“People should be empowered to make a difference.” That’s Isabelle DeLeo’s mission. Fourteen-year-old DeLeo, a Winchester resident in ninth grade, has written and self-published her first book, “Fiction For Justice: Changing the World One Story at a Time.” I started to read her book immediately after I received
Thirteen-year-old Jack Ronan, an eighth-grade student at McCall Middle School, is a Wiffle ball expert. In his spare time, he makes customized bats for friends and local teams. Wiffle bats come in assorted colors, but they are unadorned. Ronan wanted to turn bats into something special, and he did. He
Did you know there are more than 15 women-owned businesses in Winchester? Offerings range from books, hair salons, gifts, classes in art and pottery, fashion, flowers, a restaurant, old-fashioned candy and novelties, and a bakery-café. While these businesses are in store fronts, there is one homebased and unique operation. Dear
The Nowell family has been operating a local Winchester business for almost 100 years. Five generations! The first owner, George Russell Nowell, initially did “anything for a buck” type-of-work ranging from hauling and removing junk by horse and wagon and clearing fields. As his business grew, it included furniture and
Taking advantage of an open door, Abby the tabby just walked into Mahoney’s and made herself at home. She introduced herself to her new human, who instantly fell in love with her. New cozy bed, toys, delicious food, treats ... life was good. Abby pays her way. Supervising floral arrangements
When I first moved to town, I wondered why the Mobil Station on Main Street is called “Theater.” It’s because years ago, there was a movie theater next door. After the theater was demolished around the mid-1980s, the Tierno family kept the name. Nick Tierno started to work at
I always thought Fells Hardware, Winchester’s funky and old-fashioned hardware store, is a three-generation Ryan family business. Wrong! It’s FOUR generations! After purchasing the building and land, Pierce Ryan renovated the interior and opened the doors in 1927. His son, John, took over and ran the business for
Plantings and flowers are growing in public spaces all over Winchester. Everywhere you look there’s something beautiful to admire, thanks to the generosity of local businesses and community organizations. Winchester based M&M Landscaping planted the first “Adopt-an-Island” garden in the town center in the mid-80s. After owner
Did you know there’s an ice house at Wright-Locke Farm? It’s the small frame structure constructed in the early 1900s next to the 1827 barn. “So what’s an ice house?” you might ask. The building served one important purpose only, storing large ice blocks that were harvested
Andrew Drake is a serious businessman. He’s also 12. A middle-school student at McCall, Andrew has launched Wildwaters Spinner Baits fish lure business at Fells Hardware. Fells owner Kevin Ryan says the lures are a great new product addition to his store because he has many customers who regularly
