April 2014

A. W. Baldwin's Hardware

Posted by alice , Thursday, 1 May 2014

AW Baldwin's Hardware
2 Center Street, West Stockbridge, MA
(413) 232-7757

Henry Baldwin’s hardware business has a genealogy.  His great-great grandfather, also by the name of Henry, bought the business 150 years ago, and Baldwin’s Hardware has been a steadfast presence right smack in the middle of West Stockbridge ever since then.  From this vantage point, Baldwin has a pretty special perspective on this little—and very walkable—town.

Monterey Masonry

Posted by alice , Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Monterey Masonry
39 Silver Street, Sheffield, MA
(413) 229-0475

Cold hard stone?  Not in the hands of master mason Mark Mendel and his crew at Monterey Masonry.  When you talk to Mendel you realize that his business has a lot more to do with warmth than you might anticipate.  In fact, Mendel’s “bread and butter” since he founded Monterey Masonry in 1982 has been in building fireplaces.  Mendel specializes in building energy-efficient “Rumford” fireplaces, designed by Count Rumford in the 1790s.  But Count Rumford hasn’t had his hands in the mortar for a while now, and over the course of more than 40 years as a mason Mendel has learned “a few tricks to modify and tweak Rumford’s design.”  Monterey Masonry can build a fireplace that throws a lot of heat.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014