Savvy Hive Hopes to Grow With Downtown North Adams
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| Sweeney hopes to be able to spotlight local crafters and artisans. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Savvy Hive owner Jessica Sweeney has opened a business in her image that focuses on sustainability, creativity, and collaboration.
"For me, my values center around spending my money closest to my physical home as I possibly can," she said. "So I wanted to bring that value into this store."
Sweeney, like many others, was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and after becoming unemployed, opened up shop in the Berkshire Emporium in 2021
"I had become unemployed for like the third time during the pandemic, and I thought I would just go do my own thing," she said. "Honestly, it was sort of a desperate attempt to build out my business."
Savvy Hive existed in some form prior, and Sweeney was offering small business development and consulting behind some clothing sales.
At first, Sweeney saw the pop-up shop in the Berkshire Emporium as a "summer thing" that would phase out in 2022, but then she started thinking bigger. Sweeney, who is expecting a baby this summer, knew it was time to expand her footprint downtown.
"I started thinking bigger, and I needed office space for the consulting because I couldn't fit office life into the Emporium," she said. "And then finding out I was pregnant and losing a room in my house, so I had to think about it."
She reached out to David Carver who showed her the vacant former Steeple View Reality storefront at 53 Main St.
Sweeney felt with so much development happening on the main street she didn't want to lose the storefront and miss the opportunity
"I walked in here and said ‘oh my god I can put it all in one space.' I put my office in the back, and the store in the front," she said. "It all kind of fell into place…So I bit the bullet and opened a shop 8 months pregnant during a pandemic."
Sweeney sells second-hand, handmade, and vintage clothing making a business out of her passion for thrifting. She also sells eco-conscious products. All products range in affordability.
"I want everyone to be able to find something here," she said.
She also looks to highlight local artisans and crafters.
"There are a lot of very creative people here that may be on Instagram, but they may be harder to find so I want to find them and bring them here," she said.
She said a lot of creators prefer to focus on creating and are less excited about managing sales and running a storefront. That is where Sweeney can help.
"I want to showcase what you can find locally that you may not be able to find in a physical store," she said. "There is a lot of value and there is a lot of stability for artisans and makers who want to sell their work but don't want to invest in a store."
Right now she draws from vendors within 50 miles of her store. She said she hopes to widen this circle to about 100 miles.
Sweeney is happy to be open for Solid Sound weekend and has adjusted her hours to catch foot traffic as it moves in and out of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art campus.
"It is going to be really busy, and I am glad I am open," she said.
Sweeney said she was happy to see more businesses downtown, many owned by locals. She said it is also encouraging to see more retail storefronts open for Solid Sound.
Sweeney hopes to expand the retail section of the store noting that there are a few more rooms for her to move into. She added that she may move her office space into the basement freeing up more retail space.
But her main goal is to simply exist.
"I just hope to stay and watch downtown continue to grow," she said.
Although Sweeney is set to go on maternity leave this summer, the store will stay open. She said she has staff that will cover the shop that practically "runs itself."
She has paused her consultant work but said she will be taking appointments again in the fall.
To contact Sweeney about her store or consulting work email jessica@savvyhive.consulting or visit the Savvy Hive website
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