Welcome to our business spotlight, where we get to know a local business owner a little better. If you're a business owner and would like to be featured in this column, email john.castelluccio@patch.com. This week we're chatting with Amanda Bavaro, who recently opened up Mind and Body Integration Therapies. The new health and wellness spa is located at 1 Roosevelt Ave. Q: Tell us a little bit about your new business and your background. A: Mind and Body Integration Therapies was opened in April 2012. My goal was to maximize one’s own potential mentally, physically and spiritually by using …

Welcome to our business spotlight, where we get to know a local business owner a little better. If you're a business owner and would like to be featured in this column, email john.castelluccio@patch.com. This week we're chatting with Peabody resident Robert Capone, who just opened Lucky Dogs Daycare with his wife Joanne. The new canine daycare is located at 6 Bourbon St. behind Bonkers Funhouse and the Capones are planning to hold a grand opening soon. Q: Tell us a little bit about your new business and your background. A: As avid “dog lovers” our family has cared, nurtured and pampered our …

Welcome to our weekly business spotlight, where we get to know a local business owner a little better. If you're a business owner and would like to be featured in this column, email john.castelluccio@patch.com. This week we're chatting with Peabody resident Dennis Feld, owner of Evans Flowers with his wife Michele. The Warren Street shop and greenhouse has all sorts of flowers and gifts for any occasion. Q: How long have you been in business? A: Michele and I purchased Evans Flowers in 1984. It was established in 1875 on the same location as today. We are currently in our 28th year. Q: What …

Welcome to our weekly business spotlight, where we get to know a local business owner a little better. If you're a business owner and would like to be featured in this column, email john.castelluccio@patch.com. This week we're chatting with Peabody resident Maria Catalano, owner of A Happy Hostess. The hospitality service provides professional bartending, wait-staff and party planning services to individual and corporate clients in the Greater Boston area and Southern New Hampshire. Q: How long have you been in business? A: I opened my business in 2002 as a one-person party server to clients …

Still looking for a last-minute Christmas gift? Do you need something musical? You may want to check out Bill's Music Center, nestled in a ground floor storefront at 136 Main St. The shop boasts a large selection of guitars and other instruments and accessories, and claims it will beat any advertised price elsewhere for its customers. Bill's also offers music lessons in-house as well as a discounted rate on the first lesson. You can call the shop at 978-977-9141 for more information. Posted hours are Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Not the sort of shop you'd just walk in looking for a Christmas gift, but if it just happens you or a family member is in the market for a hairpiece, Whenever Wigs on Lowell Street just might be able to help you out. The salon run by Pauline Vitagliano opened its doors earlier this year, officially snipping the ribbon with city officials and members of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 15 at 386 Lowell St. Vitagliano, whose slogan is "fashion with compassion," says she has plenty of variety in style, color and length of wigs for any occasion from riding a motorcycle to going on a …

Himanshu Shah says he’s created a new retail concept, at least to the North Shore area, in one popular healthier ice cream alternative – a self-serve frozen yogurt bar. No doubt many a recent college grad fondly remembers the days of eating a “froyo” in the school dining hall, well Fruitberry Frozen Yogurt goes well beyond chocolate, strawberry or vanilla with nuts and sprinkles. Shah, the proprietor of Fruitberry’s, which opened at the Northshore Mall on Nov. 21, says the eatery boasts four frozen yogurt machines with eight flavors and four “twist” flavors, and if that’s not enough, there …

Cucina Italiana Owners: Frederico and Marco Barbosa One might think the combination of Italian cuisine with Brazilian pastries an odd pairing, but for Frederico Barbosa, owner of Cucina Italiana, nothing could be more natural. In fact, it’s in his blood. Barbosa is of Brazilian and Italian heritage, first being raised in his mother’s native Brazil before the family settled in his father’s hometown of Naples, Italy. Throughout his early years, Barbosa was surrounded with the tastes and scents of both cultures and grew to love both types of food, especially creating dishes from each. Barbosa …

4Play Customs Owners: Isaias Ruberto, Gibson Silva and Rick Cioffi 4 Play Customs is the realization of a dream for three friends, motorcycle enthusiasts and expert technicians who decided to pool their individual technical talents together to create a one-stop custom shop for, well, everything that moves. In 2010, the three Revere natives: Isaias Ruberto, Gibson Silva and Rick Cioffi were all employed in other mechanic shops. All had the same general feeling of being unappreciated and dissatisfied with how businesses treated their customers. They decided to make a change and come together …

Fit Werx Owners: Marty Miserandino and Dean Phillips (Peabody); Ian Buchanan (Vermont) What do you do when you’re a bicycle enthusiast and the nearest specialty shop with the best reputation is in Vermont, three hours away? Well, if you are anything like Marty Miserandino, you just open your own. Miserandino says he was so impressed by the level of expertise and services offered at Fit Werx in Waitsfield, Vt. that he contacted the owner, Ian Buchanan, and broached the topic of joining forces. Now in business together with Buchanon and co-partner, Wenham resident Dean Phillips, since 2007, the…

