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- © Peter Balentine, “Summer and Burns”
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- © Peter Balentine, “Lynnway and Washington”
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- © Peter Balentine, “Newhall and Amity”
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- © Peter Balentine, “Boston and Grove”
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- © Peter Balentine, “North Common and Centre”
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- © Peter Balentine, “Essex and Rockaway”
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- © Peter Balentine, “Western and Holland”
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- © Peter Balentine, “Chatham and Oakwood”
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- © Peter Balentine, “South Common and Shepard”
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- © Peter Balentine, “Walnut and Harmon”
Peter Balentine
Home Markets
In the developing countries I have visited over the years, I have always been fascinated by the “home” markets on almost every street corner. People have small stores connected to their homes from which they sell food, beverages, clothing, phone cards, and general supplies. Selling something out of your dwelling is a popular way to make a living in many places, and it reminds me of the neighborhood “mom and pop” stores in my hometown of Westerly, Rhode Island back in the 1970’s but which are now gone.
Since moving to Lynn, I have been surprised to discover an abundance of similar “home” markets present in the city. They are also known as convenience stores, mini-marts, and superettes. Lynn has a huge housing stock of triple-decker houses in often deteriorating condition, and a number of these houses still incorporate a store on the first floor. Lynn is also home to 70 different nationalities and many of these “home” markets reflect that fact. The store names and colors tell us that the owners are from other parts of the world: the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, etc. Perhaps this is why there are so many satellite dishes attached to these dwellings – people want to watch television from back home!
What is for sale in these Lynn “home markets”? It varies by market. Alcohol, scratch tickets and bread and milk are popular in some. But others emphasize fresh fruit and vegetables, grains and beans, frozen fish, and lots of candy for the kids. A few are true general stores selling cooking pots, blankets, candles, beauty supplies and many other items. The reality is that a home market is a much easier place for people especially without cars to shop, rather than riding the bus with bags of groceries. However, there is a downside – prices are higher than Market Basket of Stop N Shop due to smaller inventories.
Who buys from these “home” markets? It is usually the people who live in the surrounding neighborhood and can walk to the store or stop in their car on the way home. The markets are places of community – you actually may know the clerk or owner and the other people visiting the store. But what fascinates me most is that the majority of these markets are in actual homes. Are they owner occupied on the 2nd and 3rd floors? Some shopkeepers rent their space, some own and rent out the apartments above, but some do own their “home” market and live there themselves. Regardless, these buildings are both homes and markets!
Artist Bio
Peter is a photographer and pastor who lives in the city of Lynn, MA. Having a grandmother who graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in photography, and the other grandmother an oil painter, Peter appreciates a photograph that combines good light, form and meaning.
With a bachelor’s in English Literature, as well as holding both a master’s and a doctorate in theology, Peter speaks weekly at his church, and often uses visual images as metaphors to help illustrate spiritual concepts and insights. His photography celebrates the variety of people, places and cultures God has made on this earth.
Peter has studied at the New England School of Photography and the Griffin’s Photography Atelier, and is a member of the Lynn Arts Association, the Griffin Museum of Photography, and Christians in the Visual Arts. He has exhibited at GALA (Galleries of Lynn Arts), the Griffin Museum of Photography, and Outdoor Sculpture at Maudsley in Newburyport, MA.
Contact Peter Balentine