SalemNews.com, Salem, MA--Business

Blowing a fuse over light bulb problems

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:05:00 EST

Q: My husband and I were very disappointed with your answer to burned-out bulbs in cars.
Our 2007 Toyota Corolla had a burned-out headlight after only 13 months. A few months later a friend driving behind us related that a brake light was out.

Business Briefcase

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:15:00 EST

Milestones
Winners of the Doors of Topsfield contest in the business category were: fist, Fresh Look Designs/Tom Capano, 140 Ipswich Road; second, Vernon A. Martin Realtors, 5 Main St.; third, Beverly National Bank, 15 Main St.

Ethanol in gasoline may lower mileage slightly

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:06:00 EST

Q: I have questions about ethanol on the North Shore. What percent of ethanol do we get in our gasoline? Is it the same for all brands? Does it vary by octane grade? Does the percent vary from time to time? Are EPA ratings of mileage done with 100 percent gasoline? In racing machines, mileage with ethanol is much worse than with gasoline. Does 10 to 15 percent ethanol substantially reduce everyday mileage?

Q&A: The business of talking at long distance

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:06:00 EST

SWAMPSCOTT — David Downs of Swampscott is president of Roberts-Rent-A-Phone, an Internet company that provides cell phones for travelers. He's been in business for roughly a dozen years. He chatted with The Salem News recently about his business.

Sew-at-home mom creates a bustling business in aprons

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

SWAMPSCOTT — When Lynne Rutkowski was tapped to sew a staggering 48 matching costumes for her daughter's school play, she didn't realize what it would set in motion.
Her success with the costumes, combined with her mother's plea to bring fashion to the kitchen, inspired Rutkowski to start crafting stylish aprons.

Business briefcase

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:03:00 EST

Milestones
The Trustees of Reservations recently received the Environmental Innovation Award from the Boston History and Innovation Collaborative at their Annual Awards Gala last month.
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CAB program looks at behavior, not just addiction

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:45:00 EST

DANVERS — A new program at CAB Health and Recovery helps clients trying to beat addiction change their behavior after going through detox.
The 15-bed short-term care facility uses intensive individual and group therapy to change people's behavior once they're clean, so there's less of chance they'll start using again.

Job tips from the career center chief

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

SALEM — The people seeking help at the North Shore Career Center defy easy description, but Executive Director Mark Whitmore said the steps to getting the right next job are nearly universal.
A 22-year veteran of the center — which can file unemployment claims, arrange training or link people with social services like heating assistance — Whitmore said demand is high.

Looking into the ups and downs of slow windows

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:40:00 EST

Q: I own a 1996 Honda Accord with over 100,000 miles on it and would like to keep it for another year or so. When it gets cold, the automatic windows are very slow going up and down. Sometimes they act as if they are not going to go back up. When trying to unlock the driver's side door, the key will not work and the front doors stick when trying to open. I have had to crawl through from the back on occasion. Is there any easy fix to these seasonal issue?

Business Briefcase

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST

New businesses
Steve Farrar of Marblehead, Anthony Gates of Danvers and Derek Green of Middleton have opened Farrar, Gates and Green, an accounting firm in Marblehead.
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Dressing for success

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

PEABODY — Bill Diamantides' neighbors call him the Paul Newman of South Peabody.
It's the salad dressings — not the acting — that draw the comparisons.
After 30 years of perfecting his recipes in local restaurants, Diamantides decided last July to take his Diamond's Dressings retail. His bottles of Original Italian, Sweet Onion, Ragin Cajun and two reduced-fat versions of Original and Sweet Onion can be found on the shelves of nine local markets. He also sells gallon-size bottles to restaurants and delis.

Business briefcase

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:20:00 EST

New Businesses
The Cocoa Belt, a chocolate and gift shop, has opened in Danvers Square at 58R Maple St., behind Novello's Florist.
Milestones
Woodbridge Assisted Living in Peabody, a member of Jewish Rehabilitation Centers for Living, recently rolled out private duty services to help residents continue to live independent lives.

No season greens at Clark Farm; others optimistic

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:24:00 EST

DANVERS — For the first time in about 23 years, Clark Farm will be closed during the holiday retail season.
Owner Bill Clark fears more people may keep their greenbacks to themselves this year, which would leave him with greens, Christmas trees and kissing balls he cannot sell.

