Thursday, June 17, 2010 Dedham Transcript wickedlocaldedham.

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NEWS
Q&A WITH AMANDA CEASE
By Andrea Salisbury
STAFF WRITER

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND NEWS TIPS can be sent to editor Andrea Salisbury at 781-433-8322 or dedham@cnc.com.

Town continues A peek inside Callahans Closet to help Haiti

Amanda Cease has found a creative way to celebrate life. As a mother of two, Cease said she was looking for a way to balance work with family, so she started Callahans Closet, an online baby store with a personal touch. The Dedham resident designs and creates all of the items for sale with a bit of sewing help in the busy season and she even packages them in cigar boxes. She recently spoke with the Dedham Transcript on the baby business.
COURTESY PHOTOS

Trailer in St. Marys lot being filled with items for earthquake victims
By Edward B. Colby
STAFF WRITER

Cease packages some of her baby clothes in cigar boxes.

: Bring back to the Q did you ushowCallahansbeginning, and when start Closet? : It was 2009, and after nearly a decade working in the public relations field in Boston and in New York City, I was struggling with the work/mom/life balance and secretly dreaming of owning my own business. When I arrived at a friends baby shower carrying a decorative box filled

Dedham resident Amanda Cease started Callahans Closet, an online baby store, in 2009.

with my hand-sewn, ribboned burp cloths, several of the guests asked me if I could do something similar for them and Callahans Closet was born. Do you have Q :background? a crafty : My husband would say A my dad andbeen creative, Ive always and brother both have the artist genes, but no this is really my first foray into crafting/sewing.

tions of fabric stores).

kets, cigar boxes or the hilarious drool belt (a genuine leather tool belt filled with hand-sewn burp cloths, diapers, pacifiers and other newdad necessities).

Why Q :gifts inpackage the baby Q :your your site,are says cigar boxes? On it designs inspired : For centuries, people by your bold and beautiful A have newborn with thethe daughter. How so? who have been celebrating birth of a For passing of cigars. I honor the Callahan A :metthe all thoseat Mocha tradition - minus the smoke Java in mornings, my 4by rolling up hand-sewn baby gifts and packaging them in genuine cigar boxes. Its a colorful, fun and creative gift for new and expecting dads (especially on Fathers Day which is just around the corner). year-old daughter is spunky, spirited and beautiful - and so I test out my designs on her before they make it into my line. She gives me a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

About Amanda
Name: Amanda Cease Age: 36 Neighborhood: Endicott Estate area Favorite item you sell: A Nantucket basket or cigar box filled with hand-sewn baby bibs, rompers and burp cloths Children: Two children - One is 8-weeks-young, the other is almost 4 years old Website: www.callahanscloset.com

Where the Q :fabrics? do you find your Q :gifts different than, say, Q :giftWhat is everworst baby What makes your baby youve received? The patterns bright items from : Picture a Patch A :and over thegetareand A :baby showerTarget?intoaa A then turnedCabbagelamp. I lively. I my fabrics Imagine walking doll, spray-painted gold, from all place carrying and into a stop into fabric stores whenclassic Nantucket basket filled think my mother-in-law was ever I travel. My designs are bright and fun (think Marimekko), or simple and sweet (shabby chic vibe) - but never cutesy (I steer clear of the baby or nursery secwith hand-sewn, one-of-akind baby gifts. New and expecting moms and grandmothers literally swoon at the beauty and originality of the gifts - whether it is the baskidding when she gave it to me, but ... you never know. Dedham Transcript editor Andrea Salisbury can be reached at 781-433-8322 or by e-mail at asalisbu@cnc.com.

POLICE NEWS

Police: Woman took DVDs from Costco

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Patricia Eng, 56, of 112 Cedric Road in Newton, on shoplifting charges after police said she took six DVDs worth $129 from Costco, at 400 Commercial Circle. Police responded to Costco on Thursday, June 3 at 2:10 p.m. after loss prevention saw Eng place the DVD movies in her shopping cart, before putting them in her pocketbook while in the bakery area of the store, said Lt. Robert Nedder. Eng brought the cart to the front of the store and tried to leave but was stopped, according to Nedder. She was arraigned in Dedham District Court on June 7, with the charge dismissed on court costs, he said.

358 Bridge St. Apt. 3L, on a West Roxbury District Court warrant for driving without a license. Ashley was pulled over and arrested at 494 High St. on Friday, June 4, police said.

Man faces driving charges

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Gregory McNeil, 47, of 20 Woodville St. Apt. 3 in Roxbury, on charges of driving with a suspended license, subsequent offense and failing to stop last Friday. At 5:17 p.m. Officer Joshua Blaney was at Whiting Avenue and Walnut Street when he saw two cars go through the intersection. The first one halted at a stop sign, but the gray 2006 Nissan Sentra behind it did not, said Lt. Robert Nedder. Blaney stopped the Sentra in front of 25 Walnut St., where the driver, McNeil, told him that his license was suspended, Nedder said. Blaney confirmed that and arrested McNeil, who was arraigned last Monday in Dedham District Court, pleading not guilty, and is due back there for a pretrial hearing July 14, according to Nedder.

Dedham man arrested on warrant

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Steven Nunez, 23, of 22 Washington St. on a West Roxbury District Court warrant for a motor vehicle offense. Officer Kevin Mahoney stopped Nunez in his blue 1995 Honda Accord in front of his home just after 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 6 and arrested him on the outstanding warrant, said Lt. Robert Nedder.

