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Owner Peter MacGillivray has had his eye on the Water Street storefront for some time.
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Employees spent the day setting up for the grand opening.
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Much of what is sold at Provisions is locally produced.

Provisions Williamstown Grand Opening Today

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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The store's regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Provisions Williamstown, a new fine wine and cheese shop at 4 Water St., is celebrating its grand opening today, Thursday, with a tasting event that begins at 4 p.m.

 

"This is supposed to be an experience, like anything else we enjoy in life," said Peter MacGillivray, who runs the business with his family and others. "You really want to be able to hang out here. You want to dwell in the moment and explore new things and meet people." 

 

MacGillivray, who grew up in the area, said he had an eye on the building before he knew what kind of business he wanted it to be. He explained that he had seen the property through several iterations throughout his life.

 

"I knew just in my gut that it was a special place because I grew up here," he said. "... It's not like this is what we planned. It just happened. We saw something that checked a lot of boxes for us and went for it." 

 

After a license became available in town, MacGillivray decided to sell locally produced wine and cheese, in addition to things he has tried in his travels. He has partnered with several local farms and distributors to help stock the store. 

 

"I was able to dip into my experience living in California, and then really traveling around the world trying interesting wines," he said. "... I want super local beers here. I want super local cheese. It warms my heart that I've got places like Cricket Creek, yeah, that are in the same ZIP code as I am." 

 

Additionally, the store hosts art from several local artists, such as Jackie Sedlock of Pownal, Vt,. and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts professor and artist Melanie Mowinski. 

 

"It's been a lot of fun for me, while I've been building this, to reacquaint myself with a lot of people that I knew when I was growing up here, but also meet new people that are being super supportive and helping me out," he said. 

 

The store's regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit the store's website here. Click here to register for the grand opening tonight, Oct. 27.


Tags: grand opening,   wine,   

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AG Clears Williamstown Select Board in Open Meeting Complaint

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Attorney General's Office on Wednesday cleared the Select Board in an Open Meeting Law complaint filed by iBerkshires.com while simultaneously confirming the supposition at the heart of the complaint.
 
The AGO found that the board did technically violate the OML when it moved to executive session on May 11, a misstep the board previously acknowledged in its response to the complaint.
 
The meeting in question was held behind closed doors to discuss the town's response to a proposal from Williams College to acquire the former town garage site at 59 Water St.
 
At the time of the May 11 meeting, the board had held no public discussion, let alone a vote, on whether to enter into negotiations with Williams, the lone respondent to a request for proposals issued by the town for the 1.27-acre parcel.
 
The board cited an exception to the Open Meeting Law that states executive sessions are appropriate if, "holding the discussion in open session may have a detrimental effect on the Board's negotiating position."
 
iBerkshires.com maintained in its complaint that the executive session was premature given the fact that the board on May 11 had no one to negotiate with as it had not agreed — publicly — to negotiate with the college.
 
The news organization cited the fact that the town's RFP clearly indicated a multi-step process in which the board first would decide whether to engage with any of the respondents (assuming multiple bids were made) and then enter into negotiation with one of the respondents.
 
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