Beccia’s illustrations of Josephine Baker and Madonna (along with a fashion sketch) appear in her most recent book, “Fashion Rebels.”

Lynnfield storyteller has a way with words — and art.
By Stacey Marcus

Lynnfield author and illustrator Carlyn Beccia.

Award-winning author and illustrator Carlyn Beccia reflects on her younger years growing up in Lynnfield with a little laugh.

“I was a child that ran away a lot,” she says, noting that she never got very far, but her parents treasure the photo they shot of her donning a Hollie Hobbie nightgown and slippers, suitcase in tow, attempting to escape in the snow. “I was a very rebellious child always horrifying my mother with stuff I wore and trying to push her buttons.”

The wild child earned a full four-year scholarship to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and graduated in 1995. Her first foray into the work world was with Kronos selling time and attendance systems.

“I would advise everyone to go into sales because it’s an aspect of everything you do in business,” she says.

She then spent the next decade-and-a-half working in graphic design and art direction at advertising agencies.

As of the writing of this article, three years have passed since local landmark the Hilltop Steakhouse closed its doors, and it has been more than a year since the restaurant was demolished.

By Leah Dearborn

Many in the community saw the closure of the Hilltop after 52 years of operation as the end of an era. In some ways, they may be correct. The implementation of new zoning regulations on Route 1 in May by a unanimous Saugus Town Meeting vote has been slowly changing the face of the road.

Breaking Grounds Café has joined the dining scene on Main Street. | Photo: Reba Saldanha

By Cyrus Moulton

When she started as the new director of community development and planning, Karen Sawyer Conard asked her colleagues how to make a good impression.

“They said bring back Brothers,” she recalled.

Diane Pence and Al Button attend a Yes show at the Lynn Auditorium, which has become a go-to spot on the North Shore for concerts. | Photo: Spenser Hasak

By Cyrus Moulton

Lynn’s downtown has long been known for its restaurant scene—offering delectable food from a $27 steak at The Blue Ox to a $1.75 steak taco at Tacos Lupita. Adding Rossetti Restaurant, R.F. O’Sullivan’s and White Rose in more recent years to these pioneers, in addition to stalwarts such as Brothers Deli and the Capitol Diner, has made downtown Lynn a foodie destination for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lynnfield resident Susan Parziale started her own consulting business for home and office organization.

By Stacey Marcus

When Susan Parziale was a little girl, she loved to organize her stuffed animals from biggest to smallest. During her teen years, her robust collection of hair products and makeup were next in line to get systematized.

Hand-painted one-of-a-kind pieces can be found at Dare to Be Vintage. | Photos: Reba Saldanha

By Meaghan Casey

The saying “everything old is new again” rings true at the Mills at Pulaski, the North Shore’s largest indoor marketplace for antique and vintage items.

From left, neighbors Luigi and Juana Guarino and Joan and Craig Amsden enjoy decorating their homes for the holidays.

By Rich Fahey

Juana Guarino was happy but sore at the end of a recent Sunday spent decorating her home at 16 Lynn Fells Parkway in Saugus. Since 2006, she and husband, Luigi, have spent weeks in September, October and November on the decorations for their home, which includes thousands of lights as well as characters such as Big Bird and Mickey Mouse. The pace gets intense in the weeks before Thanksgiving.

Herb Levine, interim superintendent of Peabody Public Schools, stands outside the new Higgins Middle School, which opened this fall. | Photo: Reba Saldanha

By Cyrus Moulton

He retired in 2005 after more than three decades in education, culminating as superintendent of Salem Public Schools, where he built four schools and rehabilitated the high school. Then he retired again. And again, and…

Tom Demakes, president of Old Neighborhood Foods, and his sons (from L to R) Tim, Elias and Andrew together run the 102-year old business located on Waterhill Street in Lynn. 

By Bill Brotherton

Old Neighborhood Foods has been in business on the same Lynn street for 102 years.

“But people who live down the street don’t know who we are,” says Elias Demakes, vice president of Sales and Marketing. He admits it drives him a little crazy.

Attorney Tom Demakis in his Downtown Lynn law office.  

By Paul Halloran

Attorneys who practice business and real estate law typically do so in relative anonymity, operating about as far out of the legal spotlight as you can get.

That wasn’t always the case for Tom Demakis, a Lynn attorney who has worked the last 35 years at the family firm in Lynn founded by his father, Charles, in 1942. While Demakis is recognized as a go-to lawyer in his field, you’re probably not aware that he once played a leading role in the busiest and most prominent district attorney’s office in the country.