Shopping Small in Beverly, Massachusetts

Small Business Saturday may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t “shop small” for the rest of the season. Have you ever considered a day of holiday browsing in Beverly, Massachusetts? Just 26 miles north of Boston, and across the bridge from Salem, this coastal city is buzzing with many new downtown shops and restaurants.

One of my favorite new shops on Cabot Street is Field House. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo Kate Leavy and Jamie Metsch, Field House is the couple’s latest Beverly venture. They opened a gift boutique, Roost & Company, in nearby Salem in 2009, then debuted a second location in Beverly in 2015. (Full disclosure: I’m more than just a fan. When I’m not day-tripping or writing pieces for NewEngland.com, you can find me working at the Beverly branch of Roost & Company. As a fan of the original Salem store, I jumped at the chance to join the Roost & Company small-business family.) Kate and Jamie enjoy being able to work for themselves, which helped inspire them to open their own small business. “Having spent our entire lives working in small, independent, family-owned business in downtown communities much like Beverly, and with Kate’s experience managing a boutique in Portsmouth (New Hampshire) for 20 years, Kate felt like we could do this on our own,” says Jamie, who agreed. They describe one of the benefits of shopping small as “feeling like you have discovered something” – a description I think fits perfectly.

While Roost & Company offers up an eclectic mix of everything from funky socks and greeting cards to log pillows and novelty books, Field House has a more modern collection of clean and simple gifts for the home. Together, they offer the perfect gift-giving combination. How can you go wrong with a snowball-fight kit paired with a succulent plant?

Roost & Company and Field House are right at home on Cabot Street, nestled among many other terrific small businesses. These include Cabot Street Books & Cards, Suburb Bohemia, the Art Exchange, the Salty Cottage, Art by Alyssa, Ward’s Florist, Barter Brother’s Florist, Browns of Beverly Bicycles, Gold Coast Gallery, Mingo Gallery, Plum Consignment, Mint Consignment, the Golden Hanger, Jackie’s Tees, and Centraal Cycle. There are also many restaurants and cafés that will keep you fed and caffeinated on your shopping trip (or provide a gift card option for the foodie friend or relative on your list). I recommend Gusto Café, Atomic Café, Flour(ish) Bake Shoppe, Cassis Bakery, Crave Café, Winfrey’s Fudge, and, for a growler or two, Gentile Brewery.

With Beverly’s popularity growing, Kate and Jamie consider the city a perfect fit. “Many of our customers (and friends) live in Beverly, so expanding across the bridge seemed natural. We love the vibe on Cabot Street: the small-town feel, restaurants and coffee shops, with a fresh, creative arts and music scene,” Jamie says. “So far, the response has been great.” So, with Christmas just around the corner, why not take a trip to downtown Beverly? You’re sure to be able to make a whole day of it.

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