Shooz opens quietly on Housatonic Street in Lenox

12:00AM / Thursday, August 08, 2002Print Story | Email Story

Across the street from the parking lot on the corner of Church and Housatonic streets in Lenox, a cage of wooden towers and onion domes supports a red sandal. The new window display announces Shooz, a shoe store run by the owner of Casablanca Contemporary Fashion for Men and Women. Shooz opened Saturday, May 24. It opened quietly, but did well at the opening, according to owner Tony Chojnowski. Manager Michelle Maturevitch said the previous Thursday, the floor was as white as the ceiling with plaster dust. She and other staff members stayed up until after 1 a.m. and were at work early the next morning, for several days. Chojnowski has run Casablanca at 21 Housatonic St. in Lenox for 17 years. Maturevitch worked at Casablanca for two years before she took over at Shooz, and she worked at Glad Rags before that. Casablanca has sold shoes off and on, Chojnowski said. The shoes always sold well. There are other shoe stores in some of the neighboring towns, in Great Barrington for instance, but they often carry outdoor wear. Shooz specializes in womenâ€™s shoes, jewelry and hand bags, Chojnowski said. They carry one line of menâ€™s shoes as well. Their shoes are almost all made in Italy. He went down the list of brand names: Stuart Weitzman, Donald J. Kleiner (menâ€™s and womenâ€™s), Via Spiga, and Peter Kent, a new designer who has recently set up shop in New York. For the season, Shooz has focused on a variety of summer sandals, comfortable and stylish, most with modest heels. The price range â€œruns the gamut,â€ Maturevitch said. Shooz also carries Colette Malouf jewelry, Swarovski crystal hair clips in many colors, and handbags in the shapes of shoes, by Shashanna Smith. â€œWe will be going to a shoe show in a couple of weeks,â€ she said. â€œThere are such great boutiques in Lenox already.â€ They did not want to compete for what is available. People at Casablanca would find an outfit and ask, â€œWhat am I going to wear with this?â€ â€œThey could go to New York or Boston,â€ Maturevitch said. â€œWe decided to bring New York and Boston here.â€ Chojowski and Maturevitch pointed out the â€˜husband sofaâ€™ and fireplace, and the collection of Asian, African and Mexican art on the shelves and walls: masks, carved figures, crimson lacquered bowls. And authentic Oriental rugs warmed the floor. Chojowski said he got the idea for his decoration from the Donald Kleiner showroom in New York City, which has black wood floors, white walls and richly colored rugs. Some of the artwork comes from Chojnowskiâ€™s collection, some from New York galleries and some from places closer to home, including Barong Imports in Great Barrington. Shooz has been a dream and a plan for two or three years, Chojnowski and Maturevitch said. Chojnowski has been waiting for a space to open up for rent. This stretch of Housatonic Street is an offshoot of main shopping area, they said, but the antique business next door has had no lack of business in its location.

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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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