Shooz opens quietly on Housatonic Street in Lenox

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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 women’s shoes, jewelry and hand bags, Chojnowski said. They carry one line of men’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 (men’s and women’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 “runs the gamut,” 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. “We will be going to a shoe show in a couple of weeks,” she said. “There are such great boutiques in Lenox already.” They did not want to compete for what is available. People at Casablanca would find an outfit and ask, “What am I going to wear with this?” “They could go to New York or Boston,” Maturevitch said. “We decided to bring New York and Boston here.” Chojowski and Maturevitch pointed out the ‘husband sofa’ 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 Chojnowski’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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MCLA Announces Four Finalists for Next President

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts announced four finalists for the position of president, following a national search. 
 
The finalists were selected by the MCLA Presidential Search Committee and will participate in on-campus visits scheduled for the weeks of April 6 and April 13.
 
The successful candidate will replace President James Birge, who is retiring at the end of the term. 
 
The four finalists are David Jenemann, Michael J. Middleton, Sherri Givens Mylott, and Diana L. Rogers-Adkinson.
 

David Jenemann
David Jenemann is dean of the Patrick Leahy Honors College and professor of English and film and television studies at the University of Vermont, where he oversees recruitment, retention, curricular innovation, and advancement for an interdisciplinary college serving undergraduates from across the university, including UVM's campuswide Office of Fellowships, Opportunities, and Undergraduate Research. 
 
An internationally recognized scholar, he has published three books and numerous articles, with research spanning intellectual and cultural history, mass media, and the intersection of sports and society.
He holds a doctor of philosophy from the University of Minnesota and completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
 
 
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