Massachusetts Town Is One Of The Best For Yard Space
There’s certainly hope that 2024 will contain more favorable conditions for homebuyers and sellers. LawnStarter reported on this in late December. For their report, 2,000 of the biggest cities in America were analyzed to determine which has the biggest yard space, and a Massachusetts area was named in the top 10.
Backyard area and functionality seem to have become even more valuable since the pandemic years. “According to our research, the national yard size sits around 23,301 square feet, or just over half an acre,” Today’s Homeowner explained back in October. Here, they stated the average yard size in the state of Massachusetts is 12,693 square feet. That is equivalent to .29 of an acre. However, LawnStarter explains that “Only the top 150 cities in our ranking enjoy lawns larger than the national average of half an acre.”
The town that ranked number one in the country was Carney, Maryland. This town, with a population of just under 30,000, averages over an acre of yard size. In Massachusetts, the area recognized for having admirable yard space has an average acreage of .79, according to LawnStarter’s report.
Barnstable Ranked #9
Although the town of Barnstable ranked 9th, what is most impressive here is that they have the highest population (by 6,000 people) of all the cities that ranked in the top 10. “The town of Barnstable—the Cape’s largest—comprises 60 square miles,” the Cape Cod Chamber explains.
In addition, New Hampshire faired quite well here. In fact, Derry, New Hampshire, ranked higher than Barnstable, coming in as the sixth-best city for big yards. New Hampshire was one of three states where each of the cities measured in this analysis finished in the top half of LawnStarter’s ranking.
Other notable Massachusetts towns that were in the top 100 for yard space include Bridgewater (25) and Amherst (65). Linton Hall, Virginia (2) was the only other city other than top-ranked Carney, MD, where the average yard size is over one acre.
Massachusetts Brewery Is Crushing It With Their Merchandise
“We have been given the name of Merch King Kong by our peers,” Dino Funari, founder of Vitamin Sea Brewing says. That is because this brewery has some of the most recognizable merchandise in Massachusetts.
Chances are you’ve seen (or have) a hat or t-shirt that sports the branding “VSB,” “South Shore,” “Sea,” an ocean/sunrise vector, or a duck on it. That’s all Vitamin Sea Brewing. In fact, some of their items are so popular they fly off the shelf as soon as they are stocked. Furthermore, you can’t buy them online. They are all purchased onsite.
Weymouth, MA
Vitamin Sea Brewing opened in February of 2019. Their taproom (and headquarters) in Weymouth features twelve taps covering a wide range of craft beer styles. IPAs and stouts are also available to purchase in cans. Some of the beers vary per season, while others are more standard. The Summer IPA, currently on tap, for example, is hopped with Citra, Cascade, and Columbus hops. In addition, on tap number 12, you will find Seas and Desist Blueberry Lemonade. This is Vitamin Sea’s take on hard seltzer.
Their location has a beer garden feel where outdoor seating is available, and they typically partner with food trucks onsite at least three days per week. If you go inside VSB’s Weymouth home base, you will find a colorful wall of t-shirts adjacent to the bar and rack of hats, jackets, sweatshirts and more along the right-side wall.
The Merch Line
“Our marketing strategy happened organically. Well before we opened, I was handing out hats, t-shirts, pins, and stickers to get the word out. And it paid off. We’re constantly asked to advertise monetarily, but we see more value in getting our merch out to people or groups (musicians, athletes, media personalities) with their own audiences and fan bases, which introduces them to our brand,” Funari explains, about VSB’s intent to create such merch.
They have one of New England’s more recognizable logos. Whether you are walking in downtown Portland, ME or attending the Levitate Music and Artist Festival in Marshfield, it is likely you will see the Vitamin Sea round logo or duck along the way. People are proud to represent the passion that Vitamin Sea pours into everything they do. Wearing their gear also shows pride in where you are from.
Here, Funari will take us inside the taproom to provide some insight into this killer Vitamin Sea Brewing merch.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
