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City gives $25K for store fix-ups

By Paul Leighton
staff writer
Published: November 3, 2008

BEVERLY — Five downtown businesses will be getting a facelift with the help of $25,000 from the city.

Beverly Main Streets has announced that Chianti Restaurant, Todd's Sporting Goods, Ward's Florist, CCI Reprographics and A New Leaf/Cassis Bakery have each been awarded a $5,000 grant through the organization's facade improvement program.

The grants must be matched by $5,000 from each business, so the improvements will be worth at least $10,000 each, according to Main Streets, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the improvement of the downtown area. The city's share of the money comes from the Beverly Community Development Office.

Work should begin this fall or early winter and the businesses have approximately nine months to complete the approved projects, according to Main Streets.

The improvements include:

Chianti Restaurant: new facade extending the length of the building, including the former liquor store next door.

Todd's Sporting Goods: new awning, windows, sign and lighting.

Ward's Florist: new windows, paint and a new entryway to the building on the corner of Stone and Cabot streets.

CCI Reprographics: replacement of rotting facade elements, painting and new sign.

A New Leaf/Cassis Bakery: New awning for both storefronts, new signs.

Main Streets also provided free design assistance to Todd's Sporting Goods by Thad Siemasko of Siemasko & Verbridge Architects; to Chianti by Joe Zelloe of Zelloe & Weaver Architects; and to A New Leaf by architect William Frangos.

Members of the Beverly Main Streets Design Committee are chairwoman Mirandi Gooding; Main Streets Executive Director Gin Wallace; Assistant City Planner Kate Newhall; architects Thad Siemasko, Joe Zelloe and William Frangos; resident Martha Sutyak; Carroll's Florist owner Pamela Sherry Landess; Custom Medicine owner Mary Beckman; Director of Oceanview at Ellis Square Steve Galante; and Paul Germano of Beverly National Bank.