Bohemian Road Holds Grand Opening in Adams
ADAMS, Mass. — Things just got a little brighter and a little groovier on Park Street with the opening Saturday of Bohemian Road at 57 Park St.
The small store is filled with what owner Randy Cormier describes as "clothing and gifts from around the globe ... and local."
That ranges from imported clothing from Nepal and Thailand in bright colors and tie-dye, tapestries, tchotchkes, jewelry, home decor items and a "little bit of everything." A few local artisans are also featured, including Fit To Be Dyed apparel from Adams.
"It's the hippy store," he smiled. "All ages love hippy stuff. It's fun, it's colorful. You can decorate your room, your house."
Cormier's new store is a direct descendant of Brighter Daze that he operated outside J.C. Penney at the Berkshire Mall until 2006. He's also run other retail establishments and has been a vendor at the Big E for 21 years.
Brigher Daze was closed in 2006, a couple years after he purchased the Depot in his hometown of Dalton. He kept retail store open until it became apparent he couldn't keep doing both and keep up his music career. After selling the Depot, he'd concentrated on music.
"I had been traveling the country playing music, I had been making a living full time with music," the singer-songwriter said, along with a landscaping business he runs with his brother.
His music has taken him and his family around the country over the years. He's played with Xavier, a rock band he started with Abe Guthrie and is probably best known locally as the guitarist and singer with country rock band Whiskey City. Last year, he released a solo country album, "The Simple Life."
Cormier isn't planning on giving up his music, but he and his wife, Heidi White, and their children have settled on Adams as a place for both their new business and their home.
"We love Adams. We love the bones of the town and everything about it," he said, adding he wanted to open a store that wasn't in a mall or strip mall location. "We looked everywhere, from Great Barrington to North Adams to put a store ... and we just decided we like Park Street and what the town's going to be."
Quite a few of Brighter Daze's regular customers had been from Adams and the store on Saturday was busy with new and returning customers looking to reconnect with their favorite wares after so many years.
The opening of Bohemian Road also was a chance for the town of Adams to roll out its new ribbon-cutting program designed to welcome new businesses and put forward a business-friendly face on the town. Selectwoman Christine Hoyt said the history had been that opening celebrations had largely been driven by the businesses but not the town.
Selectmen Chairman John Duval gave credit for the idea to Hoyt and both board members were on hand Saturday afternoon to welcome Cormier and White to the community with a giant pair of scissors, a red ribbon with "Grand Opening" printed on it and a small welcome gift.
"We should have been having these all along," Duval said, adding that Adams was pro-business. "We want to have an open communication with you and all other business owners much better than we've done in the past. ... things are going to change in this town."
Cormier said Town Hall had been very helpful in helping them open and he felt officials were really working toward getting more shops and restaurants here.
"We really did our due diligence," he said. "It has everything a town needs, it has a beautiful main street, it has Mount Greylock in the background — what more can you ask for there — it has a beautiful bike path and restaurants. ... The bones of the town are there and we hope to be one of the ones to help build it up. ...
"This ribbon cutting alone shows you're willing to work with small businesses ... we have a good feeling here."
Duval said the town wants to keep that feeling growing to attract more business and more residents.
"We are a family. Do not listen to the negatives or the social meedia, that's just a few people that are doing that," he said. "This is a great town to live in, a great town to own a business."
Bohemian Road is open from 11 to 7 on Wednesday and Thursday; 11 to 8 on Friday; 10 to 8 on Saturday; and noon to 5 on Sunday. It's closed Monday and Tuesday.
Tags: new business, Park Street, ribbon cutting,
