Finns do,’” says Karhu president Jay Duke. “That’s what we want to do. We want to keep that identity.”
Karhu’s identity as a running shoe brand has been nearly a century in the making, carrying some of the most legendary Finnish athletes to Olympic victories and marathon wins and influencing other sneaker manufacturers along the way.
Although Karhu, which means “bear” in Finnish, has been a well-known brand in Europe for decades, it hasn’t penetrated the United States sneaker market until now. The company originally made skis, discuses, and javelins, including ones for the Finnish Olympic medalists in the 1920s. Americans who had heard of Karhu usually associate it with skiing, but in Scandinavia, Karhu has been synonymous with running, and Finland is a nation whose runners have dominated the sport in the past. Karhu wearers have included Paavo Nurmi, who shared the record for most Olympic gold medals until Michael Phelps surpassed it, and Boston Marathon winner Olavi Suomalainen.
“Karhu’s that brand that has touched, in a way, Adidas, Nike, Merrell,” says Duke. Karhu had air cushions before Nike, currently licenses those air cushions to Merrell, and, according to lore, sold the three-stripe logo to Adidas for the equivalent of 1,200 Euros and two bottles of whiskey on the eve of the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.
Today, Karhu has licensees that operate the ski business, leaving Duke and CEO Huub Valkenburg to focus on what they know best: running shoes. The two are industry veterans who met in Moscow in the 1980s when they both worked for Reebok. They kept in touch while they each bounced around the world, living in India, Africa, and Japan, working for brands like Reebok and Nike/Converse. Valkenburg struck out on his own and about 10 years ago, his company became the license holder for Craft, a line of performance athletic wear, before buying Karhu in 2008, when Duke came onboard. Since then, the company has been working to reinvigorate the Karhu brand and introduce it to US consumers.
So far, so good.
“In our very first collection, we won our first Runner’s World award, which we’re very proud of,” Duke says, referring to when Runner’s World magazine named Karhu’s Strong Fulcrum Ride the “Best Debut of 2009.” The key word in the sneaker’s name is “fulcrum,” which Duke and Valkenburg say is the element that sets its shoes apart from other brands and helps runners do exactly what Karhu’s tagline promises: “Move forward.”
“It’s really this component that is a pivot point, and a pivot point creates a rolling effect,” Valkenburg says. “So when you run on this, it helps you propel forward a little bit easier.” Other manufacturers often put a heavy-density section inside their shoes to correct overpronation, the industry term for when a runner’s foot rolls inward when it lands. But Karhu says its fulcrum operates like a seesaw, rolling the foot forward in a fluid motion and keeping the runner balanced.
Other shoes also focus heavily on creating a soft landing, but Karhu says ultimately, that’s not as important as forward momentum. “That shoe has all cushioning,” Valkenburg says, pointing to a Nike sneaker, which does feel soft, but somehow not as natural as the Karhu. “It’s all about bouncing, but it doesn’t necessarily do anything for you. And at the end of the day, moving forward is the goal of a runner. Not moving up and down.”
Valkenburg opens a laptop and pulls up an animation that depicts a runner striding through a blue-skied, green-hilled landscape, complete with a white windmill spinning serenely in the distance. A woman’s voiceover says that “scientists found that running in Karhu actually reduces vertical oscillation,” creating more forward velocity and fewer braking forces.
The animation also says the shoes help runners reduce “wasted energy” and allow the foot to “naturally” move forward, language that, along with the windmill imagery, is a deliberate nod to people’s interest in conservation, whether it means using less gasoline on the way to work or running more efficiently. “Part of the brand attraction is that the next generation of people are thinking about consumption,” Valkenburg says. “And there’s no brand yet that I think embraces those values that well.”
But all of that efficiency talk isn’t just brand-speak. According to Karhu, their claims are backed up by research conducted at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, which shows that people who run in Karhu use less oxygen than when they run in a competitor’s shoe.
“Jyväskylä has a very renowned neuromuscular research center and has done product testing for more than 20 years,” Valkenburg says. Runners there wear shoes with insoles equipped with 1,000 wireless sensors that communicate what the runner feels as they run across pressure-analyzing plates. “Their test facilities are a hallway away from a 200-meter indoor track that has these 10-meter stretches laid into the track, so the runners can just keep running and we can keep measuring without interrupting them,” Valkenburg says.
