4/28/2021
Geri’s Bluffing Boutique sets down roots on Main Street
Geri’s Bluffing Boutique owner Geraldine Barclay-King is pictured in her new location at 285 Main St. (Breeze photo by Lauren Clem)
WOONSOCKET – A local business that started as a holiday pop-up last November has now become the latest addition to Main Street’s storefronts.
Geri’s Bluffing Boutique, a clothing and home décor boutique offering imported and locally made African design, has a new location at 285 Main St. Owner Geraldine Barclay-King, a city resident, said it gives her a sense of pride to be able to give back in the heart of Woonsocket.
RIPTA Hero
RIPTA Operator Eldora “Ellie” Giblin this week received a formal commendation by the board for stopping her bus and coming to the aid of man who seemed ready to jump off the Henderson Bridge.
Giblin, a RIPTA driver for nine years, was driving Route 33 toward East Providence on April 3, when she stopped en route to talk to a man who had one leg over the railing of the bridge.
Giblin said she was nervous but knew she had to take action because even though other cars had pulled over, no one was talking to the man. “People just had their phones out and were taking pictures or video It broke my heart,” she said.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
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Art dealer and retailer Geraldine Barclay-King has brought Africa to Woonsocket. Now, she has moved her African-themed shop Geri’s Bluffing Boutique to 285 Main Street this spring. Clothes talk to you, say things about you, says Barclay-King. My West African roots show in what I wear and the items in my home. Though she started mostly with apparel, she has expanded to gifts, fashion accessories, and home decor from Africa along with handmade items and music. At first my inventory was from my travels to Liberia, she said, Then I bought animal prints for face masks, bow ties for men, and mud cloth for furniture and it all took off. GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
4/7/2021
Outdoor concert series to return to Woonsocket this summer
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience appear at the Levitt AMP summer music series in 2019. Organizers say the outdoor concert series will return, with some changes, to River Island Art Park this year. (Breeze photo by Charles Lawrence)
WOONSOCKET – After a year on hiatus due to the pandemic, the Levitt AMP summer concert series is set to return to River Island Art Park this summer.
Meghan Rego, director of resource development and communications for NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, said the 10-week concert series is scheduled to begin on Friday, July 9, and continue through Friday, Sept. 17, with the exception of Labor Day weekend. As in past years, the series will be free, and attendees are invited to bring their own chairs and blankets to enjoy the event.
12/30/2020
Businesses faced closure, struggled to adapt in 2020
Nick and Elaine Markopolous, of Hudson, Mass., are served by Justine Dancuse, of Woonsocket, outside Christopher’s Kitchen & Bar in May. (Breeze file photo by Robert Emerson)
Pandemic spurs new activity in some sectors
There were few sectors harder hit by the COVID-19 pandemic than the small business community, where protective measures disrupted a way of life for thousands of business owners across the state.
In Woonsocket, restaurant owners and small retail businesses were forced to shut their doors to customers in March as a wave of infections spread across the state. Takeout replaced table service as customers flocked to support local restaurants, but with fewer customers and no in-person alcohol sales, many owners still reported a drop in sales of more than 50 percent.