Inside Malden Archives - Neighborhood View

Malden Warming Center opens its seventh season with volunteers ready to serve

January 7, 2025 NeighborhoodView 1

By Lindsay Perdue Community members gathered at the Malden Warming Center to ring in the Yuletide spirit, with Maplewood Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Malden attendees dropping off presents for each guest. Clients at the Center received stockings with personalized notes and goodies. “For Christmas Day, in addition to the 15 regular volunteer spots we need every day for morning, evening, and overnight service, we had another 9 volunteers come in to keep the Center open all day,” said volunteer coordinator Caroline Gaudet. Now in its seventh season, the Malden Warming Center opened on Dec. 1 with volunteers ready to serve, just in time for the first blast of cold weather in December. Located on busy Eastern Avenue inside Malden’s First Church of the Nazarene, the center is dedicated to providing shelter and warmth overnight to those who need it during the winter months. “I just feel like giving back to our community and I can’t think of a better way,” said Dave Allen who is starting his third season as a volunteer. […]

Historic Ferry Street building in danger of being demolished has ties to one of the first Malden daycare facilities

December 18, 2024 NeighborhoodView 0

By Maria Membreno For the past 100 years, it has been used as offices for lawyers, for the Tri-City Mental Health and Retardation Association, and for the Industrial Aid Society which, as far back as 1894, ran a day nursery for working factory women. Now, the historic M. Ida Converse building stands vacant on 15 Ferry Street and is in danger of being demolished. The developer who owns the building, and the vacant lot next to it, wants the building removed so he can build a 7-story commercial/residential structure on the two lots, but some city officials and residents are still hopeful the building can be saved, perhaps by moving it to another nearby location. “We want to make sure that we preserve this site and this building wherever it is in order to be able to teach the next generation not only about Malden history but about the importance of philanthropy in our community, as a way to move forward that people give back to their community,” Malden Public Library Director Dora St. Martin […]

Malden’s first Haunted Woods event was a spooky success

November 20, 2024 NeighborhoodView 1

By Emily Champagne There were more tricks than treats at Malden’s first Haunted Woods event. Organized by Ward 5’s City Councillor Ari Taylor, the event attracted Malden families and residents alike who wanted to revel in the spirit of the spooky season. The October 26 event was inspired by “Spooky World,” a haunted amusement park Taylor remembers visiting when she was younger. She wanted to bring a similar captivating experience to Malden. While the event was hosted for people of all ages, Taylor wanted this to be the first of many Halloween events catering especially to teenagers and adults. “The event was geared towards an older audience because it was something that Malden hadn’t really seen,” Taylor said. The event occurred at Pine Banks Park, a 20-minute walk from Malden Center, which was decked out with cobwebs, “beware” signs, and an inflatable ghost at the entrance. Ghoulish “tour guides” led small groups of 10 through the twists and turns of a small forest where participants met zombies, vampires, and witches. All supernatural creatures, including the […]

Coffee for a Community: Choices abound in Malden Center

April 8, 2022 Nikita Sampath 1

By Nikita Sampath In Malden, there is a cup of coffee for everybody. The city’s downtown has five spots to grab a cuppa joe, all within a short walk of one another. Each spot tells a story about the people who live here. Tous Le Jour Right across from the Malden Station on Commercial Street is Tous le Jour, a spot that offers French-style bread and pastry with Asian inspired flavors. It’s the only place in Malden where you can get a kimchee-filled croquette and a taro latte. Owner Dennis Diao was a longtime resident of Malden when he first came to the United States from China for a program at Northeastern University. Despite moving away from the city, he chose to open a branch of Tous le Jour in the J Malden luxury apartment complex in June, 2021. “Malden is a city with potential. Everybody who lives in J Malden and everyone who takes the T is a customer,” he says. Tous le Jour allows for customers to grab a quick bite or spend extended […]

screenshot of Women Making a Difference opening slide during event

Zonta Club of Malden Recognizes Female Activists in Annual Ceremony

April 9, 2021 Anne Bennett 0

By Annie Bennett Five Malden activists whose advocacy covers issues as varied as the environment, girls education, child marriage, anti-Asian bias, and the arts were honored March 25 by the Zonta Club of Malden as part of the annual “Women Making a Difference” event. “Every day there are women in our community that are doing amazing things,” said Ari Taylor, Zonta Malden’s Recording Secretary and Chair of the Finance Committee. “Little (and) big things that you don’t even realize advance the status of women… and this event is to honor them, these everyday heroes.” The “Women Making A Difference” event, traditionally held during Women’s History Month in March, honors those who are pushing forward Zonta International’s mission within Malden, which includes “empowering women through service and advocacy.” This year’s honorees were Naomi Brave, Lisa Cenca, Kay Kahn, Marcia Menong, and Mei Hung. Last year’s event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this year’s event was held virtually. The goal of “Women Making a Difference” is to inspire others, Taylor said. Members of Zonta […]

