Ward's Nursery and Garden Center
600 South Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-0166
Donald Ward had a lot of ideas in 1957 when he and his business partner purchased what would become Ward’s Nursery and Garden Center. Now, decades later, many of Donald Ward’s ideas have been brought to fruition and Ward’s itself continues to be an anchor of the business community.
Prairie Whale
178 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230
413 528 5050
Yummy Treasures
10 Commercial Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
413 344 4314
Bead by bead, Beth and Greg Carpenter have built a business—and it has far exceeded their expectations.Yummy Treasures Bead Shop “started out of our basement in Pittsfield,” says Greg. It all began because Beth loved collecting jewelry and crafting supplies such as beads, findings, and cabochons. In 2008 she set up a shop on Etsy.com to “see if she could make a few bucks” from this habit. “And it took off from there.”
Andrew LaPatin is a young man from Pittsfield with a passion for art. He has autism, and his work reflects his unique perception of the people, characters, wildlife, & natural beauty of the enchanted hills of Berkshire County. After Entry to Entrepreneurship he plans to continue his education by taking college-level art courses, establish a store on Etsy, and start building his network. Andrew is ready to accept special commissions and sell his artwork. You can contact him through his Facebook page.
Assembly Coffee Roasters
814 East Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
413 443 0280
“It is about caramelizing sugars,” explains Thomas Doyle, a fifteen-year coffee roasting veteran and co-owner, with his wife Julia, of Assembly Coffee Roasters in Pittsfield. The coffee bean, he points out, is a cherry seed; roasting coffee is really just the process of applying heat over a period of time to caramelize the sugars in that seed. Julia jumps in, “That’s why coffee really shouldn’t be bitter!”
Indian Line Farm
57 Jug End Rd. South Egremont, MA
(413) 528 8301
For more information:
Alice Maggio, 413 528 1737
[email protected]
Kenver, Ltd.
39 Main Street, South Egremont, MA 01258
413 528 2330
“It’s about way more than just skiing.” So says Lucinda Vermeulen, owner of Kenver, Ltd. the outdoor specialty store in South Egremont that is famous for its atmosphere.
When Lucinda’s late husband Ken Vermeulen founded the business with Ernie Beckwith in Great Barrington in 1959, the focus of the business was rather different. Both men were avid hunters and outdoorsmen and, Lucinda laughs, “if you can imagine, they used to hang deer on Railroad Street, with everybody walking around in neon orange!”
Soon, however, Ken Vermeulen moved the business to its current location in Egremont. The iconic building, which dates back to 1731 and once served as a stagecoach stop, had been decimated by fire, but the beautiful marble floors, high ceilings, and original beams were still intact, and they captured Vermeulen’s fancy.
[email protected]
413 528 1737
www.berkshares.org
BerkShares, Inc. is a membership-directed non-profit organization focused on responsible economic development in the Berkshire region. BerkShares, Inc. has worked in partnership with local businesses and community banks to issue BerkShares, a local currency for the Berkshire Region. BerkShares help to build regional identity, raise awareness about the importance of local ownership, and empower community-based economic decision-making. On October 20th, BerkShares, Inc. held its Annual Meeting, where the membership elected the following five of their fellows to join the Board of Trustees of the organization:
Wandering Star Craft Brewery
11 Gifford St., Pittsfield, MA 01201
917 573 3942
“Honey, I bought a brewery.” That is how Chris Post announced to the world (and in particular, to his wife) that his home brewing hobby had morphed into something more serious. At that point, Post was still working in finance in New York City, and brewing was something that happened on a two-ring burner in his apartment. But one day, while browsing eBay for home brewing equipment, he had stumbled upon the entire contents of a brewpub in Michigan, listed at “an absurdly low price.”
“I was convinced that I would be outbid, but I didn’t want to die wondering ‘what if I had taken that chance and pressed the button.’ So I pressed the button.” As it turns out, that was the beginning of Post’s adventure from banker to brewer.
Kemble Inn & Table Six Restaurant
2 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA
(413) 637-4113
The Kemble Inn and Table Six Restaurant have grabbed ahold of BerkShares and they’re not letting go. This 13-room boutique hotel and restaurant have been all atwitter since they started accepting BerkShares a year ago.
Located across from Trinity Church in Lenox, the Kemble Inn has been under the ownership of Scott Shortt since 2010. Shortt has been
“The pottery is very quiet,” insists Daniel Bellow, owner of Daniel Bellow Porcelain. And if you see his work you’re sure to agree. Its strength is not in being flashy or cute, but rather in its gravity, simplicity, and its feel. “This is manufacturing,” Bellow says, “can’t you see the clay under my fingernails?”
Bellow has been a full time potter for the past
If you have BerkShares in your pocket and you feel like taking an autumn drive on the back roads of Berkshire County, this is a good time to visit Rawson Brook Farm. Even though most of Susan Sellew’s sales of Monterey Chevre are to local grocery stores and restaurants, selling
Trevor Cobb has been “racing and riding since he can remember,” says Olivia Norton, co-owner, with Trevor, of Treyson Racin,’ a parts and accessories service and maintenance shop on Route 7 in Great Barrington. Treyson Racin’ specializes in the vehicles that Trevor grew up with—ATVs
Can you guess which BerkShares business owes its existence to a fluke at a flea market? Phyllis Webb says The Magic Fluke Company would never have happened if her brother—a guitar player in the music industry—had not found a vintage ukulele at an L.A. flea market and realized “Gee, I could do with four strings what I’ve been doing all my life with six.” After
