By Kate Klinck
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
South End stores become environmentally conscious
By Kate Klinck
It’s a clothing boutique, but the shelves are full of skateboards and soda can tabs.
Fair trade artists in Brazil re-used the aluminum tabs by sewing them together to create an Escama Studio handbag. Another company, Beck(y), uses pieces of old, worn-out skateboards to construct small purses without straps, which are called clutches.
“We’ve always had an eye out for earth-friendly products,” said Storey Hieronymus Hauk, owner of Turtle, a boutique on Tremont Street. “If we have to choose between non-earth-friendly and earth-friendly, we’ll always choose earth-friendly.”
As more people desire to improve the environment, South End stores are increasingly catering to consumers’ demands by selling products such as the handbags at Turtle, t-shirts made from recycled cotton, and Levi’s jeans that have buttons and zippers made from recycled metal.Eve Belfer-Ahern, 33, a customer at Turtle, said she buys pieces from the Prairie Underground line sold at Turtle because their clothing is made in Seattle from re-used material.
“They’re a cottage industry too, which means people take materials home, sew it and get paid by the piece,” Ahern said. “I also won’t buy anything made in China. I like to buy things made in countries with good environmental laws.”
Parlor, a boutique on Washington Street, sells several clothing lines made from sustainable fibers, organic cotton, recycled or re-used materials, none of which are produced in sweat shops. One line created in 2005, Alternate Apparel, is a T-shirt line designed by shop owners Nilda Martin and Kelly Warner. It is made with recycled cotton and then the images are screened on the shirts by local artists.
Martin said she has seen the demand in the South End this year for environmentally friendly products.
“The South End is a cutting edge neighborhood,” she said. “These people are ahead of the curve—it’s cool and chic to be green. They care about the community and what is good for animals and people. It’s the ethic of the neighborhood.”
Organic cotton is one material used to make products sold in other South End stores such as Motley, a boutique on Tremont Street. For an item to be considered organic, it must be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture. To be certified, the product must meet standards that prove it was produced by using feed or fertilizer from plants or animals that has not been touched by chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics or pesticides.
Motley sells Levi’s Eco-Friendly jeans that are made with organic cotton, organic dyes, and zippers and buttons made from recycled metal. Doug Palardy, owner of Motley, said he decided to sell the jeans in May 2008.
“It seemed like a fun concept,” Palardy said. “And everyone was talking eco, green, earth-friendly this past year, so why not.”
One thing Palardy refuses to sell is bamboo products.
“The process to turn bamboo into weave-able fibers is highly toxic,” he said. “The chemicals used to break down the bamboo are horrible for the environment and groundwater. People forget that cotton is renewable, just as trees are, and just because bamboo grows fast, doesn't mean it the friendly replacement for other materials and fibers.”
James Lionette, owner of Lionette’s Market on Tremont Street, said not all of his products are organically certified, but they are all clean and sustainable.
“Not adulterated, no messing around, no ridiculous use of pesticides, no factories,” Lionette said. “Clean is a much healthier word. Organic is just a marketing term for Wal-Mart and Whole Foods.”
Latino immigrants use cultural arts to maintain diversity
By Kate Klinck
When people think of the South End, they often think of upscale restaurants and luxury housing. The people at the
“There’s such a stigma,” said Javier Torres, the director of the center for Latino arts, “We’re two streets away, but they [neighborhood residents] automatically think they wouldn’t want to come here. The community is very gentrified and segregated.”
As new upscale restaurants, boutiques and luxury housing units are constructed in the South End, non-profits and boutiques in the area maintain diversity by promoting the influence of Latin immigrants though centers for Latino arts, and the importing of products from places such as
The
“Our primary mission is to have artistic opportunities for residents to enjoy,” Torres said. “We also want to instill in new generations ethnic pride. They need to see whose shoulders we stand on and where we come from to understand where we’re going.”
Another place that is displaying the Latin Influence in the South End is Diseno, a boutique on
“He opened the store because he thought that there was a market for his products in the South End,” said Melissa Rousseau, a friend of Campanale’s, who watches the store when he travels to
On Nov. 12, the non-profit has scheduled Necktie, a gala fundraiser that will include a silent auction and free food from several South End restaurants. The money will be put toward improving open space on
Alison Tomisato, the director of events and marketing at Rocca, said that the restaurant participated in the fundraiser because it would promote the making of a dynamic neighborhood.
“The neighborhood is changing for the better,” Tomisato said. “It is a diverse patchwork that is residential, artistic, and it is always growing.”
Alyssa Shepherd, a manager at Toro, said the restaurant wanted to help the non-profit raise money because it is part of the community.
“I don’t think the construction is making [the South End] it more diverse,” Shepherd said. “There is a lot of high-income housing now, but some areas are still diverse.”
Economic crisis does not hold back South End restaurants
By Kate Klinck
He knew the economy was in a major slump, but he also knew he had all the ingredients for a personal bailout plan.
When Malcolm Aalders opened the restaurant Circle: Plates and Lounge last month, he did not hesitate when the economy worsened.
“For me, it was a drive to push to make sure everything I make is of the best quality as possible,” Aalders said. “Even if people only go out once every two weeks, I want them to come here because it’s affordable dining. It’s the same caliber as what most people get who spend $50 a plate.”
As the slowing economy forces some city restaurants to close, several have recently opened in the South End, such as Circle: Plates and Lounge, the Savant Project and Sage. The new businesses are finding ways to survive, despite difficulties such as rising costs of staple products such as flour and fewer customers who are more likely to order a drink at the bar than a three-course meal.
Peter Holm, the general 
manager of Sage Restaurant, which recently moved from the North End to the South End, said they have made some changes to the menu because people want to spend less.
“We expanded the menu to do half pastas, and stuzzi, an Italian version of Tapas,” Holm said. “People can order three or four to share.”
Holm also said the price for commodity items such as flour are also rising.
“Funny, where high end places used to give you a bread basket, they are less inclined to do that now,” he said.
The Boston Restaurant Group’s sales are down 25 percent, said Charlie Perkins, the owner of the real estate agency.
Currently, approximately 25 restaurants are for sale through the Group. Perkins predicts he will sell about 35 restaurants this year, where as last year he sold 45.
The Savant Project opened 15 months ago in the South End. Benny Kraines, owner of the restaurant, said business for them has not suffered tremendously.
“September was a little weird with the financial crisis and no one going out, but that passed,” Kraines said. “We didn’t change anything directly through that, but we had a few financial crisis specials on the menu to capitalize.”
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association, a non-profit dedicated to helping the food and beverage industry, has not seen a drop off in members.
“We’re actually adding members,” said Nick Spidalieri, the director of membership services at the association.
“We provide information to folks about health insurance and cheap services for gas and electric. We try to help them save money in whatever way
possible.”
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