| Good-looking haunts
As Beverly Kelley and I set out from the Minuteman statue that marks the entrance of Lexington's business district, she makes a statement she will later contradict: "It doesn't have the diversity that it used to have," she says of Lexington Center, noting that there are seven banks on Massachusetts Avenue alone. Kelley has a good sense of the way Lexington used to be. Not only was she born and raised here, but 25 years ago she wrote the book Lexington: A Century of Photographs.
Many of the storefronts look the same as their photos in her book. We head into Crafty Yankee (1838 Massachusetts Avenue, 781-863-1219), a shop full of New England-inspired decor and jewelry. "I bought these earrings here," Kelley says as she moves aside her silver hair to reveal silver quarter-inch squares. We take a right down Muzzey Street and stop at The Minute Shop (9 Muzzey Street, 781-862-0991), where owner Ed Pioli customizes decorative frames. He made a World Series-themed wall hanging for Kelley and her husband, Peter, who are Red Sox season ticket holders, by combining their ticket stubs, other memorabilia, and a few photos. Next, Kelley shows me two stores committed to old-fashioned courtesy. Michelson's Shoes (1780 Massachusetts Avenue, 781-862-1034) always has workers on the floor to assist customers, while smiling brothers Eric and Jerry Michelson sit at the ready in their small office - creating a scene worthy of Norman Rockwell. Then there's that rare bird, the independent drugstore: Theatre Pharmacy (1784 Massachusetts Avenue, 781-862-4480). "I have been remarkably surprised how we have retained market share over the years," says its owner, Chris Venier. "I guess it's just that we deliver rapidly and with a smile." On the other side of the street is Not Your Average Joe's (1727 Massachusetts Avenue, 781-674-2828), a casual restaurant that opened in February. Kelley, who says she rarely dines out, has eaten there five times already. She recommends the coconut shrimp. Just before we head into The Muse's Window (1656 Massachusetts Avenue, 781-274-6873), Kelley reconsiders her original statement. "Now that I'm showing you all of these places, I'm thinking that Lexington Center does really have pretty good variety." We enter a store that drives her point home. With its colossal collection of neo-folk art, gently insane figures, and absurd furniture, the store is modern comic relief for a town so rich with tradition. If you are looking for a lamp shaded by a purple colander, with multicolored 1/4-teaspoon tassels, this is the place to find it.
Patrick Gerard Healy Back |
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