Monday, March 12, 2012
North Reading business offers grooming, day care, and pick-up and drop-off service.
By 3:30 Thursday afternoon, Annette Keighley and Barry Hastie’s last three charges were tired. Tito, Lily and Pippa laid quietly in their play area. Soon they’d be taking the “bus” home. No barking. Barking? Keighley and Hastie co-own Friendly Paws, a six-month-old business on Main Street in North Reading that caters to pets and their owners. They bathe and groom dogs, primarily, but also cats and other animals and provide day care for dogs – and transportation between their homes and Friendly Paws. The unique part of their business, they said, is their pick-up and drop-off service. Hastie holds a commercial driver’s license to ferry clients in a large van. Both Keighley, who grew up in North Reading, and Hastie, from Woburn, have dogs of …
Monday, March 5, 2012
According to the Warren Group, foreclosure activity has increased dramatically across the state.
Foreclosure petitions followed the same trend in Reading during the opening month of 2012 as they did for much of the state, as four petitions for foreclosure were started in town this past January, compared with zero in the first month of 2011, according to the latest data from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. The Bay State witnessed a slew of foreclosure activity in January, posting double-digit increases in both starts and completed foreclosures. Representing the first step in the foreclosure process, foreclosure petitions rose a whopping 68 percent—rising from 793 in January, 2011, to 1,333 this year. Petition filings fell in all but two months during 2011. According to The Warren Group, foreclosure activity was slow …
Homes prices in Reading are rising, even while the statewide average continues to fall.
The first month of 2012 saw the same number of single-family homes in Reading come off the market as the year previously, with a total of 13 sales, according to data from the Warren Group. But buyers paid nearly 25 percent more for them this past January, according to year-over-year comparison, which shows a spike in the median sale price of 24.83 percent. The average price of a home in Reading rose to $519,900 in January, up from $416,500 in 2011. Both these numbers stand in defiance of statewide trends, which show a rise of over 3 percent in single-family home sales, and a drop in median price of almost 4 percent. A total of 2,348 single-family homes throughout the Commonwealth exchanged owners in January, 2011, compared to 2,425 in …
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Last week, hundreds of Patch readers weighed in on their favorite sandwich joints - here are the hot spots that came out on top.
Patch readers throughout the greater Boston area weighed in on their favorite local sandwiches. After five days of voting, here are our winners:
42.422765
-71.080387
The Big A
282 Highland Ave, Malden, MA
/articles/best-places-in-boston-for-sandwiches
788651
/locations/6684915
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Long a staple of Reading's downtown, The Hitching Post Gift Shop turns 50 this year.
There were many events that made the year 1962 a notable one. From the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela in South Africa, the U.S. affirming its commitment to remain in Vietnam until the Viet Cong were defeated or the discovery of Soviet missile bases in Cuba that touched off the Cuban Missile Crisis. John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature and basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game. Closer to home, 1962 was notable because downtown Reading business The Hitching Post first opened its doors. Fast forward 50 years, and the pleasant, quaint little gift shop is still going strong. Originally located behind the current CVS on Main Street, the shop moved into its present digs—the ground floor of the M.F. …
Reading Planning Department to implement South Main Street Design Best Practices.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The following is a press release from the Community Planning and Development Commission The Reading Community and Development Commission (CPDC) will hold a public hearing on the adoption of the South Main Street Design Best Practices—a guidance tool for development along the South Main Street corridor. South Main Street is a highly visible corridor into Reading comprised of the area from the Railroad Tracks to the Stoneham line. This highly traveled corridor has a varied commercial mix dotted with some residential uses. There are many attractive uses along South Main Street as well as property that has been or will be redeveloped which is promising. However, there are sites that are in need of upgrading and improving their curb appeal. A …
Monday, February 27, 2012
Reading Municipal Light Department Board of Commissioners member Phil Pacino offers his take on where this issue should go from here.
- OPINION
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Monday, February 27, 2012
I am Phil Pacino. I am the senior member of the Reading Municipal Light Department’s Board of Commissioners. The voters of the Town of Reading have allowed me the privilege of serving on the Commission for 25 years. During that the period I have seen many issues come before the Commission. I am one of the architects of the 20 year agreement that settled the RMLD’s dispute with the outside towns in the late 80s. It is a testament to the design of that agreement that it has and continues to function successfully for over 20 years. The present issue before the Commission is what to do with the Renewable Energy Certificates (“RECs”). The issue is whether to sell the RECs or to retire them. There has been much explanation and discussion of what…
Owner of The Beauty Loft and resident Cheryl Fay looks to carve a place in Reading's salon scene.
- BUSINESS
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Monday, February 27, 2012
The Following is a press release issued by The Beauty Loft Looking to bring out your inner beauty? Look no further than Reading's newest spa—The Beauty Loft. Owner Cheryl Fay, a Reading resident, has opened a dynamic new business specializing in state of the art spa services, make up applications, tanning, hair styling and glamour photography, all in a beautiful and sleek studio designed to make you look and feel special. As an esthetician with over 15 years of experience, Cheryl has worked with many of the area's leading beauty professionals, and after honing her skills, she decided the time was ripe to branch out onto her own and create a spa that would bring together her passions—beauty, styling, esthetic services and photography. "…
Friday, February 24, 2012
Five things to do in Boston this weekend.
(All events are within walking distance of Orange Line stops on the MBTA.) 1.) CLASSICAL MUSIC: The Boston Philharmonic plays Jordan Hall on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25-$90. Take the commuter rail from Reading Depot to North Station. Take the Orange Line to Mass. Ave. Station and then walk 5 minutes to Jordan Hall. 2.) WINTER MARKET: The SOWA Winter Farmers' Market is held on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You’ll find grassfed meats, cheese, root vegetables, greenhouse fare, farm fresh eggs, seeds & starter plants, artisan breads & baked goods, jams & preserves, grains & oils, and much more, all under one roof at 485 Harrison Ave in the South End of Boston. Take the commuter rail fromReading Depot to North Station. Take the Orange …
A brand new weekly feature that lets readers choose the best of Reading.
- OPINION
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Friday, February 24, 2012
Starting on Monday, we'll have a new feature on Reading Patch called the "Best Of," which asks our readers to tell us who makes the best frozen treats, sandwiches or where the best date night location is in town. Patch's "Best Of" series focuses on a different area of business each week, as we're looking to help Readingites get the best service, deals and meals in Reading only. On Monday mornings, a new topic will be posted to vote on. Vote in our polls, leave comments why you enjoy a particular establishment or business, while also posting a review of a local business. We'll compile votes, comments and relevant directory listing reviews throughout the week, until Friday at 9 a.m. Because our poll is not scientific, it is not the sole …
Kevin M Sexton
3:09 pm on Monday, March 5, 2012
Donnie B., Here are the numbers I have: January 2011: $445,091 January 2012: $495,223 It's good to note that if the only homes to close in January 2012 were all above $1Million (which it wasn't), than that's what would show up as the average price and vice versa if the only homes to sell were in the $200K range. So you are correct in that it's not an accurate look at what home prices have done … more ›