Business Briefcase

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:22:00 EST

Milestones
Wire 4 Hire Inc. was hired by the ABC reality game show "Opportunity Knocks" to rewire service meters to accommodate the stage when the show filmed in Salem recently.
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Put pricey Corvette rims in for winter

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:22:00 EST

Q: My daughter's boyfriend has a 1974 Corvette. It has very expensive chrome wheels. This winter, as usual, he will be putting it away for the season. This time, the car will be stored and covered outside. Do you recommend anything that can be applied to the wheels to protect them from rust?

Let us know

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:21:00 EST

We want to publish news about your business — new contracts, new hires, promotions and events that are open to the public — on the pages of Biz North. Just send a brief notice with the bas

Business briefcase

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:15:00 EST

New businesses
Octagon Gallery, a new gallery featuring original artwork, will open this weekend at 584 Hale St. (Route 127) in Prides Crossing. Grand opening is Saturday, Nov. 29.
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Small firm a big player in wireless community

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:15:00 EST

BEVERLY — The city of Salem didn't have to go far to install wireless surveillance cameras for Halloween.
Help was just over the bridge.
SideBand Systems Inc. of Beverly, a wireless communications firm on Rantoul Street, did the high-tech engineering that allowed Salem police to watch the crowd of 100,000 from monitors inside police headquarters.

Auto Scanner: Unfamiliar sound is a drag for driver

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:14:00 EST

Q: My daughter-in-law's 1999 Grand Cherokee just had both front axles replaced because the CV joints were gone, and now the car makes a noise like it's dragging a pipe under the front end. This noise is not there all the time but seems to show up sometimes when turning. I was told it could be the motor mounts or the front driveshaft. Any ideas would be of great help, as I have to try to fix the beast.

A local banker's take on the economy

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:14:00 EST

With the economy seemingly in free fall and few predictions it's going to improve anytime soon, we decided to check with a local banker to see how his company and his customers are faring during the downturn.

Price of a feast

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:16:00 EST

Price of a feast
Turkey for 10, including all the fixings, is going to cost an extra $2.35 this year, according to the American Farm Bureau. A survey that looks at the price of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and other sides shows this year's feast will cost about $44.61.

The cost of living, here and there

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:15:00 EST

Does the arrival of cold weather make you think about relocating? Here's a look at living expenses of the average family in the Greater Boston area spent in 2004-2005, compared to the same costs in Honolulu.

Survey: Locals like freshness, nutrients, taste of farm food

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:55:00 EST

DANVERS — Local farmers could prosper by touting the superior quality of their food and their farm's benefits to their community and the environment, a new survey suggests.
Several classes of North Shore Community College students surveyed 154 visitors to the Topsfield Fair last month. Results were announced late last week.

BMW driver scratching head over aftermarket catalytic converter

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:30:00 EST

Q: I have a 1998 BMW M3 sedan, which I love and only use in the summer and fall. I was using a local mechanic who specialized in fixing BMWs. He was good but has since gone out of business. He mentioned last year that my catalytic was going and replaced it with one from an aftermarket shop. It cost about $1,100. The car ran great. Six months later, the "check engine" light came on and I went to a BMW dealer to have it looked at. He mentioned that BMW specs called for a BMW replacement because aftermarket catalytic converters don't measure up. But it worked fine for six months, and the light sometimes comes on and then goes away after driving on the highway for a while. The aftermarket one is about $1,000, and BMW wants $2,700. Are there specific reasons the BMW ones are so expensive? Am I being taken for a ride, is this legit, or is something else the reason behind the check engine light? Sometimes I feel the BMW mechanics don't really fix stuff as much as want to replace parts.

Business Briefcase

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 EST

Milestones
Brightview Danvers, a new rental retirement and assisted-living community at 50 Endicott St., recently celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by town officials.

Auto bailout backers offer to cut $25 billion size

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:24:00 EST

Auto bailout backers offer to cut $25 billion size

Feds consider changes to mortgage program

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:37:00 EST

The government may let more borrowers qualify for a $300 billion program designed to let troubled homeowners swap risky loans for more affordable ones, a top Bush administration official said Wednesday.

