With two longtime Spring Street retailers — the House of Walsh and Gatsby’s — planning to close, people on “The Street†had various possibilities on their wish lists to fill the soon-to-be-vacant spaces: an independent bookstore, a shoe store, a good, mid-priced restaurant, a children’s clothing shop, and replicas of the present tenants.
A totally random sampling of pedestrians — buttonholed as they emerged from shops, had their nails manicured, bought freshly-baked bread, walked to work and picked up their mail — resulted in a variety of suggestions in the wake of recent announcements that both Gatsby’s and the House of Walsh will close their doors.
And many suggestions, in response to a reporter’s questions, were prefaced by regrets for the departing retailers.
“I hate to see them go,†said Anne-Marie Rodriguez, as she and her husband stepped out of the House of Walsh.
“I think I’d like to see more retail — shops that will attract people so they’ll want to shop in town and support our local businesses,†said Rodriguez, coordinator of the Sunrise Spanish program at the Williamstown Elementary School. “Being so involved with the school, I’m very conscious of how much the businesses help us, and I think we should support them.â€
“A good shoe store,†said Leslie Reed-Evans, executive director of the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, walking with Marion Alton.
“I wish they’d bring back the Cobble Cafe,†said Reed-Evans. “A place with good food where you can have a quick business lunch.
Alton liked the restaurant prospect — “At Artie’s [the site of the former B & L service station owned for many years by Art Lafave], I’d love to have a diner like Joe’s in Lee or the Blue Benn in Bennington. People are always asking where they can get breakfast.â€
Leaving the Clip Shop, Wendy Walraven opted for a mid-range restaurant and a retail shop selling “the basics.â€
“Thai Gardens is fabulous, but I’d like something kind of in between the Main Street Cafe and Subway. A place that’s nice, that’s good, where you can just go and know you’ll get good food,†said Walraven.
“Gatsby’s was a great thing. I’d like something sort of reasonably priced where you can get basic stuff here instead of having to go to the mall. Zanna has classy clothes, but I think we need something where you can get clothes you’ll wear most of the time — something cute, stylish and comfortable.â€
Several people bemoaned the loss of Gatsby’s as a resource for staples such as socks, tights and underwear. Others will miss the classic clothes from House of Walsh.
As the manicurist did her nails, Susan Benedict said, “I will miss it. Where, except the House of Walsh, am I going to buy something I can wear out to an eight o’clock formal dinner? It’s going to be sorely missed.â€
Facetiously, Benedict proposed a Lord & Taylor’s or the equivalent.
“Something more sophisticated than The Gap or Banana Republic,†she said, rejecting the idea of a bookstore, and agreeing that The Cottage has ample gifts.
“If there was a shoe store, they’d have to sell other accessories,†she said.
At the post office, Mary Lou Galusha said she is “heartbroken that the House of Walsh is closing. I’d like something like it.â€
Henry N. Flynt Jr. and Foster Devereux, conferring in the post office lobby, saw no need for a change.
“I’d like a good men’s store and a good women’s store,†said Flynt.
“What’s there now,†would be Devereux’s choice.
Warren Hunke, long involved in Williams alumni singing, opted for rehearsal space for Williams a cappella groups.
“I can’t imagine Spring Street without the House of Walsh,†said Hunke.
Getting out of his car, Williams College Music Department Chairman Douglas Moore said “I’d like a real bookstore. There’s a good store over there [Water Street Books], but it’s a bit removed.â€
And at Clarksburg Bakery, buying baked goods and helping son Lauren, 15 months, fit coins into the slot of the Berkshire Humane Society can, Christina Howard opted for “a good kid’s clothing store. “And I’m a proponent of more restaurants.â€
Last week, owner Peter Willmott announced that the company’s three retail stores — in Williamstown, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Salisbury, Conn. — will close sometime during the first half of this year because they are not making money.
No specific dates have been set for these closings, or for the termination of the company’s retail headquarters in Bennington, Vt.
The company employs 13 people in the four locations, and owns the real estate in Salisbury and Bennington. Over the next several months the company will liquidate its merchandise and fixtures.
In a statement included in the release, Willmott said, “For over 10 years our group of dedicated, loyal, and service-oriented employees have not been able to develop a strategy to earn a profit with a multi-store operation, while providing fashionable, casual better merchandise with superb customer support.â€
The closing came close on the heels of the announcement that Gatsby’s longtime owners Phylis and Sherwin Fink would close their stores in Williamstown and Lee, concentrating on Great Barrington.
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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