RAV4 drove erratically on High Street/Rte. 109 with its right directional sign on, and weave in its lane, said Lt. Robert Nedder. Ellis stopped the Toyota in front of 414 Bridge St., where he detected a moderator odor of alcohol coming from the driver, Lopez, who said he was lost, Nedder said. Lopez failed field sobriety tests and was arrested, he added. Dedham Transcript staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.

Dedhams Haiti earthquake relief effort has reached its third and final phase with the arrival in the St. Marys parking lot of a 45-foot trailer that is gradually being filled with shoes, clothes, hospital sheets and blankets. The needs in Haiti are really, really huge. And we still need a lot of supplies. We need money, Philippe Emmanuel Joseph, the pastor of the Dedham Temple Haitian Seventh-Day Adventist Church, said in an appeal to selectmen and the community at large. Joseph said that since the trailer arrived June 4, theyve collected shoes, clothes and towels. He said non-perishable foods like rice and dried beans are needed, as well as walkers and crutches, because we have a lot of amputees in Haiti. And if you have old bicycles you want to get rid of, the trailer will welcome them, Joseph said, prompting laughter from selectmen at their meeting last week. He presented a fast-moving slideshow of images of Haiti before and after the Jan. 12 earthquake, before beginning his talk. Adrienne Albani, who has been coordinating the towns effort to help Haiti, working alongside the pastor, said the container was donated by Recycling Solutions, which operates Dedhams transfer station. It was our plan to ship this container in the middle of June, and Im learning quite a bit about the international shipping business, and there are no schedules and no times, said Albani, who is a parttime town employee. We were told there was a ship leaving June 10 that has been delayed and delayed, and its still being delayed. We are working on getting the container filled and getting it shipped. She said phase 1 of the effort

was establishing an account at Needham Bank to raise funds for the mission trip, and phase 2 was a clothing drive which garnered hundreds and hundreds of bags of clothing, medical supplies, and even 20 hospital beds. And the third phase was the procurement of the container, and raising funds to ship it to Haiti. Joseph left Haiti in 1977, and has been pastor of the Dedham Square church on Washington Street since September. But he plans to return to his home country and distribute the trailers materials in September, as he takes a months sabbatical. Town Administrator said he is perfectly fine with leaving the container on the town-owned portion of the St. Marys lot for the summer, so we can get it filled and then send it off in September, after Joseph said it would take more time to fill than initially thought. Keegan thanked Albani tremendously for her effort. She said it will cost about $5,600 to ship it and weve got about $3,000, so we are getting there. Donations can be made to the Haiti Relief Fund at Needham Bank. Albani said Russell Disposal has donated a very substantial amount of money towards the shipping, and donors have also included Peter Zahka, the Rotary Club, and other businesses and individuals. The container will go to a small town outside the Port-ofPrince area that has not received much aid. Albani said the container is going to be put on a ship, brought to Haiti, rolled off, and brought over to a site, and it will become a permanent distribution site there for the folks that need help. And the pastor and his ministry team will be directly distributing those materials.
Dedham Transcript staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.

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Man charged with assault

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Charles Depari, 77, of 11 Barna Woods Way in Plainville, on a charge of domestic assault and battery. Franklin Police had told Dedham Police that there was probable cause to arrest him on the charge and that Depari might be found at 4 Leonard St., which is where Kevin Mahoney arrested him after he arrived just after noon on Tuesday, June 8, said Lt. Robert Nedder. Depari was booked here and then turned over to Franklin Police, Nedder added.

Man charged with shoplifting

DEDHAM Police said they arrested John Coakley, 46, of 24 Deborah Drive in Walpole, on a charge of shoplifting by concealing merchandise at CVS on Eastern Avenue on Friday, June 4. Officer John Hennessey was sent to the convenience store at 10:33 a.m. after it reported that a shoplifter had fled toward the back and was in the Washington Street area, said Lt. Robert Nedder. The store manager said Coakley left the building without paying for some flaxseed oil and a vitamin water worth a total of $27, Nedder said. Lt. Paschal found Coakley on Washington Street, about 15 yards from the police station, Nedder noted. Coakley is due in Dedham District Court on July 8, he said.

Woman faces shoplifting charges

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Courtney White, 23, of 20 New Bedford St. in Hyde Park, on charges of shoplifting over $100 by concealing merchandise at the Dedham Mall Sears last Saturday. At 10:20 p.m. Officer Brian Crump was sent to Sears on a report of a shoplifter in custody, subsequently learning from loss prevention that White had concealed several items worth $173 in two bags, said Lt. Robert Nedder. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment in Dedham District Court last Monday and is due back there for a pretrial hearing July 9, Nedder said.

BEFORE

AFTER

Medford man arrested on warrant

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Michael Desmond, 40, of 8 Ninth St. Apt. 703 in Medford, on a Boston District Court warrant for a motor vehicle offense. On Tuesday, June 8 at 9:19 p.m., Officer Matthew Blake was on Bridge Street when he randomly did a query on a blue 2003 Nissan Sentra and learned that the owner, Desmond, had a warrant, and stopped his car at Bridge and Berkeley streets, said Lt. Robert Nedder.

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Man faces driving charges

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Lorenzo Lopez, 46, of 110 Rosseter St. Apt. 1 in Dorchester, around 5 a.m. last Sunday on charges of driving without a license. Officer Kenneth Ellis watched as a red 2007 Toyota

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Man arrested on warrant

DEDHAM Police said they arrested Michael Ashley, 32, of

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