But Karhu turns to the North Shore to do its wear testing, using people they know or who have connections to their employees, like Gloucester-based trainer Janda Ricci-Munn, whose brother works for Craft.
According to Ricci-Munn, who trains triathletes, cyclists, and runners, Karhu is looking to people like him to find out what coaches and trainers are working on with their clients and how the shoes can support that work. “One of the things that they’re really trying to promote is getting runners into a more forward position,” he says. “That’s something that personally, as a coach, I’m really doing a lot of work on these days.”
Ricci-Munn says that too many runners run very erect, with little or no angle at their pelvis, which makes runners’ feet land outside their center of gravity and slows them down. He’s been working to change runners’ mechanics by encouraging them to tilt their torso so it looks like they’re leaning forward when they run, allowing them to use gravity and momentum to their advantage. “If you really take a look at most of the world’s best runners,” he says, “you’ll notice that they’re all running at a pronounced torso angle.” To that end, Ricci-Munn says that Karhu offers a slightly higher heel to support runners when they run that way. “When I am running in that forward position, which kind of puts me out further onto my forefoot and midfoot during the strike phase of the stride cycle, I do feel as if my heel isn’t quite as supported, and whereas with the Karhus, it does,” he says.
Teaching runners and running professionals about its technology through grassroots-style marketing is also part of Karhu’s strategy as it introduces itself to the United States market. “We haven’t gone the sports marketing route, because that’s a little bit a of a big-brand thing,” Duke says. Instead, it’s reaching out via retailers and running events to build awareness, doing things like sponsoring the 13.1 Marathon, a series of half marathons in major US cities, including Boston.
The company also holds Karhu Explorer Days when it launches at a new retailer, offering a product clinic that teaches consumers about the brand and how the fulcrum works, as well as the culture of Finland and the country’s running legacy. Consumers who try on Karhu shoes can enter to win a trip to Finland and run the Helsinki Marathon if they want to.
“We like to have people explore and see Helsinki. It’s a cool city,” Duke says. “When you go to the city of Helsinki, you see, literally, some of our colors are influenced from the buildings that are in downtown.”
Next year, Karhu is rolling out a program that teaches the Finns’ running technique to coaches, a program that the company is running this year at 34 running schools in Finland. “In the future, we’re actually going to move into running the way the Finns run. Finns have a very unique running technique,” Valkenburg says. “They are known for their distant running and having a very fluid style where you don’t move anywhere but forward. People don’t swing their arms left to right, they don’t jump in the air too much.”
According to Duke and Valkenburg, once people actually run in Karhu shoes, they become devoted to the brand. “When consumers purchase us in the US, they become real passionate; they love the brand,” Duke says. “It’s a discovery.”
One of those consumers is Amy Renz of Marblehead, whose chiropractor recommended that she try Karhu shoes after having numerous running-related knee dislocations, even once dislocating her knee during mile 22 of a marathon.
“You run from the ground up, right? So you need a good pair of shoes,” Renz says, and she’s found them in Karhu. She says her knees have been “incredible” since she made the switch from New Balance to Karhu, and ran the 2010 Boston Marathon at 3:39, her personal best and a qualifying time.
“I’ve never had such a tremendous experience. I actually felt like I could go a couple extra miles when I crossed the finish line,” she says. “It’s really wonderful to be able to do the sport that I love and not have pain doing it and to be able to do it at a level that I’m very pleased with my performance.”
Although Duke and Valkenburg say that running will be Karhu’s focus for the next 18 months, the company is planning to move into the outdoor market in 2012, developing fulcrums for the needs of hikers and walkers. But Valkenburg says Karhu won’t be making big leather hiking boots. “We’re talking about products that the runner would wear if he went hiking,” he says.
