Year: 2016

Featured

Charles Ro Supply Company

December 28, 2016 escorsello 0

Where in Malden have Neil Young, Frank Sinatra, members of the Red Sox, Patriots and former Bruins players all done their shopping? The answer is Charles Ro! The Charles Ro Supply Company is the largest Lionel train store in the United States. Located at 662 Cross St. in Malden since 1989 and clearly visible from Route 60, the one-block-long, three-story building consists of 50,000 square feet of retail and mail order operations for the Charles Ro Supply Company, and a manufacturing plant for their own USA Train line, according to the Charles Ro website. Forty-four years ago Charles Ro, a train hobbyist, began selling used trains out of a glass case in his hair salon. It was one of four salons that he and his wife, both hair stylists, owned in Everett, MA. Orders were taken from a wall phone, “handwritten, packed and weighed on a bathroom scale.” In 1980, Charles Ro, Jr. joined his father to help as the business expanded and they moved into an old A&P supermarket at 347A Pleasant Street in […]

Arts

Pop-up store expands hours till Christmas

December 21, 2016 annedr 0

Have you been to Malden’s Pop-up Artist Marketplace? If not, be sure not to miss out on seeing a remarkable collection of artwork and crafts from over 52 artists displayed in an artfully designed retail space, which literally “popped up” on December 9th! The pop-up marketplace at 480 Main Street in Malden will be open December 21 – 23 (Thursday – Friday) from noon – 8pm and Saturday, December 24 from noon – 5pm. Many of the participating artists will be present at the store on Thursday, from 6 – 8pm for a public reception. The store holds handmade and artistic treasures for sale that include woodworking, pottery, paintings, jewelry, clothing, CDs, books, candles, cards and many other items, all from local artists and crafters from Malden and beyond. Items run from very high end to very affordable. The pop-up store has become not only the place to shop for gifts and special items for sale, but a place to mingle with other people who are interested in art and creativity. Performances for local artists […]

Arts

Malden “Pops Up” for the Holidays

November 29, 2016 captainfuture 0

There’s a new pop-up shop opening for the holidays—Malden’s own “Local Artist Marketplace” featuring handmade crafts, artwork and artisan specialties. The initiative is called “Malden Pops Up!” and the community-based organizers extend an invitation to their grand opening on December 9, 2016 at 480 Main Street. The storefront is in a high traffic area, just around the corner from the Malden Public Library. This remarkably collaborative effort involved citizen artists and city officials working with the owner/developer of 480 Main Street to support the local arts community and make this creative activity possible. According to Ose Schwab, “Chief Instigator” of Malden Creates, LLC, one of the team’s organizers, the plan was a grassroots initiative. “It began with an email from local artist Lisa Sears, who saw a clipping in the Observer about the empty commercial space at 480 Main. She shared it with her artist friends and suggested how nice it would be to have an art center or gallery there.” The idea resonated with other arts activists and was floated to Ryan O’Malley, City […]

Arts

Malden Reads 2017 Book Pick is “A Man Called Ove”

November 4, 2016 annedr 0

“The city that opens the same book closes it in greater harmony.” – Mary McGrory, American journalist With this quote at the center of its philosophy, Malden Reads is pleased to announce the 2017 selection for the popular “One City, One Book” program: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Ove is a curmudgeon of the highest order. He believes in order, rules, and principles. To say that he is set in his ways would be a gross understatement. As the story opens, Ove is fifty- nine years old, forcefully retired, bitter, alone and unsure how to fill his days. More than anything, Ove longs to leave this life of “posers” and rule breakers and to be reunited with his beloved and deceased wife Sonja. Behind the cranky exterior there is a story that gives meaning to his sadness. And when a young couple with two young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a funny and heartwarming tale of unexpected friendship, seeing beyond the obvious exteriors […]

Video

TV SHOW: “What’s New? Malden” for the holidays

November 2, 2016 neighbormedia 0

In this special holiday edition of Neighborhood View’s What’s New? Malden. Chat with Richard Matos-Haile and Aiesha Washington from ABCD or Action for Boston Community Development. Go behind the scenes of MATV’s annual meeting and revisit some of our favorite segments from the past year highlighting Malden’s growing foodie scene. Co-hosts Sharon Fillyaw and Sam Baltrusis from MATV’s Neighborhood View wish you a happy and safe holiday season. The monthly program airs 6:30 p.m. Fridays, Noon Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays on MATV’s Channel 3 on Comcast, 28 (Verizon). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBjfvwjhTEM

