Historic Store at Five Corners Reopens in Williamstown

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Under new ownership and management, the Store at Five Corners reopened Tuesday morning for the first time in more than two years. 

The store and cafe, built in 1770 and located in the town's Five Corners Historic District, had been closed since July 2020. The 252-year-old building, originally a tavern, went through several recent owners before being purchased by the nonprofit Store at Five Corners Stewardship Association in January of this year. 

"It took us a few months to get it to where it is right now but I feel like our hard work paid off," said store operator Corey Wentworth. "I feel like it's really nice in here." 

The association had done an email survey of residents in October that had an 85 percent return, with most giving the store a high rating for its importance to themselves and the community and that it remain independent. The nonprofit, first working through the South Williamstown Community Association, has been working to raise the more than $1 million needed to purchase the property and secure its future. 

The stewardship association chose Wentworth as the store's new operator in April. He has several years of experience in restaurants, including the Salty Dog and Flour Bakery and Café in Boston, Duckfat and Fore Street Restaurant in Portland, Maine, and Tourists resort in North Adams.

There were some renovations, Wentworth said, to get the building ready for reopening day. Additionally, he noted that works from local artists are displayed on the walls across the store. 

"So far, it seems like, what we have been working toward, is working," he said. 

Wentworth said the store's reopening after years of inactivity should mean a great deal to many in the local community. 

"I know that everybody has been really looking forward to the store opening," he said. "Everybody has been missing the spot where they can come, as they are doing right now, just to sit and talk. Have a cup of coffee or something to eat in the morning, and just visit with their neighbors, their friends and their family." 

Red Shirt Farm Expanding With Store/Commercial Kitchen Build

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:12AM / Saturday, March 25, 2023

Owner Jim Schultz presents the project from his living room at the farm

 

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Red Shirt Farm will debut a farm store and community commercial kitchen on Route 7 to offer local food choices and opportunities for learning.

The farm recently broke ground on the project and plans to have a soft opening in December.

On Friday, state and local officials gathered at the 10-acre farm for a site visit organized by 1Berkshire. 

Owner Jim Schultz detailed Red Shirt's organic, regenerative farming practices, low carbon footprint operations, and dedication to food access that led to building a store.

"Our mission is very much values-driven," he explained. "It's about growing good food, growing it well, and distributing it to our neighbors and our community."