1. The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) opened the newest location of its NH Liquor & Wine Outlet in Swanzey on Oct. 1, consolidating past locations in Keene, Swanzey and Winchester. The store spans 20,000 square feet and about 5,700 wines, spirits and other products. NHLC officials held a ribbon-cutting for the store after its opening.
2. Dan Church, retired CEO of insurance firm The Rowley Agency, has pledged an unrestricted gift of $1 million to support the Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire. The funds are being made through the retired executive’s Dan and Terry Church Charity Fund. Church, left, is shown with Chris Emond, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club branch.
3. Concord business Gibson’s Bookstore was named the NH Retail Association’s 2024 Retailer of the Year for its contributions to the state’s retail industry. The store is the oldest continuously operating retailer in the Concord area, opening in 1898. In 2013, it moved to Main Street and bought a toy store business, and its café opened in 2021. Shown are Gibson’s owner Michael Herrmann and NHRA CEO Curtis Picard.
4. Plymouth State University’s Holmes Center for School Partnerships and Educator Preparation hosted a media literacy symposium for K-12 educators on Oct. 18, featuring free books, digital resource demonstrations and table discussions. Digital information literacy researcher Mike Caulfield, creator of the SIFT methodology to determine online credibility.
5. The Town of Windham recently acquired over 40 acres of property at 21-24 Lowell Road, intended for forest, wetland and wildlife conservation. The Southern NH Chamber of Commerce held a ribboncutting with officials on Oct. 19 to commemorate the purchase.
6. Clothing, beauty and home décor store Anthropologie opened its first store in New Hampshire on Oct. 23 at The Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem. In celebration, the company gave out free coffee from Boston caterer The Coffee Trike and free flowers from local florist Ford Flower Co. to the new location’s first 100 customers. The chain retailer has over 200 stores worldwide and ships to more than 100 countries.
7. St. Mary’s Bank opened its newest branch in North Hampton recently, holding a ribboncutting for the location on Oct. 25. The branch, at 65 Lafayette Rd., is the 12th branch for the local credit union and complements an existing full-service branch at Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth. Pictured are St. Mary’s leaders preparing to cut the ribbon.
8. Portsmouth nonprofit Plan NH has completed its 80th community design charrette, or intensive architectural planning period, in Newmarket, which lasted two days. A design team, pictured, visited the town, spoke with community residents and developed recommendations on how to improve the area. Plan NH has held charrettes across 68 New Hampshire communities since 1996 when its first one was held in Belmont.
