Local Woman Finding Sweet Success

By Jen ThomasPrint Story | Email Story
Janice Esoldi
NORTH ADAMS – For Got Goodies? owner Janice Esoldi, preparing for the holiday season is a family affair. "Growing up, I was always made homemade crafts and chocolates, gift baskets and stuff, for my sisters. It was just my thing," Esoldi said at her new candy counter inside Moulton's General Store on Main Street. Esoldi decided to open her own small business when she moved to the city earlier this year from Cheshire. A former office staffer at K-M Motors, Esoldi had been selling her delectable treats wholesale to local businesses – including Where'd You Get That? in Williamstown and Sarah's Cheesecake and Cafe in Pittsfield - for more than a year. "I'd been hemming and hawing for awhile that I wanted to go into business for myself so, a week before the Fall Foliage parade, a jumped in," she said. Co-owned by her sister, Catherine Moulton, the landmark Main Street store made the perfect home for Esoldi's line of homemade chocolates. "It's a really good setup for both of us. She gets a spot to be in the public eye and from my end, it's a nice addition for the general store," said Moulton. "And I get to work with my family," Esoldi added. With everything from peanut butter cups and bonbons to chocolate-covered pretzels and gourmet apples, Got Goodies? can satisfy a sweet tooth but the shop is more than just a candy counter. "I keep a wide variety out and a wide variety goes," said Esoldi, who has already baked more than 50 pounds of milk chocolate since she opened. "I like being creative and trying new things." For the holidays, Esoldi is creating one-of-a-kind chocolate platters and gift baskets. By pushing her unique sales pitch, Esoldi hopes she can start a new trend. "Instead of bringing wine to this year's Christmas party, why not bring a chocolate platter instead?" she asked. "Not everyone likes wine." Though she's still making a name for herself, Esoldi said she's not worried about the success of Got Goodies? "I'm more nervous that it's going to get too busy and I won't be able to keep up," she said. Though operating the candy shop is a full-time job, Esoldi said she's excited about the possibility of eventual expansion. "I hope the store will grown and expand. Maybe I'll have my own store," she said. "Right now, though, I'm content right where I am."
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Dalton Resident Ranks Third in National Snocross Race

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Sal LeBeau on his machine with his sister, Kenna, in the black hat, and friend Brandon and his sister Alea.
DALTON, Mass. — At just 16 years old, Salvatore LaBeau is already making avalanches in the national snocross racing scene.
 
Last weekend, LaBeau raced in the Mount Zion Snocross National race in Ironwood, Mich., the first of eight races in the national circuit series. 
 
Competitions take place across national circuits, attracting racers from various regions and even internationally. 
 
Labeau rides for CT Motorsports, a team based in Upstate New York, on a 2025 Polaris 600R. 
 
This is LaBeau's first time competing on the CT Motorsports team. Years prior, he raced for a team owned by Bruce Gaspardi, owner of South Side Sales and Service in North Adams.  
 
Despite a bad first day on Friday when he fell off his snowmobile and didn't make the final, LaBeau carried on with confidence and on Saturday obtained his first national podium, placing in third for the Sport Lite class. 
 
"I'm feeling good. I'm gonna start training more when I come home, and go to the gym more. And I am really excited, because I'm in 11th right now," the Wahconah High student said. 
 
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