PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Spot brought acai bowls — a super fruit smoothie that is topped with fruit, nuts, and other delights — to Pittsfield in 2018 and is now expanding with a second location on North Street.
The downtown branch will crank out juices and smoothies at 48 North St., the former Brooklyn's Best Italian Eatery. It is a 650-square-foot space that owner Jonathan Vella said he has always loved because "it is that tiny perfect little hole in the wall."
Vella hopes to open the second location in a few weeks, just in time for warm weather and for people looking for refreshing, healthy ways to nourish themselves.
Having a location on North Street feels like being with the "big dogs," he said and will allow him to offer products to a whole new customer base.
"My sister, Jess [Ruffo], owns Dottie's and I used to work there for quite a bit of time, and when we opened [on Tyler] I expected there to be a lot of overlap because it's the same demographic," he said.
"I found that there wasn't really much at all, and I think a lot of it is that those people were downtown North-Streeters, or downtown Pittsfielders, that's where they all resided."
Vella and fellow entrepreneur Craig Hopkins opened The Spot at 381 Tyler St., a building that was soon painted bright green and adorned with graffiti art to match their vibe. The shop sells smoothies, acai bowls, house-pressed juices, and seasonal oatmeals as well as branded apparel and creations from local artists.
The Spot also created and manufactures Bear Butter: a nut spread made of almonds, cacao, coconut, goji berries, hemp seed, flaxseed, and vegan vanilla protein.
The original location on Tyler Street will be the "flagship" shop, Vella said and will be the primary home of the additional merchandise they sell while the North Street shop will be focused on the juice and smoothie side of the business.
Vella returned to the Berkshires at the start of the pandemic when his juice bar location in Bellaire Bluffs, Fla., closed. He was originally looking to build a mobile food cart until April when he found the space for rent on North Street.
"I saw the sign on the door and, you know, it all starts with a phone call," He said.
The Spot was able to sustain itself by offering curbside pickup during the thick of the pandemic. Having a small crew and not a lot of overhead reportedly also helped.
"We were lucky enough to be in a good position to sustain and, I guess, bunker down," Vella added.
The shop currently operates with three employees and when the second location opens, Vella plans to have around seven employees.
The Spot on North Street will be open Monday through Friday from 7 to 3. The Tyler Street location is open Monday through Friday 8 to 5:30 and Saturday 9 to 4.
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Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.
Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.
"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."
The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.
"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.
One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.
"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.
Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
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Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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Between disagreements about site design and a formal funding process not yet established, more time is needed before a decision can be made.
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The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
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