Featured

ABCD unleashes fuel assistance program

November 2, 2016 neighbormedia 0

The New England region forecast for winter predicts icy temperatures and continuous snow storms, unlike last year’s mild weather. Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) urges thousands of working families, elders and other residents struggling to make ends meet to sign up immediately for fuel assistance. On Tuesday, November 1, ABCD covering Boston, Brookline, Newton and the greater Mystic Valley area (Malden, Medford, Everett, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester and Woburn) will initiate its seasonal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Last year over 26,000 households received ABCD Fuel Assistance. Once again program officials encourage all those who may qualify for fuel assistance to apply before freezing temperatures set in. As the cost of living escalates – including housing, food, and other utilities – families are barely getting by. In fact, too many are falling behind and into debt. Assistance with winter heating bills is vital to keep homes warm, families comfortable, and away from the plights of homelessness, risk of hypothermia, and hospitalization. “Poverty statistics show continuing high numbers of the poor in Massachusetts and the […]

Arts

Artist Youngsheen Jhe unveils the “Truth of Life” at MATV

October 21, 2016 neighbormedia 0

Boston-based artist Youngsheen Jhe is intrigued by mannequins. These lifeless figures are juxtaposed with the daily life of real humans in nearly every painting featured in this exhibit. Jhe, a South Korean native, says, “My work derives in part from my first experience as a foreigner in the United States.” The mixing of inanimate models with the modern life of people reveals insights into the human condition on a number of levels. The artist adds, “I have a strong desire to describe the unfiltered story of everyday humans.” In exploring her subject matter, it’s the similarities between these two forms that often appear, both haunting and ironic, or at times, peaceful and contemplative. Jhe’s paintings have been widely exhibited in the Boston area and New York City. The MATV Gallery at Malden’s Media Center is pleased to display the stirring art of Youngsheen Jhe in the exhibit “Truth of Life” through November 4.

Inside Malden

“Inside Malden” features Idle Hands on Commercial Street

October 20, 2016 neighbormedia 0

A real husband and wife team, Chris and Grace Tkach pool their experience and sensibilities as founders and owners of Idle Hands Craft Ales. Their story speaks to the power of doing what you love and infusing business with collegial and caring practices. Like a community center, which just happens to offer amazing craft brews, the Idle Hands microbrewery that Chris and Grace began in Everett in 2010, now stands at 89 Commercial Street in Malden. And it bubbles — with connection, conversation, and great beer. There’s no TV, but there is a room full of communal tables and cards to prompt discussions if you’re shy. Yoga classes, beerunch, 5k runs, and a coming Oktoberfest are also offered as opportunities to gather and meet others in Malden. The beer, made in true artisanal fashion to produce a range of flavorful Belgian and American styles, offers hints of lemon, or orange, chocolate, or even sweet potato.  These beers are brewed with just enough experimentation to keep things interesting, but are first and foremost created for the […]

Arts

THE BAD ROOM: Residential hauntings in Malden and Somerville

October 19, 2016 neighbormedia 0

As the author of seven historical-based ghost books including “13 Most Haunted Crime Scenes Beyond Boston,” I hear all sorts of stories about alleged hauntings throughout New England. One of my readers, Michael Marciello, reached out to me about a haunting from his childhood home in Malden. As a kid, he called the off-limits haunted bedroom “the bad room.” I got chills as he recounted tales of his father being pinned to the bed by an unseen force and sounds—he later described as evil and potentially demonic—echoing from a room that was unoccupied … at least by the living. His mother ended up putting a lock on the bedroom’s door so he and his siblings would stay away from the paranormally active first-floor room.”It was always so cold,” he said, recalling the inexplicable temperature fluctuations in the bad room. “We thought it was an animal,” he said, claiming that he would smell sulphur which is an indication of an evil entity. When I posted Marciello’s account on social media, sociologist Michelle Willms talked about her […]