If you’ve watched Aladdin you know the magic of finding a genie lamp at the open air market in Agrabah!

Well..you might not find a magic lamp here (or atleast one with a genie)…but you will find just about everything else….hand-crafted accessories….original art….indie designer clothing….a fresh loaf of bread…..painters…..sculptors……photographers…..jewelry designers…..milliners…….handbag designers……house wares…..florists…..bakers……local farmer’s produce and more (it changes every week). You might even spot celebrities like John Malkovich if your lucky. The SoWa team says he loves it!

Located at 460 Harrison Ave, Boston, every Sunday from 10-4pm…

And new this season are the parade of gourmet food trucks that rotate from the cupcake truck (where Lisa Azizian will be hanging out!) to a veggie truck.  Apparently all the hip restos have food trucks. Who knew?

Check them out online at http://www.sowaopenmarket.com and in person! I’ll be there this Sunday rain or shine.

Recently Nayri Keverian and Arthur Iskenderian of BO LINE Boutique in Norwell joined us to talk about winter fashion. BO LINE, located at 426 Washington Street (Rt. 53, near Bejing House), is a hot boutique with a totally big plus: Arthur, a second generation tailor, not only tailors clothing but designs and creates men’s custom dress shirts and suits! Arthur’s work is amazing and BO LINE has won a Best of Boston award from Boston Magazine for his custom tailored shirts! You must check out BO LINE not only for Arthur’s specialty shirt-making but for their amazing selection of cutting-edge clothing. We were treated to a fashion show at the station  and here are a few of the looks Nayri brought for us (modeled by her cousin Maryanne!).

So what’s in this season?

- Plaid is in this season – check out this hot Nutcracker-esque vest

- Studs and tassels – don’t be shy!

- Leg warmers are back! Pair em with shorty boots and leggings

- The big shirt and the big belt are hot. The big belt with a shirt dress, also hot.

- Mixing and matching lots of jewelry and jewels is the way to go. As Nayri said, “Too much is not enough when it comes to jewelry.” And there are no rules – mix those golds and silvers together! The boutique has a lot of fun jewelry too.

Visit Nayri and Arthur at BO LINE for the hottest clothing trends and all of your tailoring needs!

Our show this week was all about animals, and specifically our family members that are non-human. In fact, Stan’s dog Isla joined us in the studio too! Video of Isla will be up shortly.

We  spoke with Chey Ottoson, founder of Double Dog Rescue, to learn more about the process of adopting a dog through a rescue group like Double Dog. Double Doggies typically come from southern states like TN and are transported north with the help of dozens of volunteers. Chey and her sister Laurie started the group in December 2006 (Happy 3 year anniversary, gals!) after Chey had her first experience adopting a dog from the south. When they learned of the overpopulation, the fact that not many dog owners spay or neuter their pets  and there are so many dogs in southern communities that it’s common for dogs to be euthanized they knew they had to do something.

Double Dog tries to help as many dogs as they can, but they couldn’t do it without the generosity of their many volunteers who pick up, transport and vet the animals. One job Chey is always looking to fill are volunteers to help foster the dog before they are moved to their permanent home. If you’re interested in fostering a dog please contact Chey through Double Dog’s Facebook Fan Page. You don’t have to be a dog owner and it’s ok that you work full time. You’re giving a warm, loving home to a dog that might not otherwise be alive.

Keep up the great work, Chey & Laurie!

For those of you who pass it everyday, no proof was needed. But the Norwell House really does exist, despite the fact that both Tiffanie & Lisa (who both live on the south shore) never heard of it? Stan did a drive by and took these photos. Nice going Stan!

Maybe the owners will call into the show sometime!

On our extreme show, you heard Stan describe the adventures of his brother-in-law Bob in the extreme Scottish sport of ferret legging. Shame on you all for thinking it wasn’t true! Yes Bob is actually Stan’s brother in law, and yes he’s actually volunteered to undergo ferret legging.  See it for yourself.

Thinking Bob set this whole thing up in his back yard and named it himself? Wrong again…here’s the official news article.

And if you’re brave enough to try it [with trained supervision of course], then you’ve earned yourself a spot on our show. call or email us and tell us how it all turned out.

Yikes! Don’t try this at home kids.

I am obsessed with our local farmers markets. It is my quest to visit all of the markets on the south shore, and so far I’ve been to 5. After all, I need to balance out my cupcake crusade with good, healthy food!

