North Berkshire Summer Business Pilot

03:54PM / Wednesday, May 25, 2022Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — 1Berkshire in, partnership with the North Adams Chamber of Commerce and proAdams, announced the launch of the Pop Up, North Berkshire program heading into Summer 2022.

This program, funded through a one-time grant award from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, will support and supplement the establishment of up to 4 pop up businesses between the downtowns in the Town of Adams and the City of North Adams from July through September.

"In downtowns across the country, the establishment of pop up business communities to improve tenancy, and create a critical mass of offerings, has become a high impact best practice," Benjamin Lamb, 1Berkshire Director of Economic Development said. "We are excited to be piloting this type of injection of activity and commerce to the area this summer and are thankful to have such supportive collaborators in the effort with the North Adams Chamber and proAdams."

The program will allow businesses an opportunity to become established and test their offering in the local market, with the potential for more permanent operations following the summer. The program provides an injection of capital, along with technical assistance and permit navigation

To date, three of the four businesses have been selected and are in the process of getting ready for summer operations, these include:

WallaSauce - North Adams - Owned and operated by Sarah DeFusco and Kirby Casteel, WallaSauce is a locally produced streetwear brand focused on minimizing waste while simultaneously exploring self-expression through clothing, merchandise, and creative thinking. They will be opening a retail storefront in the City to both sell their products and produce their items in a prominent downtown space.

The Adams Incubator - Adams - Owned and operated by Yina Moore, The Adams Incubator is a conceptual co-working, art retail, and small event venue that will pair with the redevelopment of the Adams Theater. By providing a coworking space in downtown Adams, the Adams Incubator will offer an array of amenities to individuals seeking an office, a space to innovate, and a community of professionals, while also putting on programming.

Secret Sun Tanning Salon - Adams - Owned and operated by Jason Nocher, Secret Sun Tanning Salon will be housed in an updated downtown space offering tanning options to the local market. By creating another service offering on a main downtown corridor, Secret Sun will help draw increased and new traffic and customers to the area.

An additional fourth business will be identified and supported for opening in North Adams in the coming weeks.

Tags: 1Berkshire,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Greylock Youth SummerFest

Come join in on the wealth building fun! August 3-8. Click for event details. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

North Adams Becomes a Purple Heart Community

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Veterans Service Officer Kurtis Durocher, a Purple Heart recipient, tells his own story of how he was wounded in Iraq.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.

"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."

As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.

During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.

"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."

Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.

"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."

View Full Story