“(Crossover in collecting) is what makes it all interesting and that is what my shop is all about,” he said. What did they have in common? Spindler considered them beautiful. So, instead of specializing in period antiques, like Chinese export period porcelain, Spindler mixed items from wildly different periods-like a 60’s Lucite chair with an 19 th Century side table-and featured them, together. “I’ve always viewed antiques as objects of design,” he said. From the beginning, Spindler said, he considered his shop different than a traditional antique store. It’s a nice life.”Īn early example of Essex’s design mission is Andrew Spindler Antiques & Design, which opened as a jewel box-like retail space on Main Street in 1998. We love to walk to dinner, or to the water. “The parks, for the kids and their friends. “The walkability of Essex is amazing,” said Caitlin. COVID made Essex appealing, especially for families. ![]() Through October 2021, 18 properties have sold at a median price of $812,000 and an average of just 18 days on the market. In 2019, 17 properties in Essex sold with a median price of $610,000 and an average of 32 days on the market. Demand is bursting for homes, and renovation. They are part of an influx of new people moving to Cape Ann, including Essex. What was a two-minute commute to their barn is now a whopping seven-minute walk to the Red Barn Architecture office next to the post office. “We tripled our commute,” laughs Caitlin. ![]() After looking at options that mimicked their Ipswich office-a work-and-live set up with an outbuilding-the McSheras purchased a home for them and their youngsters (two and four years old) and settled into office space close by on Martin Street that better suited their business, which now has six employees. They built the business serving clients who are not too different from themselves: young families drawn to the patina of a historic home, but who wanted a customized renovation to suit a busy family life.ĭuring COVID, the couple made a move to Essex. The couple met at a Boston architecture firm and decided to go out on their own five years ago, setting up shop in a renovated historic barn on their property in Ipswich. Caitlin is the firm’s creative director and manages client service. Ryan is a registered architect with 15 years’ experience. Red Barn Architecture moved in just last year, headed up by husband-wife partners Ryan and Caitlin McShera. And yes, there are also new home accessories shops that blend design with retail, all adding to the area’s center of gravity for antiques, entrepreneurship and creativity. ![]() Instead, it’s a new architecture firm, several interior designers, or landscape design company. They aren’t retail shops, per se, although many sell items for the home. Recently, a new list of businesses have arrived in Essex that could give the town’s “things for home” reputation a boost. Of course, there are restaurants, especially seafood, and getting out on the water. There’s clamming and fishing, shipbuilding and design, there’s farming and crafts. THERE ARE FAMILIAR things that Essex is known for.
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