Not a fan of noise replaced axles are making

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:47:00 EST

Q: My daughter-in-law has a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with 100,000 miles on it.
I replaced both front axle shafts because the CV joints were shot, and now the car makes a sound like someone is sticking a pipe into the fan while it's running. The noise is not all the time but does scare her quite a bit. The motor mounts seem to be OK.

Store owner expands on growing business

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:47:00 EST

BEVERLY — Jaspal Gill stood behind the counter of his newly expanded One Stop Market & Liquor Store on a recent Saturday night, greeting customers with a big smile and a confident question: "How do you like my store?"

Like fixing a toothache, the 'check engine' light requires diagnostic work

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:31:00 EST

Q: I have a 2000 Ford Taurus with 177,000 miles on it. About a month ago, my check engine light came on. I put my code reader on it and showed a DTC P0442 "small leak detected evaporative emission system." I checked the Internet, and the most common cause listed was a faulty fuel cap. I replaced the fuel cap with a known good one from my 2005 Taurus and cleared the code. About a week later, the same code appeared. I then tightened all the clamps from the fuel filler pipe to the tank. The hoses looked to be in good shape, but I noticed the filler pipe has some rusting. I cleared the code, and again it was back after a week or so. With a new filler pipe selling for over $100, I don't want to start replacing parts that may not be the culprit. I've heard that I can have a smoke test done, but I have no idea what the cost would be. If I had that test done and it does turn out to be the filler pipe, I've spent more money than was necessary. Not to sound cheap, but with the company I work for doing some serious downsizing, I'm trying to spend as little as possible while still maintaining the reliability of my car. Any thoughts about what the best course of action should be?

Business briefcase

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:31:00 EST

New businesses
Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse is opening a store in Danvers at the Liberty Tree Mall.
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Body Empowered Wellness, a personal fitness and wellness studio, has opened at 281 Essex St., Salem, with an entrance on Crombie Street. Visit www.bodyempoweredwellness.com.

Halloween by the numbers

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:49:00 EDT

AT A GLANCE
Trick or treat!
36 million: Estimated number of trick-or-treaters last year across the United States
110.3 million: Potential stops for trick-or-treaters (the number of occupied housing units in America)

Have locksmith pry into stuck-door problem

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT

Q: I work with someone who has a 1994 RAV4. The driver's door will not open. It has a mechanical locking system. There are no power windows or door locks. When the door's unlock button is pushed or the key is turned, the door will not open or unlock. I can make the interior door handle move and the key turn when it is in the door but the door itself will not open. A coat hanger is what I have been using. How can we get the door to open?

Business Briefcase

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT

Giving
Danversbank employees have donated nearly $96,000, which they raised by paying $5 for wearing jeans on Fridays, to more than 300 organizations since the program started in 2001.
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Q&A: The numbers game is his business

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT

SWAMPSCOTT — When Ken Perkins founded Retail Metrics Inc., he only had to deal with 24-hour business television, a couple dozen stock analysts and a various other sources.
Since then, of course, gasoline prices skyrocketed and dropped, the housing market crumbled and the credit market made consumers nervous — all things that make life difficult when your job is evaluating retail sales. Perkins, 44, still boasts frequent smiles and chuckles as he talks about his work from his office in a 152-year-old Swampscott house.

Axcelis Technologies lays off 200 after losing $30M

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:15:00 EDT

BEVERLY — Axcelis Technologies laid off about 200 employees yesterday, after experiencing a net loss of more than $30 million so far this year.
The company, whose world headquarters is at Cherry Hill Industrial Park, announced a restructuring plan that includes saving $40 million in operating costs through the layoffs, and refinancing its long-term debt.

Auto Scanner: Use that emergency brake

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:43:00 EDT

Q: Can you settle an argument for me with my wife? I was always taught to put on the emergency/parking brake whether you had an automatic or manual transmission, especially if you were on a hill. She recently had her car in for a parking brake adjustment, and the mechanics told her you did not need to ever use it — just throw it into park and hop out. Is this true?

