Williamstown Store Offers Fashionable Womenswear

By Phyllis McGuireSpecial to iBerkshires
05:50PM / Monday, August 01, 2011Print Story | Email Story

Jo Ellen Harrison has opened Ruby Sparks on Spring Street.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — When opportunity knocked, Jo Ellen Harrison answered. She launched Ruby Sparks, a women's clothing boutique, this spring, filling a void created about a year ago when Zanna's, a women's clothier, permanently closed its doors.

"We opened in time to take advantage of Mother's Day and Easter, and people were ready to do their spring shopping," Harrison said in an interview.

Harrison, a native of Oregon, traveled a winding road to the retail business. She graduated from Williams College as an art history major in 1971, attended art history classes at Harvard, and worked AT&T in marketing and then software engineering. After marrying in 1981, she started raising a family in Marion.

"When I was having my babies, I taught art history and computer science at Tabor Academy in Marion," Harrison recalled. Dissatisfied with certain aspects of teaching, she returned to the software business but soon became disillusioned. "It was dog eat dog."

Then things happened fast and, three decades after leaving Williamstown, she and a business partner founded Harrison Gallery at 39 Spring St. She now owns and operates the gallery, next to Ruby Sparks.

"I like the adventure of starting a new business," Harrison said. "I wanted a store that was all about the fun and freedom of a new outfit — the confidence — the spark in our spirit. Then I was thinking about what gives me that feeling, and it is my Harley-Davidson motorcycle — which has red tail lights — sparks, red evolved into Ruby Sparks."

People at first suggested what Harrison should stock, she said, but now most shoppers just comment on how wonderful the selection is — special, unique things. "They always say they can find more than one thing they love."

The store carries clothing lines such as Maggy London, Mavi and Not Your Daughter's Jeans, and shoe brands include Beautifield and Gentle Souls.

"Everything is comfortable and easy care — no iron needed," Harrison said. She is sort of a walking advertisement, wearing fashionable clothing and shoes that are available in the store.

Back in February, Harrison did the buying for the whole year. "It is very fun to chose things, but I tend to chose too many. They are mostly exactly in my sense of style, but there are some brands that are not," Harrison said adding that she does buy brands that "older gals and conservative customers like."

Harrison has initiated a loyalty program — $50 off for a cumulative $500 spent — as a means of thanking customers who shop locally. Harrison said 75 percent of her customers are local. She is also holding sales "when it applies to the local customer." For instance, there will be mud season sales, dead-of-winter sales and a really big one in August.

Every week new items are added to Ruby Spark's selection. And the red ED lights, the pink dressing rooms with the sheepskin rugs to prevent your feet from getting cold enhance the warm, friendly, environment.

"The ladies who work for me, all local, are fantastic," Harrison said. "I want the store experience to be friendly, knowledgeable, exciting."

Ruby Sparks, located at 38 Spring St., is open seven days a week. Hours are Mondays through Saturdays 10 to 6; Sundays, 10 to 5, and Thursday nights until 7.

Tags: retail,

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Williamstown Studying Major Overhaul for Main Street

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:14AM / Wednesday, July 29, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The town is working with a Worcester civil engineering firm to redesign Main Street with an eye toward a major project sometime in the next decade.

Community Development Director Andrew Groff was before the Select Board on Monday night to talk about Town Hall's use of a $500,000 state grant to do preliminary design on major improvements to that portion of Route 2 that runs from Water Street west to the Field Park rotary, through the middle of Williams College's campus.

Groff introduced the elected officials to Amanda Bazinet of Worcester's Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, who is helping the town to develop a plan for Main Street that would align with the commonwealth's Complete Streets Program.

"Our project goals, in addition to the increased pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, is just, in general, improving the sightlines and improving the intersection geometry," Bazinet said.

"Complete Streets … has a lot of different facets to it. As Andrew had mentioned, the goal is to improve the safety for all of the roadway users — not just the motorists. We're looking at improving it for pedestrians, bicyclists, anyone using a mobility device. We want to create streets that are safe for all ages and abilities to use. So, while bicyclists will still be allowed, legally, to use the roadway, we want to look at providing a separate bicycle accommodation along the corridor, whether it's a shared use path along both sides of the streets that is a little more accessible to young children or older people with disabilities to look at all transportation options."

One goal is to encourage "active transportation." The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, who the town hopes one day might fund the construction, has a "healthy transportation policy," Bazinet said.

That MassDOT funding would come through the Transportation Improvement Program, which is managed locally by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. The design work underway now is being done with an eye toward going after TIP funding years down the road.

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