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Meet the Photographer: Amanda McSweeney
Meet the Photographer:
Amanda McSweeney
Wednesday, December 14th
5-7 PM
at The Bull Run
215 Great Rd, Shirley, MA 01464
Join us for light refreshments.
To stay for dinner, book your table at: 978.425.4311
On-going Shows
Shirley: Gallery Sitka East
Den Poitras’s work is on display in Shirley until Year’s End.
Call to make an appointment: 978.425.6290 or come by
Tuesdays from 9-5 or Wednesday from 10-5
2 Shaker Rd., D101
Shirley, MA 01464
Fitchburg: Gallery Sitka West
We have the wonderful work of Jeanne Borofsky
in Fitchburg in a show called “Constructions”.
The adjoining east wall houses a show called:
VISIONS OF FITCHBURG: A Retrospective of the Paint-In from 2007-2011
brought to us by the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance.
These shows are up through the end of December.
2017 Shows
Save the Date for our January Shows:
Saturday, January 7th, 2-4 PM:
Meet the Artist: Lawrence Libby — Tea & Oranges
[The Bull Run in Shirley]
Wednesday, January 11th, 5:30-7:30 PM:
Thomas W. Bradley — Remembering the Land
[Edward Jones in Westford]
Saturday, January 14th, 2-4 PM:
Andre K. Mills — Yes, Comics are ART!
[Gallery Sitka in Fitchburg]
Neil Abramson Nominated for NARTS President of the Board
Champion for small businesses and resalers brings a wealth of retail processing and resale expertise to the Association of Resale Professionals
The Association of Resale Professionals (NARTS) has announced the nomination of Neil Abramson for President of the Board. Abramson is the Chief Financial Officer and Strategiest at ECI Stores, which includes four family consignment stores. His expertise encompasses more than 25 years of retail processing experience and 18+ years of resale, which has lended to ECI Stores’ position as New England’s largest children’s, ladies, teens, home decor, and furniture consignment.
Abramson has been a member of NARTS for over 15 years.
NARTS celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014, and it’s now the world’s largest resale trade association. Abramson thanks the association for their nomination and looks forward to providing and receiving world-class insight regarding the resale industry via NARTS for some time to come.
About Neil Abramson
Neil Abramson has more than 25 years of retail processing experience and 18+ years of resale expertise. As the Chief Financial Officer and Strategist of ECI Stores and a champion of small business and resalers, Neil has lobbied for small business with Congress. He has been a longstanding member of the Association of Resale Professionals and is the President of the Board for the National Association of Resale Professionals.
About ECi Stores
Eci stores encompass four unique consignment stores known for offering quality gently used products. Flagship store, Cutie Patuties specializes in children’s clothing; Q specializes in teen styles and clothing; CP & Company specializes in misses, petites and plus sizes for ladies clothing
and accessories; and Cutiques offers home décor and furniture. To learn more, visit: http://www.ecistores.com.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce welcomed Help For Our Community
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce welcomed Help For Our Community as a new member in November.
Help For Our Community is a Fitchburg-based non-profit organization that serves the homeless and other disadvantaged populations in 14 North Central Mass communities with a variety of emergency-based programs.
2016 will be the 16ta year that HFOC has been cooking and delivering hot meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas days, anticipating the demand for more than 750 meals this holiday season. Throughout the year, HFOC also gathers supplies for school back-packs for foster children, kits of necessities for homeless families, and a monthly diaper pantry for struggling moms. The Fitchburg, Leominster, and Gardner fire departments rely on HFOC when a family may be in need in the event of a house fire. They are called in to gather information on the individuals to help provide clothing, toiletries, gift cards for grocery stores, and small household items. All of the resources come from community members who are able to secure items and pass them along through HFOC’s efforts.
People in need may not know where to turn, and HFOC is able to direct them to services in place, in order to maximize the impact of other local organizations such as Meals on Wheels, the VA, and senior centers. But HFOC is often asked to “fill the gaps” in existing programs. Many people have come to rely on their work, so HFOC is constantly in need of volunteers, financial support, and donations of important supplies.
While HFOC hopes to open a donation center in future, monetary donations can be made at Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) branches at 350 John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg or 1123 Central Street in Leominster. To donate food or other goods, please call director Tami Arguelles on (978) 846-6426. More information is available on their Facebook page.
Habitat for Humanity NCM Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement
Habitat for Humanity North Central MA has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Occurring this year on November 29ta, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Following on the heels of the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the holiday giving season and inspires people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.