Here’s a list, by day, of all the local markets. It’s the season of the harvest – take advantage!

TUESDAY: Bridgewater – 3-6 @ Spring & Broad/Rt 128

WEDNESDAY: Hingham – 10 – 2 @ Hingham Square/Duxbury – 12:30 – 4:30 @ Tarklin Com. Center/Rt. 52

THURSDAY: Cohasset – 2:30 – 6:30 @ the Common/Plymouth – 2:30 – 6:30 @ Stephen’s Field / 3A

FRIDAY: Quincy – 11:30 – 5:30 @ Parking lot across from Court House/Hull – 3 – 7 on Nantasket Ave till Sept 11

SATURDAY: Hanson – 8 -11 @ Thomas Mill/Weymouth – 9-1 @ Town Hall on Middle Street/Braintree – 9-1 @ Town Hall Washington Street/Plymouth – 9:30 – 1:30 @ Courthouse Green/Hanover – 9-2 @ Mall/Hingham – 10 – 2 @ Rt 3A Bath House Lot

SUNDAY: Carver – 12 – 4 on Rt 58 across from town hall

When South Shore based business Dependable Cleaners issued a contest with a chance to win $650 in free dry cleaning, naturally we wanted to hear more!  Dependable Cleaners President and Cohasset resident Christa Hagearty joined us and boy did we get caught up with all things dry cleaning!

To celebrate the company’s 65th anniversary, customers are invited to log onto the Dependable Cleaners website and share your best Dependable Cleaners story. I know I have one! I once went to a business breakfast where a gentleman drop his plate of scrambled eggs on my suit. Thankfully, I had a clean suit at Dependable, was able to go there, change and continue with my day…now to win $650 : )

Christa also shared with us the details of another outreach program her company has created to assist the unemployed of our community throughout the recession. The Clean Suit Stimulus Package cleans three suits for free for unemployed job seekers.  Click here to learn more about this wonderful program.

Dependable Cleaners is an award winning, third generation family-run business with 16 stores throughout the greater Boston area and many delivery routes. 

Thank you Christa for joining us on the show!  We’ll look forward to talking to you again sometime soon!

Do you know what a locavore is? It’s someone who eats food grown or produced locally. Our friends at Holly Hill Farm are celebrating our local bounty of goodness with a Locavore Pot Luck Dinner on Saturday, August 29th @ 5 at the farm. Following dinner the documentary Tableland will be shown outside of the Tomato Barn. What a cool dinner and a movie night!

We spoke with Holly Hill’s Educational Director, Jon Belber, last night about the many amazing programs The Friends of Holly Hill Farm run. Jon is teaching more than 14 area schools how to build and maintain gardens on school grounds. The Friends, a non-profit arm of Holly Hill, is dedicated to educating our local community, including our local children, all about sustainability and the benefits to our health, and to the environments health, from growing and eating local, organic food.

The Friends of Holly Hill run many amazing programs – like a canning workshop, also this weekend – so check out their website for more information. And you can purchase their organic food at 236 Jerusalem Road, where the farm is located, and also at the Cohasset Farmers Market, every Thursday from 2:30 – 6:30.

Drop into Holly Hill and say hi to Jon and the rest of the crew at Holly Hill!

Alan Macdonald

Special thanks to Alan Macdonald, the Director of Policy and Funding at South Shore Hospital for recently joining us on the show!  Alan wears many hats at South Shore Hospital, but one of the most special is that of the Overseer of the Friends of South Shore Hospital.

This exciting group is a membership organization which I’d encourage everyone who lives and works on the South Shore and cares about the health and well being of our community to join!  It’s just plain awesome in a nutshell.  Alan’s terrific interview shared the benefits of being a Friend.  (more…)

Who better to talk about the History of Dunkin Donuts in the City of Quincy than the owner of the first Dunkin Donuts in the country, Victor Carvalho!  Victor joined us recently and shared the story of how William Rosenberg founded the international company at the store located at 543 Southern Artery in Quincy! 

Victor is a Dunkin Donuts expert.  He should be as he owns 10 Dunkin Donut stores in Quincy and Weymouth!  Thanks to Victor, so many on the South Shore run on Dunkin!  We reminisced about the commercials with Fred the Baker.  Remember this?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwfrBbNo5Jg Victor met this actor when he represented the company. (more…)