Dance With Dena Owner: Dena Thibodeau Dena Thibodeau always knew she would open a dance studio. From the time she began dancing at the age of three, it was the only thing she ever wanted to do. Thibodeau, owner of Dance With Dena on Main Street, grew up in Peabody and attended Bishop Fenwick High School, where she was also on the cheerleading squad all four years. Throughout her early years, she always studied dance. It was during her time in college at Merrimac, where she was the choreographer for the school dance team, that Thibodeau’s father heard an announcement on the radio about a New …

Maki Sushi Bar & Grill Owner: Jon Nguyen When tragedy strikes, some people let it roll over them, while others roll with it. Jon Nguyen is the latter type of man. The Peabody native was living in Louisiana with his parents six years ago, helping them with their shrimp business, when his life turned upside down. Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 storm unlike anyone had ever seen, was headed directly toward the Gulf Coast. With no time for questions, Nguyen grabbed a few articles of clothing and some important papers and fled to his older brothers' Orlando, Fla. home to wait out the storm. What …

Details Hair Design Owner: Holly Lazdowski Details Hair Design of Peabody is hosting a Cut-a-Thon on Monday, Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. to benefit the Peabody Youth Football and Youth Cheerleading Programs. Hair cuts are $10 on a first-come, first-served basis and no appointments are necessary. The salon has been under new ownership since October 2010, and new owner Holly Lazdowski is excited both to show off the new beautiful interior after a grueling few days of remodeling, and especially for the upcoming cut-a-thon. Peabody Patch caught up with Lazdowski earlier this week to learn more…

Pellana Prime Steakhouse Owner: Dan Mammola/Peter Pantezelos Operations Manager: Daniella LaRosa With knowledgeable servers who are unpretentious but precise, a superior wine list and high-quality menu selections, Pellana Prime Steakhouse has become a favorite for restaurant goers on the North Shore. In just under five years, Pellana’s has won “The Best of the North Shore” distinction by Northshore Magazine and an “Award of Excellence” from both Zagat and Wine Spectator. For 31-year-old Daniel Mammola, restaurant ownership is in his blood. Mammola, who trained as a chef in restaurants all …

Chandler’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Owner: Spiros Athanas Since: 1980s Since 1934, Peabody locals, and those from neighboring communities, have flocked to Chandler’s ice cream shop for its delicious homemade frozen treats. But when Chandler’s closed down after a fire in 2003, many loyal customers thought it was the end of an era. When the shop hadn’t re-opened by the fourth year, everyone had all but written it off. The business changed hands for a short time in 2008, but since 2010 Spiros Athanas, whose mother purchased the business from the Chandler family in the mid-1980s, has been at the …

Raices Cafe Owner: Maria Torres Since: April 2011 Raices Cafe owner Maria Torres wants diners to know that although she opened her cafe on Lowell Street in Peabody just this April, she is not a newcomer to the business of restaurant ownership. “I owned one back in Puerto Rico about twenty years ago with my husband," she said. The busy mother of four, who has been a Peabody resident for over 10 years, has been managing Fruit of the Four Seasons, a high-end meat and produce shop that also carries baked goods in Marblehead, for years. “I had been looking for the right spot for my own restaurant …

J&J’s Doo Wop Deli Owner: Joanne SchulteLocation: 47 Central St.Phone: 978-278-3563 Owner Joanne Schulte has paid special attention to detail, from the doo wop music to the old black and white “I Love Lucy” and “Mayberry” episodes playing on the flat screen television — walking through the door is like taking a step back in time. J&J’s Doo Wop Deli is located in downtown Peabody at 47 Central St. and has been in business since 2010. The decor inside is bubble gum pink — a real throwback to the 1950s. This sandwich and sub shop takes its menu one step further than just the atmosphere, …

Down Town Pizza Located in the heart of downtown, right across from the district courthouse, is where you will find a classic little pizza joint where the menu is a little different than you might expect. Specializing in gourmet pizzas and calzones, Down Town Pizza recently held a grand re-opening with new owners. The menu is diverse with red and white pizzas, specialty pizzas and pizza “turnovers,” which are similar to calzones. The shop also offers 8-ounce steak dinners for heartier fare and salads, club sandwiches, wraps and falafel for those with lighter appetites. Open seven days a week…

Something Sweet Shoppe Owner: Bill Demoree When Bill Demoree decided to expand his seafood market, it seemed a likely transition to offer customers a convenient place to go for dessert — an ice cream shop seemed like a great idea. Without any inkling as to how successful the venture would be, he moved forward, opening the Something Sweet Shoppe at 297 Lynn St. in Peabody. A true family-run operation, daughters Casey and Courtney began adding more homemade baked goods and chocolates to the increasingly popular Richardson’s ice cream menu. Before long, the Demorees needed to expand. The …

The Little Depot Diner Owners: Judy and Jim Miles “All Aboard!” signals the tin whistle as it blows, and the train is off and running — in miniature form, of course. The Little Depot Diner is located in Peabody Square, owned and operated by Judy and Jim Miles. Together, they have created an atmosphere akin to stepping back in time, when troubles were small and smiles were big, and truthfully, the happiness is contagious. Why is everyone so joyous on this particular day? “Well, the Bruins won, so that’s a good thing!” owner Judy Miles laughs. “Life is good, maybe we’ll do a Stanley Cup Special…