Roost & Beehive on Boston.com

We love to see our friends recognized in the media!  Jamie and Kate, who own Roost, Beehive, and now Scrub, were featured on Boston.com this weekend.

Here's the scoop:

The economy is sputtering, but you wouldn't know it from the rising fortunes of a pair of North Shore entrepreneurs. Jamie Metsch and Kate Leavy -- recent North Carolina transplants-- have established themselves as a married force of nature in Salem, having launched no less than three wittily stocked home furnishing and gift shops in the city's burgeoning, post-witchy downtown. Among their shops: Roost and Beehive, two stores in Salem that are located side by side. (Your Town, June 5, 2011)

Thanks, again, Boston.com for recognizing some of Salem's excellent retailers! 

Poetry on Display at Roost

As I flip through the awesome schedule of poetic events during this weekend's Massachusetts Poetry Festival, the only exhibit featured in the book is the Poetry Dress, which is on display in the window at Roost on Front Street.

They have created a wonderful Poetry window, so stop by and check it out - and then check out the festival at Old Town Hall and beyond! 

Buy Poetry Festival Buttons in Salem!

Just 11 days remain until the Massachusetts Poetry Festival throws opens its doors in Salem!  We are so excited to be hosting the festival in Salem this year, and would love to be the festival's permanent home.

Workshops, readings and performances will be held at the Peabody Essex Museum, House of the Seven Gables, Green Land Cafe, Salem Athenaeum, Omen, and Universalist Church.  There will be poetry Trolleys, poetry Trains (via the MBTA Rockport/Newburyport lines, coming up from Boston), a small press fair, bad poetry, GREAT poetry, music, and more.  More than 60 poetic events are scheduled for Saturday, May 14th. If you dig poetry, this is a festival not to be missed. 

You need a button to get in, and once you have a button you have all-access, with exception of some workshops that require registration. Buttons cost $10, $5 for students and seniors, and are available online and in Salem at:

• Roost on Front Street
• Salemdipity on Pickering Wharf
• Salem Witch Museum
• Signatures on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall 
• The Trolley Depot on the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall 

If you buy your buttons in Salem, it's cash-only.  Visit MassPoetry.org to use your favorite credit or debit card.  Regardless of where or how your buy your button, make sure to register at MassPoetry.org so you don't miss a workshop, class, or session. 

Fun and Funky Birdhouses go to Auction at Roost

Roost has partnered with local artists of all ages to create a fun and funky birdhouse show in their store, that will become the Gimme Shelter Birdhouse Auction on Sunday, May 1st.  The auction is from 5:00 - 7:00 PM on Sunday, and a fun and festive mood will be set with live music and nibbles provided by 62 Restaurant.  All proceeds raised by the auction will benefit the Northeast Animal Shelter, which is one of New England's largest no-kill animal shelter.

I stopped by for a peak at the birdhouses yesterday, and they are very cool - ranging from whimsical to ecological to just plain funny.  If you still need a mother's day present, a birdhouse could fit the bill nicely!  (And if a birdhouse isn't up your mom's alley, there are plenty of other "urban-country-design" inspired gifts in Roost.) 

If you can not get to the auction on Sunday, stop by prior to 5pm and place a bid.  For more information, visit RoostSalem.com or call (978) 744-HOME.

This one wins my vote for cheeriest house.

I loved the mosaic quality of this house.

I'm not sure you can see it, but this bird house had a prior life as a wine bottle.

Salem Stores Raise the Roost!

 

Two of Salem’s community-minded stores, Roost and The Beehive, are hosting the city’s first Gimme Shelter Birdhouse Auction on May 1, 2011 at 5 p.m. The event will be held at the 40 Front Street location with all proceeds from the auction benefitting the Northeast Animal Shelter (NEAS).

Owners Kate Leavy and Jamie Metsch are teaming up with the NEAS on a project they have deemed to be a “shelter for shelter” fundraising event.“As owners of three former shelter dogs, we’re happy we can support a cause in our community to which we relate so closely,” said Leavy. “The Northeast Animal Shelter is so committed to these animals, and we’d like to show our appreciation.”

Earlier this year, Leavy and Metch sent out a message to mobilize local artists to design and build beautiful inspiring birdhouses for donation. The birdhouses could be functional or ornamental-- as long as they fit through the door. “We plan to showcase the birdhouses in our front window one week prior to the event,” said Metsch. “This is going to be a lot of fun for a great cause.”

Hors d’oeuvres will be provided by local Salem restaurant, 62 Restaurant and Wine Bar featuring well-recognized chef Antonio Bettencourt for all event guests.

The Northeast Animal Shelter provides safe shelter, food, and healthcare to rescue animals in the North Shore area.  The Northeast Animal Shelter is located in Salem, MA and is one of New England’s largest no-kill animal shelters. 