Business Briefcase

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:42:00 EDT

New business
Egestones, a retail and wholesale garden stone business specializing in white river stones of all sizes, recently opened at 63¬� Jefferson Ave. in Salem.
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Linens 'n Things set to liquidate

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:26:00 EDT

DANVERS — Those looking to liquidate Linens 'n Things Inc. could start pulling the covers over the home furnishing retailer as soon as tomorrow, as going-out-of-business sales nationwide get underway.

Swanson, founder of Henry's Market, dead at 93

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:01:00 EDT

BEVERLY — There's nobody sitting on the red scooter by the bread aisle at Henry's Market.
Henry Swanson, who founded the small, North Beverly grocery store in 1941, would normally be there greeting customers, handing cookies to kids and making sure the different loaves were arranged the way he liked them.

Pharmacy opens walk-in health clinics

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:01:00 EDT

BEVERLY — Barbara Clay walked into CVS yesterday to talk to the pharmacist and walked out with a flu shot.
"How convenient," she said.
CVS is hoping more customers like Clay will stumble across their new walk-in health clinics that opened yesterday in Beverly and Danvers.

Chevy dealer on Route 1A closes

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:29:00 EDT

IPSWICH — Mike O'Keefe always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: a car dealer, but not just any kind of cars.
"I was a poor Irish kid who grew up in Salem whose family always drove Chevys," O'Keefe said.

Shetland Park celebrates 50 years

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:01:00 EDT

SALEM — Robert Lappin may not have had an actual epiphany in the early 1980s, but he certainly made an important discovery. After owning Shetland Park for more than two decades, he decided to install a large window in his office to get a better view of the harbor, the fishing and commercial boats, and the little shops at Pickering Wharf.

Chevy owner should not have to pay again for bad fix

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:50:00 EDT

Q: The air bag light is usually on in my 1994 Chevrolet Caprice, although it goes off occasionally. We took it to the dealer. The first visit included two hours of labor, and I was told it was a loose connection under the dash that they repaired. It stayed off for two or three weeks and then began to come on again — sporadically at first and then almost constantly. A visit to a different service adviser resulted in one hour of labor to tell us that four hours of labor would be required to find the problem (if it was only connections), then another hour to repair (if it was the module), for a total of $1,400 plus labor. What gives? My thinking was that the first repair came loose since it did cure it for a bit. I would really appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Witch Ride helped lure biker-gear store

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:01:00 EDT

SALEM — From baby bibs and piggy banks to leather jackets and tank tops, there is a dizzying plethora of Harley-Davidson merchandise — and it's flying off the shelves at the new Harley store on Essex Street, in the Museum Place Mall.

Northshore Mall hosts police training exercise

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:09:00 EDT

PEABODY — Nearly 60 people took part in a major police training exercise yesterday at the Northshore Mall, before the mall opened for business.
The training took place between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. before mall employees arrived, said police Lt. Dennis Bonaiuto. About 45 officers participated, as well as 12 high school student actors and mall security.

Tale of two Giovanni's: Owners battle over name

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:09:00 EDT

DANVERS — The Giovanni's scheduled to open along Maple Street may soon share a similar menu of kabobs, pizza and subs with the Giovanni's downtown, but it will not share the same owners.
Nikolaos Karambelas and his son, Angelo, won permission from selectmen Tuesday to serve food under the Giovanni's name, even though they are not related to the owner of the Giovanni's on Elm Street, Steve Konis.

Salem medical company celebrates 100 years

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:58:00 EDT

Hutchinson Medical Inc., a medical supply business on Highland Avenue, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Company president Thomas McAuliffe and operations manager Maureen Martell sat down recently to talk about the company's business over the past century.

Guessing game is good way to lose money on car repair

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:55:00 EDT

Q: Concerning the person who wrote in about a Ford Ranger diagnostic light: I have a '98 Ford Ranger, V6. Often the check engine light comes on, I have to replace the gas cap — for $40 — and the light goes away. It happens about three times a year, and it's pretty annoying. So if it isn't a dirty sensor, he might try the cap.

Business Briefcase

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:40:00 EDT

People
Marilyn Bowden, RN, of Mar¬�blehead was recently presented with the Staff Extra Mile award by VNA Care Network and Hospice, originally the Marblehead/Swampscott Visiting Nurse Association.
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