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?â€
“They could go to New York or Boston,†Maturevitch said. “We decided to bring New York and Boston here.â€
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.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Youth for the Future: AYJ Fund Volunteers
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — For 14 years, generations of AYJ Fund youth volunteers have worked to support families fighting cancer — one smile at a time.
The non-profit was founded in memory of Anna Yan Ji Arabia, who became an angel at the age of 16 after a 3 1/2-year battle with gliomatosis cerebri.
Today, the young adults who step up to volunteer for the organization carry forward the positive and outgoing spirit for which Anna is remembered.
The work these teens do to bring smiles to children with cancer, while organizing and aiding in fundraising efforts, has earned them the iBerkshires.com Youth for the Future designation.
Youth for the Future is a 12-month series that honors young individuals that have made an impact on their community. This year's sponsor is Patriot Car Wash. Nominate a youth here.
Throughout the year, the AYJ Fund organizes initiatives like musical bingo, care packages through its Smiles Program, and bake sales to uplift kids with cancer, help them stay connected to friends and school, and support brain cancer research in the quest for a cure.
One of its biggest events is the "Once Upon a Dream" Children's Princess Concert, providing children the opportunity to meet their favorite princesses, and some princes, while raising funds to support the fund's mission.
The non-profit was founded in memory of Anna Yan Ji Arabia, who became an angel at the age of 16 after a 3 1/2-year battle with gliomatosis cerebri.
click for more
Crayons and markers in hand, fourth-grade students at Abbott Memorial School brought to life the customer-focused service and reliability of Hometown Tire Works as part of our Junior Marketers Create an Ad series. click for more
The overall effort to solve the national and local housing crisis is paradoxically as straightforward as a game of checkers, but as complex and baffling as a Rubik's Cube puzzle.
click for more
She and her classmates, along with two graduates in medical assisting program and 11 in the cosmetology program were presented with the diplomas on Tuesday night at the school.
click for more
The "flagship" McCann Technical School awarded diplomas to 127 students in programs from culinary arts to metal fabrication. Some will be going on to college, others already with the skills to enter the workforce.
click for more