Roost and The Beehive are located in downtown Salem, MA at 40 Front St.  Roost features and original mix of art, furniture, gifts, accessories, lighting, jewelry, and bath products.  The Beehive, Roost’s sister store, is located at 38 Front St.  Both cater to local artisans and promote sustainability and the freedom of expression. 

Open House at Roost and Beehive on Monday!

Jamie & Kate at Roost and Beehive are excited about fall, and they want to share their excitement with you!
Stop by their Big Thanks Open House on Monday, September 27, 5-8pm. There will be light refreshments, store-wide discounts, and giveaways!

If you haven't visited Roost and Beehive (30-40 Front Street) yet, you're in for a treat. They offer a mix of vintage and modern gifts for home and human, and the funniest cards you’ve ever seen. (I'm a big fan of their magnets. And jewelry. And vases. And t-shirts.)

Check them out on Monday. Or any day! (They are open late, perfect for browsing prior to dinner at one of our stellar eating establishments on Washington Street!)

How Roost & Beehive Owner Kate Leavy Sees Salem

Last October a new retail show on Front Street arrived , and much to our shopping delight we had lots of new options for holiday shopping. That shop, Roost: Urban Country Design turned many shoppers into Roosters, inspiring owners Kate and Jamie to open a second shop, right next door.

The Beehive will celebrate its grand opening with a party on Monday, July 19th, 5pm - 9pm. The Beehive offers the sassier side of cards and gifts. The shop is filled with laugh-out-loud items that will make you call your friends over from the across the store (it's true, I've done it). Featuring cheeky greeting cards and coffee table books to slinky dogs and squirrel underpants, The Beehive is filled with gifts you've gotta get and give.

But wait, there's more! The Beehive is not only adjacent to Roost, but the two stores are attached inside. So, there will be drinks, eats, and store(s)-wide discounts! If you won't be around on the 19th, no need to wait. The stores are both open now.

We are going to start the celebration a week early on Salem.org by finding out how Roost and Beehive owner Kate Leavy sees Salem. Congrats and best wishes to Kate and Jamie on both stores.

Kate Leavy, Owner
Roost & The Beehive

Where are you from originally?
Born in Virginia, but call Portsmouth, NH home

How long have you lived in Salem?
1.5 years (we opened Roost 8 months ago)

Your Top Five:

1. Place to Eat: Sixty2 on Wharf
2. Place to Shop: (Other than Roost!) Two Girls Shop for clothing
3. Special Event: The Scooper Bowl
4. Museum or Attraction: PEM
5. Hidden Gem: Mahi Mahi Cruises

Describe Salem in ten words or less:
Fun, friendly and quirky with a very bright future.

What is the first thing you do with guests from out of town?
Grab a drink at the Shanty

* * *

If you want to shop, dine and explore like Kate, here are the links to all of the places she recommends:

SHOP
Two Girls Shop

DINE
Sixty2 on Wharf
The Lobster Shanty

EXPLORE
PEM
Mahi Mahi Cruises
The Scooper Bowl (On August 4, part of Salem Heritage Days)

To learn more about Roost and The Beehive, visit them online at roostsalem.com and salembeehive.com.

Roost Valentine's Day Sale

If you haven't checked out Roost at 40 Front Street in Salem yet, here's your next best excuse - they are having a pre-Valentine's Day party on January 28 from 5-8pm.
If you need further endorsement, check out the recent review of Roost that was on the NorthShore Reviews Blog. It's all good!

roost open house on Thursday

This just in from Jamie and Kate at roost:

"We had so much fun last month, we're doing it again. Stop by Thursday, Dec 17, between 6-9pm, for wine, cheese and special discounts . Be sure to enter your name for an incredible door prize...a silk-screened print of Aaron Foster's iconic license plate map."

roost is a new shop that specializes in "urban country design." They carry everything from jewelry (I love the bird pendants that are painted on maps) to vases (there is one that is reversable - fits a bud one way and a bunch the other) to books to soaps. It's one of the best-smelling stores in Salem. Really - you may want to stop by just to breath it in.

I love the Patron Saint sculptures that are on the wall by the door.

In these economic times, it's important to note that roost prices their products really well. Cool stuff with style and great pricing? Don't you wish you were there right now?!

Stop by roost on Thursday - or any day - at 40 Front Street in Salem, MA, and discover it for yourself.


PS: roost is in an awesome neighborhood, so make sure to swing around the corner and visit Treasures over Time, and Caffe Graziani. On Front Street you'll find great shops like J. Mode and Maria's Sweet Somethings. You can knock out quite a few holiday gifts in one square block of Salem!