The passion that would become Beach Witch Bars was conceived in her small kitchen in Winthrop, MA during the months of the pandemic shutdown. Owner Lizzie Havoc and fiancé Justin were both bar managers in Boston, so the first few months left them with little to do. They used that unexpected time to produce a […]
Cellar Stories: Closing the book… store When it comes to finding unique used books, Cellar Stories is unmatched. As the largest used and rare bookstore in RI, the store’s 40 years of operation have carved out an important space for book collectors, the stop-by-once-per-year crowd, and everyone in between. In the shop, you’ll find around […]
RIPTA found the perfect fundraiser: “Caution: Bus Is Turning” T-shirts echo the loud warning that has become as iconic in RI as “Mind the Gap” in London. Priced at $25 from Frog & Toad, available at their Hope St PVD store and on the web – frogandtoadstore.com – sales benefit House of Hope to purchase […]
When Rhode Islanders think of a local game company, they think of Hasbro. But there are other Providence-based game companies that have ripened to international stature. That’s right, we are talking Bananagrams. “Bananagrams stemmed from my family’s passion for games,” said Rena Nathanson, CEO & Co-Inventor. “At the time we developed it, in the mid-2000s, […]
In 2001, Erin Piorek Schofield and Asher Schofield found some retail space on Hope Street in PVD which they made their own to pursue Erin’s dream of being an entrepreneur. They chose the name due to their childhood admiration for Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad books; the shop, they decided, should aim to mimic Lobel’s […]
Last year, my sister sent me two pairs of plastic gloves, two plastic face shields and a travel-sized container of Lysol wipes – was this a gag gift? My daughter and I most definitely laughed when we opened all this, wrapped, mind you, in lovely holiday paper. Truth was, my sister was concerned that I […]
It’s that time of year to get cooking, get traveling, and get shopping! And while lots of people can be easy to shop for, some prove more difficult. That person can often be the alcohol enthusiast, as the world of cocktails, wine, and beer get so big so fast! So what do you get for […]
Hartley’s Pork Pies is a Rhode Island secret treasure; “The Great British Baking Show” wishes they could make pork pies this perfect. Located in an unassuming building in Lincoln, they’re only open Wed through Sat from 7am (8am on Saturdays) until the pies run out. This could be early or could be late, so if […]
When Motif caught up with Jan Faust Dane, owner of Stock Culinary Goods on Hope Street in Providence, she didn’t jump to sell us on some of her top-of-the-line wares, like handmade Forge to Table Knives, Andiamo Presentation Boards crafted in Warren, or Michelle Phaneuf’s teeny bowls, which feature little Rhode Island motifs such as […]
Scott Turner’s brief articles in The Providence Journal always provided welcome glimpses of natural landscapes. Beauty in the Street – Nature Tales from the Neighborhood collects many of these, as well as other reminiscences of Turner’s life and its intersections with the natural world in Rhode Island, Seekonk, and the Bronx. It’s not a book that […]