Peebles Grand Opening: 'They Have Delivered'

First Hartford Realty Corp. President Neil H. Ellis and Mayor John Barrett III at an Oct. 19 North Adams Peebles department store opening.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Within 10 minutes of an Oct. 19 morning ribbon-cutting grand opening ceremony, a crowd inside a downtown Peebles department store had grown to about 200 people.

A free promotional tote bag giveaway had been exhausted, but special sales that delivered cash register discounts in addition to advertised sale prices brought smiles to shopper faces.

Linda Connolly of Marlboro reported that she purchased a handbag with a "regular price" of $40, a sale price of $18 and an actual purchase price of $8.

"And it's a Hush Puppy [brand]!" she said as she showed off the label. Connolly's shopping companion Shauna Marhafer of Bolton said she was pleased with the store, its contents and its prices.

"I thought the store was great and I thought the sales were great," she said.

Better Than Expected

Mayor John Barrett III and First Hartford Realty Corp. President Neil H. Ellis attended the opening, as did numerous city councilors, including Richard Alcombright, Gailanne Cariddi, Marie Harpin, and Christopher Tremblay, whose electrical contracting firm was hired to work at the site.

The First Hartford firm owns the plaza. Barrett acknowledged that he and Ellis "did not start out on the best of terms, but I think we were able to develop a good marriage of the city and the retail venues."

Initial plans called for a Sleepy's mattress store and a dollar-type retail outlet at the site; Barrett strongly and publicly objected to those plans and vehemently urged Ellis to find more upscale tenants for the downtown's anchor shopping site. Ultimately, Barrett and Ellis were able to come to terms about plaza devlopment.

Retail sites at the plaza include Peebles, a Staples store, an Olympia store and a multi-screen movie theater. Staples has opened and expectations are that the Olympia store will open soon. The theater could open by late November.

"I think this project turned out better than we all thought," Barrett said.

A crowd of about 50 people gathered prior to the opening ceremony. The public excitement was perceived as a positive by Ellis. "It's open," he said of the store. "I'm surprised at the size of the crowd and I am pleased to see this kind of a turnout for the opening."

'This Is Very, Very Good'

Alcombright termed the opening "fabulous" and noted that when he first learned that Peebles was a likely tenant, he researched the company via internet resources. He was very pleased with the information he found, he said.

"This is a store known for quality merchandise at decent prices and a high-end look," he said. "They have delivered. This is very, very good."

Alcombright cited the downtown convenience of the adjacent Staples store.

"To think that I find so much within a mile of my house, it's great," he said.

Paul Hopkins, community relations director for Northern Berkshire Healthcare, attended the opening and perused store aisles.

"I saw a nice selection of menswear, which is a nice addition to town," he said. "I noticed a nice selection of shoes, both dress and athletic."

The ability to find suitable business attire in the downtown will be appreciated, Hopkins said.

"This seems like good news for the business community," he said. "And I can't wait for the movie theater to open up."

Tremblay was also pleased with the store's mens department. "The mens' section is especially good," he said. "And look at this crowd, this is just great. This is something that's bringing jobs and tax revenue to the city."

More To Come

City resident Julia Shade purchased a winter jacket for her 2-year-old daughter during a trip into the store. Eugene Shade said the store met his expectations.

"They have good name brands and good quality," he said.

Harpin said she believes the store hired about 45 area residents as full and part-time employees.

"They hired local people, they didn't come in fully staffed, and I'm impressed with that," she said. "I am very excited about this opening. We turned a corner in this city a long time ago, and there's more to come. This city is going no place but up."

Freight Yard Pub Serving the Community for Decades

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:26PM / Saturday, December 06, 2025

One of the eatery's menu mainstays is the popular French onion soup. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Freight Yard Pub has been serving the community for decades with a welcoming atmosphere and homemade food.

 

Siblings Sean and Colleen Taylor are the owners Freight Yard Pub. They took it over with their brother Kevin and Colleen's first husband in 1992. The two came from Connecticut and Boston to establish a restaurant and said they immediately felt welcomed in their new home.

 

"The reception that the community gave us in the beginning was so warm and so welcoming that we knew we found home," Colleen Taylors said. "We've made this area our homes since then, as a matter of fact, all of our friends and relationships came out of Freight Yard Pub."

 

The pub is located in Western Gateway Heritage State Park, and its decor is appropriately train-themed, as the building it's in used to be part of the freight yard, but it also has an Irish pub feel. It is the only original tenant still operating in the largely vacant park. The Taylors purchased the business after it had several years of instability and closures; they have run it successfully for more than three decades.

 

Colleen and Sean have been working together since they were teenagers. They have operated a few restaurants, including the former Taylor's on Holden Street, and currently operate takeout restaurant Craft Food Barn, Trail House Kitchen & Bar and Berkshire Catering Co. 

 

"Sean and I've been working together. Gosh, I think since we were 16, and we have a wonderful business relationship, where I know what I cover, he knows what he covers," she said. "We chat every single day, literally every day we have a morning phone call to say, OK, checking in."

 

The two enjoy being a part of the community and making sure to lend a hand to those who made them feel so welcome in the first place.