Murphy, a Labradoodle, gets a trim from Pooch Pawlor owner Erin Ago.
New salon pampers Swampscott’ s four-legged friends
By SANDI GOLDFARB
Clients come to Swampscott’s newest spa for a day of beauty. They leave with glossy hair, manicured nails, sparkling smiles, wagging tails and a jaunty bandana. At The Pooch Pawlor, proprietor Erin Ago happily cares for her four-legged friends with a gentle touch.
Interior designer and Swampscott resident Anita Clark.
Local designer embraces traditional patterns for timeless elegance
By MEAGHAN CASEY
Gingham may be fashion’s go-to print for spring for designers like Prada, House of Holland, Dolce & Gabbana and Carolina Herrera, but it’s a fabric that interior designer Anita Clark has embraced for years.
Local journalist presents a collection that celebrates the Greater Boston middle class
By RICH FAHEY
As a staff writer for The Boston Globe, Steve Rosenberg covered the suburbs from 2001 to last December, and along the way has documented many of the traditions and rituals that make the Greater Boston area what it is.
Town Barre owner Michelle Nigro opened a new Marblehead studio in late February.
The trendy workout finds a new home locally
By MEAGHAN CASEY
Women of all ages are flocking to a new bar in town — where fitness, not alcohol, is served.
Swampscott resident Michelle Nigro opened her own studio, Town Barre, on Tioga Way in Marblehead (in the same complex as CrossFit Marblehead) in late February. She offers daily barre classes, as well as cardio dance and TRX® suspension training classes.
Lou Gallo, the town’s unofficial historian, meets with other history buffs on the first Friday of every month at the Swampscott Library.
Unofficial historian shares stories of Swampscott’s past
By SANDI GOLDFARB
Although he now lives in Saugus, Louie Gallo’s heart remains in Swampscott.
“When I moved to Saugus in 1995, I had mailing labels printed with my new street address and Swampscott as my town,” he said.
Author James Hankins, outside of his Swampscott home. | Photo: Paula Muller
By RICH FAHEY
When it came time to lay down the law, James Hankins was happy to do it.
It proved to be a wise choice.
Now Hankins, a Swampscott resident, is a best-selling author who has a deal with a major publisher and a new novel — “The Inside Dark” — set to debut in July.
Dr. Ronald Plotka takes pride in his practice, North Shore Center for Family and Cosmetic Dentistry. He is holding the hand piece of the Solea laser that he uses to perform procedures painlessly without needing to inject Novocain.
Plotka’s taking the pain out of dentistry
By STACEY MARCUS
It was the family dinners in Atlantic City, N.J., watching his relatives’ dentures fall out, that inspired Dr. Ronald Plotka to devote his life to dentistry. Another motivating force was the memory of being an 11-year-old boy and accompanying his 40-year-old mother to the dentist and hearing him say, “Jeanette, you are 40 years old. It’s time for dentures.”
From left to right: Peter Barba on the bow of the The Tioga; the boat approaching Bermuda; Josh Antrim washes a coffee pot; crew members, from left, Josh Antrim, Tom Gutermuth, John Fulghum, Peter Barba, Philip Kersten and David Liscio mark their arrival on land with a flash of a HOOMPA bumper sticker; and, Philip Kersten aloft on the sail of his 44-foot sloop.
by DAVID LISCIO
WE WANTED TO GO TO BERMUDA.
No big deal. Friends said we could fly there from Boston in two hours. But that wasn’t what we had in mind.
By MEAGHAN CASEY
All eyes will be turned to Bermuda’s iconic Great Sound this spring for the 35th America’s Cup, where the world’s best sailors will battle for one of the oldest and most prestigious sporting trophies. Racing starts with the qualifiers on May 26 and the top challenger will meet defending champions — OracleTeam USA — in the final match presented by Louis Vuitton, beginning on June 17.