North Adams Restaurant to Closing in Two Weeks

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
02:18PM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A downtown restaurant announced on Wednesday that it will be closing.

In a Facebook post, Door Prize stated its last day of service is Saturday, Nov. 14.

"We are not making this decision lightly and wish there was another way forward," read the post by owners Bryan "Swifty" Josephs and Jenny Klowden.

"We feel great pride for our successes and for a wonderful year of serving our community. Now on to the next adventure!"

They also thanked their staff and patrons who enjoyed their food

The restaurant opened over a year ago in Hotel Downstreet after Josephs and Klowden previously had a residence at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, where they sold some of their signature dishes, as well as working in area restaurants, bringing their food to farmers markets and operating a catering business.

The two named the restaurant after a John Prine song that they danced to at their wedding. Josephs described their fare as European comfort food, with one of their most popular dishes being pierogies.

They also successfully renovated the covered porch outside the restaurant for dining, raising $7,000 through a Kickstarter

While their post did not allude as to why they are closing, iBerkshires has reached out for more answers.

The 90-room hotel has reportedly been sold, with a closing expected by the end of the month. Owner Peregrine Group put the former Holiday Inn up for sale earlier this year after purchasing the property for $4.45 million in 2021. According to reports in The Berkshire Eagle, the cost of renovations to the 55-year-old property put a dent into revenues that limited the hotel's ability to cover obligations.

It's not clear if this has anything to do with the restaurant, which operates as a separate entity.

"We are not looking for a public discourse on our business model or the closure," the Door Prize post states, inviting patrons to personally contact the Josephs or Klowden rather than comment on the posting.

Tags: business closing, restaurants,

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North Adams Man Sentenced to Prison for Rape

Staff Reports09:22AM / Wednesday, November 11, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Monday, Nov. 9, Joseph Pini, 49 years old, formerly of North Adams, was sentenced to nine to 12 years in state prison after being found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.

On Friday, Nov. 6, a jury found Pini guilty of all three charges after deliberating for four hours.

Judge Michael Callan sentenced Pini to nine to 12 years in prison for the two counts of rape and six months in the House of Corrections for furnishing alcohol to a minor, to be served concurrently.

The commonwealth requested a sentence of 12 to 15 years in prison for the combined rape charges with a year in the House of Corrections, a maximum sentence on the alcohol charge, to be served concurrently. Defense requested a "very lengthy" probationary period.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Pini brought a then-16-year-old girl to his home on Fairgrounds Avenue in November 2022. He proceeded to provide the teen with alcohol and then raped her twice.

District Attorney Timothy Shugrue thanked the jury for their services.

"I commend the North Adams Police Department and the Child Abuse Unit in my office for their thorough and dedicated work in bringing this case to a successful conclusion," he said. "My thoughts remain with the survivor, whose life has been forever impacted by this horrific assault. While no verdict can undo the harm she endured, I hope that the guilty verdict and sentencing bring a measure of closure and allow her the opportunity to move forward."

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