Seamstress shop opens on Ashland Street in N. Adams

12:00AM / Wednesday, August 15, 2001Print Story | Email Story

Those looking for some custom-made clothing for children will find it at Hemming Way, a new seamstress shop in North Adams. Pam Langlois, the sole owner and employee of the store, opened her Ashland Street doors Aug. 1. She claims that her first work in sewing began 13 years ago, while working at a tailor shop. From there she moved on to a clothing store, where she worked for eight years doing retail sales and alterations. Her experiences led her to reach the conclusion that she was ready to explore some new possibilities. "I've always had a passion for sewing," she said. "I figured it was about time to venture on my own and try it." What Langlois' store specializes in is a variety of handcrafted children's clothing. These clothes are typically for young girls, as Langlois admits that most young boys wear jeans and tee shirts, anyway. She also offers some alteration work, although it is on a very minimal basis. "I offer light sewing ... [like] hemming [or] adjusting the waist," she explained. "I'm not advertising alterations because I'm not doing a full line of alterations." Langlois does not rule out the possibility of one day doing more alteration work, but with her business being so young she wants to focus on one thing at a time. "I'm not into that yet," she said. "I want to try the children's clothing and see how that goes." Of course, part of the reason that Langlois wishes to maintain focus is because she is the only seamstress on hand at the store, something that leaves her very busy, especially during back-to-school time. "I do all the sewing," she said. "[E]verything here in the store, as far as clothing, is something that I've made." On a small scale, there are other some other things for sale at Hemming Way. Langlois hopes to expand these "gifty" items in time for the Christmas season. For now, however, she is perfectly content to run her modestly-sized shop and offer quality children's clothing with a handcrafted, personal touch. "We've had a good reception," she said. "A lot of nice comments from customers coming in so far. ... That's all you can ask for at this point." Langlois invites people to see her storefront window, where passersby can see examples of her work. "A lot of it has been, 'You have a really nice window,' and 'We were walking by last night and saw your window,' " She said. "I think that's their No. 1 comment." Hemming Way is located on Ashland Street, next to Dilego's Jewelry Shop, and is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:32PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.

The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.

"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."

LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.

"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.

The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.

"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.

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