Finding more galleries on a downtown walk in Bennington

12:00AM / Wednesday, August 22, 2001Print Story | Email Story

When it comes to the visual arts, thereâ€™s a lot to see and do in downtown Bennington, Vt. In the past two years the downtown has grown to become its own destination for those seeking arts and crafts in a variety of media, with several shops and galleries located within walking distance of each other. The amount of exhibition space downtown has also increased, with a new gallery and an ongoing program that brings the work of local and regional artists to storefront windows. Flanking the corner of U.S. Route 7 and state Route 9, in the large marble building that once housed the First National Bank, is Fiddlehead at Five Corners, which co-owner Joel Lentzner calls â€œa retail theater.â€ Lentzner and his partner Nina Hardt spent many years as furniture-makers travelling throughout the country and met many crafters along the way. The store is an all-star lineup of their favorites; items include prints, hand-blown glass, furniture, lamps, and sculptures. They have a special room for kidsâ€™ items and each month they have a mini-exhibit from a local artist in what used to be the vault of the former bank. Sarah Doleâ€™s Left Bank Gallery, a few doors down on West Main Street, is chock full of interesting gifts and decorations. While she usually holds monthly exhibitions every summer in her upstairs gallery, this year she decided to focus on her downstairs shop and take time for her own artwork. Earlier this summer she had planned to hold a show of her own work, but she has postponed it until a later date. Entering the Left Bank is like stepping into another world. With global influences including Chinese calligraphy, Indian weaving, and Renaissance art, Dole creates an atmosphere that is both inviting and eye-opening. The smaller items make her shop/gallery most unique: a collection of unique greeting cards and prints, pillows made from a womenâ€™s co-op in India, and wrapping paper that is worth framing on its own. The small storefront located to the right of Left Bank is of Katie Cleaver, a metalsmith who has been in business for more than 25 years. Her small store specializes in contemporary jewelry with some sculpture. Cleaver said she has become so busy that she no longer takes custom orders, â€œunless someone is willing to wait for a year.â€ Around the corner, next to Your Bellyâ€™s Deli on Pleasant Street, is the historic Stark Hose Co. building, headquarters of an former neighborhood fire station. The building, with a Dutch style roof, was renovated through an adaptive reuse program by the North Bennington-based Vermont Arts Exchange (VAE). An artist apartment is located upstairs, and downstairs the Stark Hose Gallery opened this past winter. Currently, the VAE is holding an exhibit of photographs from students at the Parsons School of Design in New York City. And theyâ€™re gearing up for this fallâ€™s WindowWorks program, which invites local artists to submit artwork that may be chosen to go on display downtown in one of the many store windows. Heading east on Main Street, The Pea Pod has a wide variety of gifts and accessories for the home, including pottery, clocks, candles and lamps. For art supplies, both Knappâ€™s Pets, Hobbies and Music on Main and Jayâ€™s Art Shop and Frame Gallery on South Street are excellent resources. Jewelers include Tofel Jewelers and K.F. Armstrong Jewelers, longtime dealers in fine jewelry. And just a jaunt down the road, up Route 7, one will find an interesting mix of items at Hawkins House, which has handmade games, hand-woven rugs and much jewelry. Each of these venues has its own unique quality, and it is rare to find one hub with so many options.

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North Adams Airport Commission Discusses Damaged Hangar

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
03:46PM / Monday, February 23, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission discussed what to do with the now-closed, city-owned Shamrock Hangar on Tuesday.

Chairman James Haskins said that after pipes burst in the hangar last winter, the Shamrock has basically been sitting empty.

"Pipes were frozen in the walls and broke," he said. "It was shut down a year ago. The pipes are still broken, and the city did fix a broken pipe outside that led up to the building a few weeks ago, but we have to make a decision on what to do with that space and make a plan."

The city purchased the hangar in 2017 with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funds. It was subsequently renovated and opened as a public space. Commissioner Dean Bullett expressed disappointment that the building was never winterized.

"This is something that should have never happened in the first place," Bullett said.

Haskins clarified that the city intended to winterize the property, but due to "overlap," officials could not get to the hangar quickly enough to do so properly. He noted that although some work has been done to repair the hangar, the project needs to be completed.

Airport user and former commissioner Trevor Gilman said that when it was open, the Greylock Soaring Club leased space in the hangar. The city waived the lease fee, and in exchange, the club maintained and cleaned the area.

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