Duke and Valkenburg feel that although Karhu will always be known as a running brand, hiking and walking is a natural extension of the brand identity that incorporates the outdoors and fitness. It’s an identity that they think is a perfect fit for people on the North Shore. Duke, who lives in Newburyport, and Valkenburg who lives in Marblehead, say that the North Shore is a “sweet spot” for living a fit, healthy lifestyle. And bringing Karhu to the North Shore also makes sense in terms of the area’s legacy of shoe manufacturing, from the old shoe mills in Haverhill and Lawrence to present-day companies like Reebok, Converse, New Balance, and Timberland, who all call the area home.
“It’s actually a great area for the footwear industry,” Valkenburg says. “It’s always left its roots here, its print. You always meet somebody in the shoe industry here.”
200 Cummings Center, Suite 273-D, Beverly, 978-524-0032, karhu.com
George Harrington knows a thing or two about running famous eateries. For 10 years, he was man of the house at Marblehead’s fabled Rosalie’s Restaurant, and for another 20 years, he was at the helm of Salem’s legendary Lyceum, where he still is today.
By Anna and David Kasabian, photography by Anthony Tieuli
George Harrington knows a thing or two about running famous eateries. For 10 years, he was man of the house at Marblehead’s fabled Rosalie’s Restaurant, and for another 20 years, he was at the helm of Salem’s legendary Lyceum, where he still is today.
Given the grueling pace of the restaurant trade and Harrington’s considerable length of service, one might expect a little less spring in his step today, perhaps a bit less fire in his belly. These two notions are shattered when the kitchen door bursts open and Harrington bounds out with a puckish grin, a sturdy handshake, and an impassioned narrative about how his newly renovated Lyceum is better than ever in the way it looks forward and back at the same time.
Indeed it does. The history of Lyceum thickens the air. This very building, after all, once housed the worldly Salem Lyceum, among the preeminent public lecture halls of its day, from whose podium John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson posited lofty thoughts.
In homage to its legacy, Harrington focused part of his rejuvenation on a reemphasis of history with the help of Beverly architecture and design firm Seimasko + Verbridge. Classic hardwood paneling and leather banquettes are new but look original. The handsome bar is original, but given more prominence by opening up the sightlines at the bar area entrance. The effect is dramatic and inviting, sweeping you up in the atmospherics of vaulted ceilings and ancient brick walls, yet it preserves the graceful lack of pretension that helped make the first Lyceum a North Shore institution.
Nowhere has Harrington blended past and future more astutely than in the kitchen. Hugo Corado, Lyceum’s executive chef since 2004, is now joined by Dan Friley, Lyceum’s young new chef de cuisine. It’s a mystery how two talented chefs from two different worlds can be thrown together in one kitchen to coexist, but here, it seems to work. We see harmony rather than conflict reflected in a menu that—like the new Lyceum itself—is rooted in tradition, but with a few new surprises. You’ll find the etched-in-stone selections of jumbo shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, Caesar salad, steak frites, and fish and chips. But you will also find the less-expected steamed cockles, crispy chicken livers, Tuscan bread salad, handkerchief pasta with duck confit, and pan-roasted Vermont quail.
The Lyceum has been a fixture in this city for so long that it would have been a shame to see it grow old and fade away. But rest assured, a fellow like George Harrington would never let that happen.
43 Chuch St., Salem, 978-745-7665, thelyceum.com
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Where he works: A one-story surf-specific equipment-based shop right on the beach, where he gives surf lessons. “I love that I’m working on the beach everyday, surfing with the community. I feel really fortunate that my work is my passion.”
First time on a board: “I can’t really remember my first time surfing because I grew up on the beach. I’ve been body surfing and boogie boarding since I was small, right here in New Hampshire.”
His surfboard: “Luckily, owning a surf shop, I have access to lots of different boards. I don’t have a favorite, but I love my six-foot, five-inch Bryne short board.”
Favorite places to surf: “I love surfing here. I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world, but when the waves are good at your home break, there’s something special about that. You cherish the moments. My favorite local place is Rye Rocks in Portsmouth, and my favorite travel location is Cloudbreak in Fiji.”
Toughest part of the job: “You’re never able to walk away from it. I own a shop. A clean break from work is difficult because I’m always thinking about it.”
Why this career: “I was just a young kid who loved surfing. When I was 15, I got a call asking if I wanted to work at a surf shop, and I’ve been working here ever since.” —Anna Perrochi. Photograph by Bob O’Connor
