Apr 11, 2007

New downtown shop offers gourmet greatnessBy Brian MessengerAndoverTownsman.com

For fans of high-end food and gifts, Mawby’s has a lot to offer. Just ask owner Chris Perry.

“It’s so difficult to describe, short of a book, what’s in here,” said Perry from within his downtown “Gourmet Luxury Lifestyle” shop on Barnard Street, which opened March 19. “People would ask me, ‘What’s Mawby’s going to be?’ I used to dread the question. There are so many unusual products. There’s so much going on in the store, it’s difficult to distill it into a short answer.”

For starters, Mawby’s boasts gourmet food that customers can order for carry-out eating. A duck breast sandwich and buffalo meat burger highlight the unique menu offerings.

“We’re a restaurant with no seating,” said Perry. “We’re selling people gourmet food that they can take home with them.”

Then there’s the imported cheeses, chocolates and desserts, and hard-to-find gift items | like antique Victorian-era flasks made of sterling silver and crocodile-skin from London, leather luggage and folding chairs from Africa and hand-made purses and cutlery. And starting next week, Mawby’s will have an assortment of fine wines in stock, too.

Read complete article.