Business
Doug Smith had a vision. It involved pancakes. Before Mr. Smith, 38, moved to the Vineyard full-time six years ago, he and his girlfriend often took weekend trips up to Maine, exploring the small towns that dotted the coast. But no matter the town, “there was always this great breakfast joint that had a line out the door,” Mr. Smith recalled. The breakfast spots served up stacks of thick, fluffy pancakes and savory plates of eggs Benedict to hungry patrons who lingered over great coffee at wooden tables — the picture of New England rustic.
A mechanical Santa wrote with a quill inside Moonstone Jewelers window, a mannequin fashioned a poinsettia dress in Alley Cat’s and a toy train zipped around photographs of snowy Vineyard days inside Island Art Gallery.
All were admired by the crowds assembled on Main street in Vineyard Haven on Tuesday, but Mix’s storefront — adorned with vintage toys stuffed in coffee cups — earned the best window award, given by four high school art students.
With the cold, dark days of winter on the way, Edgartown just lost one source of solace: Espresso Love, one of the few year-round places in town to get a latte and a muffin, closed for the winter Monday.
Owner T.J. McManus said that the restaurant, which serves food, and seasonally wine and beer along with the titular espresso, will close until the spring for needed repairs and renovations. The floors need to be replaced and the roof needs to be fixed, he said, and improvements are slated for the counters and the kitchen.
More than a week after radio station WMVY sold its signal to a Boston public radio station, Friends of MVY was busy fundraising to keep the station going as a nonprofit, as it continued to look into acquiring a new FM signal.
One potential signal could come from a newly-licensed Island-based startup owned by Dennis Jackson, a seasonal resident.
Martha’s Vineyard Tile Company has relocated to 123 Beach Road in Vineyard Haven, next to Vineyard Scripts. The new showroom is set up much like an art gallery, with more than 2,300 square feet of showroom space all on one floor that features more than 500 lines of tile and stone from around the globe. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on weekends by appointment.
In 1999 Marsha Winsryg traveled to Africa with her two daughters. In Victoria Falls in Zambia they passed through the Mukuni village, which had a bustling craft market.“The people are all wood carvers and famous for it,” said Ms. Winsryg. “It’s all they do, but nobody makes a living from it. They just can’t sell enough.”