Everything has a history
Recently I walked into John Hill’s Second Treasures antique store in Oak Bluffs on a whim. Poking around flea markets and antique shops is one of my favorite pastimes. I get lost looking at...
Kin at the core
What makes the Edgartown-based gallery and boutique Kin different from other businesses around town? Lisa Brown, who owns and operates the shop along with her niece Gareth Brown, says what makes Kin unique is...
Perfect presents
Running 10 am to 5 pm daily through Christmas Eve, Gayle Gardens in West Tisbury, formerly the site of Heather Gardens, is hosting an Island Made Holiday Shop. More than 20 Island makers are...
Games galore
Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas without a game or two. Party games, board games, card games —they all make the holidays a little more fun. There is something special about a brand-new, fresh-out-of-the-wrapper...
Homemade for the holidays
Skip shopping online or in big box stores this holiday season. Does Uncle Frank really need another pair of socks from Target? And doesn’t Cousin Toni already have a drawer full of gift certificates?...
Nonprofit Notebook: Meals on Wheels
Powered by a trusted volunteer workforce, the Meals on Wheels network delivers more than 251 million meals each year to 2.2 million older Americans. Last year, on Martha’s Vineyard, 60 volunteer drivers (with 40...
A joyful Jubilee
The latest business to arrive on Circuit Ave. is more than just a place to shop for beautiful and unique gifts. Owner Kahina Van Dyke hopes visitors to her new shop, Jubilee, will also...
Nonprofit Notebook: The early years
There are 22 state-licensed early childcare programs on Martha’s Vineyard. Twelve are home-based, and 10 are center-based. All have different pedagogical approaches. All are excellent, serving the needs of our young Island children. And...
Spotlight on Bowen’s Arrow Gift Shop
Stepping into Bowen’s Arrow, it’s nearly impossible not to get something — or a number of things — for yourself. Located at the top of the Gay Head Cliffs, the gift shop, owned by...
Nonprofit Notebook: Kinship Heals
Here on Martha’s Vineyard, we are comfortable talking about and celebrating certain aspects of our history and present reality, but we rarely talk about our historical and present violence.
The Aquinnah Wampanoag people have been...
Buying Local: Edgartown Village Market
It is indeed a village that brought the Edgartown Village Market on the lower lawn at the Dr. Daniel Fisher House to fruition. This new Tuesday venture was the combined effort of Erin Ready,...
All the colors of the rainbow
“I believe that within every woman, every human, lies a spark of magic. I handcraft my jewelry to empower and help them embrace their authentic self. I want to help them radiate confidence from...
Nonprofit Notebook: Age in action
How do you age with grace? This is the question facing one in three Martha’s Vineyard full-time residents, who are more than 65 years of age. As most of us know, age is a...
Nonprofit Notebook: Felix Neck
A few years ago, I tried to organize a beach cleanup with my sister Erin and her fellow VIP (Vineyard Independence Partnership) members. For those who don’t know, Martha’s Vineyard’s VIP program is a...
Community creations
During the holidays, walking into Martha’s Vineyard Made’s retail shop in Vineyard Haven is like entering a fantasy of Santa’s workshop … but one where every alluring item was created by a local artist...
Mindful merry
The World Market Holiday Shop has transformed the old Capawock movie theater in Vineyard Haven into a wonderland of sparkling color and light. The dark theater is a magical environment teeming with an endless...
Seasonal shopping
Edgartown provides the perfect setting for an old-fashioned Christmas with its special weekend event lineup, Dec. 8 to 11. Colonial homes, historic churches, quaint shops, and an idyllic town hall give the downtown area...
Island treasures
Martha’s Vineyard has always been known as a place to create — jewelry, hand-sewn clothing, beautiful art, and much more. Each year around the holiday season, a number of events showcase the immense creative...
Give the gift of experiences
The past few years, we have kept to ourselves, ordered a few too many things off Amazon, and spent some more-than-desired quality time with ourselves in our homes. For most of us, the pandemic...
From their house to yours
With dozens of individual artists and artisans offering their wares, the Vineyard Artisans Festival is the destination for those seeking unique, Island-made gifts for the holidays. The Artisans Festival will wrap up its year...