This is Habitat NCM’s third year being involved with #GivingTuesday and the organization encourages its supporters to participate by joining in the movement and support Habitat NCM with a donation to help further the non-profit’s mission of providing decent, affordable housing to families and individuals living in the 25 cities and towns it serves in North Central MA.
Habitat for Humanity NCM is wrapping up its “$25K in 25 Days” campaign (which concludes on Dec. 6th) and hopes that funds raised on #GivingTuesday will push the organization over the top of its $25,000 goal. Also on tap for #GivingTuesday is the organization’s “Dine to Donate” event at Ixtapa Mexican Grill & Cantina in Lunenburg. Everyone is encouraged to take a break from all the shopping and come out for lunch or dinner to support a great cause! From 11:00am – 10:00pm, the restaurant will donate 10% of the total sales on November 29ta to Habitat for Humanity NCM. All funds raised from #GivingTuesday and the “Dine to Donate” event will go toward installing the concrete foundation at the organization’s current building project at 50 Henry Street, Fitchburg.
If you are interested in joining Habitat for Humanity North Central MA’s #GivingTuesday initiative, please visit our website en www.ncmhabitat.org. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website .
Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts is a non-profit, ecumenical housing ministry that builds simple, decent houses with people in need. It is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, serving 25 towns and cities in north central Massachusetts, including Acton, Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Leominster, Maynard, Pepperell, Princeton, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Townsend, and Westminster. Habitat NCM also operates the Leominster ReStore which raises funds through the sale of discounted or recycled materials and furniture.
Shop Local This Holiday Season
Shop Local This Holiday Season
By Anthony Mercadante
With the holiday season before us, there is no doubt we are all thinking about shopping and the gifts we want to buy for the people in our lives. With our busy schedules and holiday parties, it’s easy to consider turning to the internet to get your shopping done. But that type of shopping often has consequences on your community. This holiday season, I encourage you to shop local. Not only does this support your local businesses, but it has profound rewards for your community.
When you buy goods and services from local businesses and merchants, the money you spend stays in our communities. National research shows that for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $48 stays in our cities and towns. That’s compared to only $14 of $100 that is spent at a chain and just $1 when spent at large e-commerce retailers. Those dollars support the essential services that we all rely on, including police, fire, schools, streets and more.
Local and independent small businesses are also more likely to give back to the community, create more jobs and opportunities, and support other small businesses in the community. Small businesses also work hard to keep your trust each and every day, providing unparalleled products and services. All of this helps to strengthen our communities and contributes to our quality of life.
On November 26ta, Small Business Saturday was celebrated across the nation. This movement encourages shoppers to support small businesses after the Thanksgiving holiday. There are no stampedes or trampled shoppers on Small Business Saturday, but friendly faces welcoming local shoppers. I think when you start to calculate the economic impact that shopping local has, you’ll realize just what a bargain it is.
There are many tools to shopping local – and even gifts that help support local businesses. In North Central Massachusetts, we recently developed a gift card called “Gift Local” to encourage shopping local. With nearly 50 businesses currently participating, consumers are given a choice when deciding on where and how they want to spend their money. We have made it easy for you to shop local, and we hope you take us up on our offer.
I’m passionate about shopping local because investing in local business is good for our regional economy. The many business owners in our region who work hard to keep their doors open, create jobs, and fill needs in our community deserve our business.
For more information on how to shop local, visit www.GiftLocalMass.com o www.NorthCentralMass.com.
Anthony J. Mercadante, CPA is Managing Partner of Mercadante & Mercadante, PC, a certified public accounting firm based in Fitchburg. Mr. Mercadante is also the Chairman of the Board for the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.
Getting to Know Your Chamber Scheduled for Wednesday, November 30, 2016
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce will host “Getting to Know Your Chamber” on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Chamber’s headquarters located at 860 South Street, Fitchburg, MA. This presentation is designed to help new members navigate the perks and programs of Chamber membership, but is equally valuable for current members who want to get the most value from their membership, or those interested in learning if chamber membership is right for them.
Chamber staff will explain the many benefits and programs of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce including networking events, government affairs, educational workshops and seminars, advertising opportunities and health insurance, to name just a few. There is no cost to attend the “Getting to Know Your Chamber” meeting, but pre-registration is required. Register online at www.NorthCentralMass.com/news/calendar-of-events/.
Business owners unable to attend but interested in learning more about Chamber membership may contact Jeff Ardis, Manager of Member Services and Business Development at 978.353.7600 ext. 234 or by sending an email to to schedule a one-to-one meeting.