WESTFIELD — For Lisa Sommers, owner of the new Elm Street Gallery (The Gallery), art and tranquility go hand in hand. “I just find it very fulfilling to make beautiful spaces,” Ms. Sommers told Union County HAWK during a visit to The Gallery last week. “When I first looked at this store, it was pain...

WESTFIELD — We’ve all found our own ways to cope with the isolation, the depression, the daily adjustments and the worry wrought by this pandemic. Some of us have found new hobbies. Others have launched new careers, learned new skills, started families or adopted too many cats. Some of us just watch...

WESTFIELD — For Maria Gomez, owner of Westfield’s newest downtown salon, Artistique, the light at the end of a long tunnel was well-worth waiting for. “I have been working in salons for more than 10 years, but I always wanted to open my own shop,” Ms. Gomez said. “When the pandemic hit and everythin...