Thousands of ballots have been cast, the results tabulated, and now we present the winners of the 2018 Merrimack Valley Magazine Awards. This spring, the top picks in all categories were chosen by our readers via our online voting platform. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and congratulations to all the winners!

Milestone Award – 5 Years
Red Antler Apothecary
Red Antler Apothecary is located in Lowell’s Mill No. 5, a repurposed factory on Jackson Street. The apothecary sells soaps, moisturizers, cleansers and even mustache wax. Their ethically created, home crafted products include a pine tar soap recipe that is over 100 years old. Environmentally conscious clients can bring their own containers — Red Antler’s cream, lotions and cleaners are sold by the ounce.
Mill No. 5
250 Jackson St.
Lowell, Mass.
RedAntlerApothecary.com

Milestone Award – 10 years
Brew’d Awakening Coffeehaus
With free WiFi, compostable cups, outdoor seating and custom-roasted beans, what more could you ask for in a local coffee shop? Find all this and more at Brew’d Awakening. Offering Equal Exchange fair trade coffees and three in-house roasts, Brew’d Awakening is a great place to do some work, chat with friends or just sit and sip.
61 Market St.
Lowell, Mass.
BrewdAwakening.com 

Milestone Award – 20 years
Cobblestones of Lowell
Cobblestones has brought creative American dining to downtown Lowell since 1994. While their dinner and lunch menus feature an unrivaled selection of craft brews and oysters, don’t overlook their legendary Sunday brunch offerings. A fried chicken and bacon waffle with maple honey butter? Cookie butter-stuffed French toast? Zucchini and goat cheese strata? What are you waiting for?
91 Dutton St.
Lowell, Mass.
CobblestonesOfLowell.com

Milestone Award – 30 years
Latitude Sports Clubs
Get that tip-top beach body you’ve always wanted at Latitude Sports Clubs. Bulk up with their rows of state-of-the-art weight machines and equipment. Trim down in the spinning studio or cardio theater. Get yourself on track with the help of Latitude’s trained fitness professionals or one of their famous classes.
Andover, Bradford, Methuen, Peabody, and Salisbury, Mass.
LatitudeSportsClubs.com

Milestone Award – 40 Years
Heritage Farm
As famous for its summertime Monday night classic car shows as its ice cream, Heritage lives up to its name, having fed and entertained families in the valley for over 35 years. Order your ice cream and cross the street for a walk along the Merrimack. It’s a Lowell tradition that will likely endure for years to come.
163 Pawtucket Blvd.
Lowell, Mass.
HeritageFarmIceCream.com

Milestone Award – 50 years
Jackson Kitchen Designs
In the market for a new countertop? How about freshening up the cabinetry? Ready to throw in the towel on your entire kitchen? Family-owned and operated since 1946, Jackson Kitchen Designs can help you love your kitchen again. Work with their designers to create a perfect space for your style and needs.
1093 Osgood St.
North Andover, Mass.
JacksonKitchenDesigns.com

Milestone Award – 75 years
Rocco’s Restaurant
In 1940, Rocco DePasquale opened the doors of Rocco’s Restaurant where he and his family served spaghetti and meatballs and baked their pizzas in a coal-fire hearth. In the early ‘60s, Rocco V. DePasquale took over and added a “groceria” from which he sold cold cuts and rotisserie chicken. In 1997, Rocco turned the restaurant over to his sons. Rocco Jr. and Matt updated the restaurant, exposing the original stonework their grandfather built. They added new dishes to the menu such as buffalo chicken, rattlesnake pasta and chicken Florentine while keeping all the traditional favorites: eggplant Parmigiana, chicken Marsala and pizza.
193 Main St.
Wilmington, Mass.
RoccosMA.com

Milestone Award – 100 years
UMass Lowell
The university began as the Lowell Normal School, a teaching college founded in 1894, and the Lowell Textile School, founded in 1895 to train technicians and managers for the textile industry. Lowell State and Lowell Tech, as they were then known, merged in 1975 to form the University of Lowell. The campus became part of the University of Massachusetts system in 1991. The university offers more than 17,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in six colleges and is among the top 160 research universities in the U.S. according to U.S. News & World Report.
Lowell, Mass.
UML.edu

 

 

 

The 2018 MVMAs are sponsored by: