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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Pittsfield Signs Negotiating Rights Agreement With Suns Baseball Team
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Suns will call Wahconah Park home again.
On Tuesday, the Parks Commission accepted a negotiating rights agreement between the city and longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns. It solidifies that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated.
It remains in effect until the end of 2027, or when a license or lease agreement is signed. Terms will be automatically extended to the end of 2028 if it appears the facility won't be complete by then.
"It certainly looks like it lays out kind of both what the Suns and Pittsfield would like to see over the next year or so during this construction plan, to be able to work together and work exclusively with each other in this time," Commissioner Anthony DeMartino said.
Owner Jeff Goldklang, joining virtually, said he shared those thoughts, and the team looks forward to starting negotiations. After this approval, it will need a signature from Mayor Peter Marchetti and the baseball team.
The negotiating rights agreement recognizes the long-standing relationship between Pittsfield and the team dating back to 2012, and the Suns' ownership group's historical ties to Wahconah Park and the city dating to the 1980s. The team skipped the 2024 and 2025 seasons after the historic grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022.
The Suns were granted the exclusive right to negotiate in good faith with the city for a license or lease agreement where the Suns will be the primary tenant. During the terms of the agreement, the city can't negotiate or enter into an agreement with another party for leniency, licensing, or operation of Wahconah Park for professional or collegiate summer baseball.
"The Parties acknowledge the historic and cultural importance of Wahconah park to the residents of Berkshire County and share a mutual goal of providing community access, engagement, and programming on a broad and inclusive scale," it reads.
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