North Adams Shop's Enchanted Windows Hide 'Secret Stash'
Hippy may not longer be the correct term for this dude enjoying a pipe but he signifies some of the merchandise inside Secret Stash.
But the smoking hippy, dancing nudes and a plethora of "magic" mushrooms signal that it's not your kid's enchanted forest.
The mural on the storefront windows at Secret Stash are designed to entice customers to find out exactly what's inside 27 Eagle St. by not giving them any preview.
"People would walk by all the time and do this ...," said owner Shana Snow, trying to peak through the store window. "They would see like a few things but they don't actually come in ... when people actually come in and look around, they're like, 'wow,' this is a really cool store."
Snow has shifted from party themes, kids toys and curiosities to more adult content, changing the store's name from Jeeper Creepers to Secret Stash a couple of months ago.
She purchased the business in 2019 when it was located in Adams and moved it to the former Molly's Bakery on Eagle shortly before the pandemic hit. She was forced to close for a few months but then was able to switch to online sales before finally reopening again in June — with a new direction in mind.
Now incense wafts from the shop and it carries a variety of items including erotic games and toys, lingerie, smoking paraphernalia, flags, posters, incense burners and apparel. She's also looking to put together a male entertainment group, "Secret Service," and has posted flyers around seeking talent to audition.
Artist Rachel Capek tried to intimate in her mural the more adult products inside the store.
"One of the big things that Shana stressed to me was that she wanted it to be not kidlike, you know, obviously you were a kid friendly store in the past," she said. "She wanted something that was a little bit more like, this is fun, this is enchanted but I also want to get a point across that it is for adults now."
Capek estimates she spent about 52 hours painting the four panels over the past month or two. The Drury graduate had been linked up with Snow after a friend told her the shopkeeper had been not been able to find an artist.
Snow said she'd been trying to get the windows painted for awhile but, with the change in name and merchandise, Capek turned up at the right time.
"I was just looking for fun, happiness, positivity, love, pride — I just wanted that represented across my windows," she said, adding that the mural "does pull people in, but I needed to stand out, you know, not just pull people in, I wanted to stand out."
The two women wanted it to fit in with the artsy vibe of Eagle Street, which boasts several murals and art installations. Capek was inspired by the woods, the hiking trails, rivers, mountain and pastures that dot the Berkshire landscape along with a dash of diversity and pride.
"Pretty much this painting is supposed to be inclusion, yeah, like it's supposed to just be something for everyone," she said. "I'm gonna call it 'Enchanted Secret Stash.'"
Tags: business changes, murals,