Malden Pops Up: A Festive Shopping Experience Brings Sparkle Downtown

October 31, 2017 shrier58 1

By Robin Inman Do you dread holiday shopping? Do you have trouble finding a special gift amid the mass market clutter? Malden Pops Up is coming to the rescue. Malden Pops Up is a temporary gallery gift shop featuring unique wares by local artisans. It will spring to life on Nov. 16 in an empty storefront at 480 Main St., Malden, and run through Dec. 24. Even your fussy sister will be mesmerized by the selection of paintings, jewelry, photography, textiles, ceramics, glass, carved wood, sculpture, CDs, cards and books. The experience will be enriched by musical and spoken word performances, presentations and special receptions. New this year will be a children’s art corner, where young artists can sell their work and sit down to create things while Mom or Dad enjoy shopping. Malden Pops Up is spearheaded by Ose Schwab, the principal of Malden Creates, LLC, which is “a small business that partners with local groups, businesses, and individuals to initiate arts and culture opportunities that nourish Malden economically and socially.” The inaugural Malden […]

“Inside Malden” interviews Interim Superintendent of Malden Public Schools, Dr. Charles Grandson IV

February 6, 2017 Ose Schwab 0

Driven by a desire to give back and to offer educational opportunities to young urban learners, Dr. Charles Grandson IV, Interim Superintendent of the Malden Public Schools, reflects on his journey with education. He says his success is a “testament to what is happening every day in the public school systems across the nation.” In his case, though he had trouble and at one point could not read, his teachers did not dismiss him but did what they had to do to help him become what he is today. Though Grandson never imagined he would be a superintendent or principal, he says he has always had a bit of a teacher within. This inclination was nurtured by important learning encounters that would shape his future. His mother, a single parent, arranged for Grandson to be schooled away from the crime close to home. In a school district closer to Georgetown, Grandson experienced a “different” kind of education than he would have had in his own neighborhood on the South East side of Washington D.C. Throughout […]

“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 […]

“Inside Malden” interviews executive director Mei Hung

June 7, 2016 Ose Schwab 0

The power of cultural diversity to unite and intrigue is something Mei Hung has spent a lifetime pondering. Raised in rural Taiwan, she arrived in the United States because of a voracious appetite to learn about the world. Over the years, this hunger that she describes as “like wanting to swallow the entire dictionary in one gulp,” has inspired her work as executive director of the Chinese Culture Connection. The Chinese Culture Connection, an important presence in Malden for the growing Chinese-speaking community, offers experiential programming that includes mentorship, performances, East-Meets-West lectures and dialogues. And yet, more than bridging East to West and West to East, Mei’s mission is to invite all of Malden to join a parade of humanity, sharing culture along the way. For though the differences may pose challenges of communication, tradition, and perspective, the presence of differences, combined with a spirit of curiosity and exchange, builds community that is based on the universal questions surrounding what it means to be human. From a small office on the fourth floor of the […]

“Inside Malden” interviews musician Peter Moore

May 7, 2016 Ose Schwab 0

When asked what a song about Malden would be, singer songwriter, producer, performer Peter Moore gave the perfect answer, “It depends on who asks for it.” Peter Moore is as versatile, creative, edgy, and adaptive as artists get… able to bend styles, experiment with sound, inject quirks, and apply variety to the need. He intrigues listeners whether singing on stage with Blue Man Group or performing with his current rock band Count Zero, producing a kickstarter-funded rock opera, Heterotopia, writing songs that were picked up by video games such as Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero, or songs like Hire a Bird that rail against the destruction of the earth and reach the Top 500 Songs of All Time on Boston radio station WFNX. There is no doubt, Peter Moore could provide a number of songs for Malden in styles to suit our colorful demographic makeup and sensibilities. His voracious creativity and addiction to keeping himself and the audience curious and intrigued is what keeps him out of any one category. Yes, he writes pop […]