Spice Latest in String of Restaurant Closings
 |
A posting on the restaurant's Web site says it will be closed from March 16 to March 30 but The Berkshire Eagle is reporting that the upscale eatery will be shuttered indefinitely.
"Unfortunately, the present economic model is not particularly viable in Pittsfield," owner Joyce Bernstein told The Eagle on Tuesday. "And at this point, we have no other choice but to close and see if we can reconfigure [the restaurant] in a different way."
It was known that the owners had planned a budget and financial review at the end of February/beginning of March.
The restaurant was hailed as a symbol of the city's cultural reawakening and the rebirth of North Street and was a frequent gathering spot for political and community events.
Last November, it became the first Berkshire County business to receive an Award of Excellence from the 10-year-old Retailers Association of Massachusetts. It was nominated for the 2007 RAMAES for Restaurant of the Year by state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield.
Burger, which Bernstein and business partner Larry Rosenthal opened in November adjacent Spice, will remain open with shortened hours for the next two weeks, The Eagle reported.
Bernstein launched Spice less than two years ago with partner Larry Rosenthal in the former Besse-Clark building at 297 North St., across from the YMCA. The building also houses the partners' other business, Link to Life. They bought the building 2002 for $270,000 and invested $6 million in it.
A number of North County eateries have closed because of financial woes over the past few years, including the Taconic Restaurant in Williamstown and Steeples, Gideon's and Milan at 55 in North Adams.
Milan is expected to reopen as The Hub under Kate and Matthew Schilling of Williamstown; the Holiday Inn is searching for a new owner for Steeples. Gideon's Fine Dining is now Taylor's Fine Dining and the former Gideon's Nightery on Eagle Street is being revamped by new owners.
