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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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Williamstown's Milne Library Opens Makerspace on Thursday

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The David and Joyce Milne Public Library still is the best place in town to borrow a book.
 
But it is getting to the point where the word library itself is inadequate to describe all the Milne has to offer.
 
On Thursday, the Main Street library will hold a grand opening for Studio 1095, the Milne's new makerspace, where patrons will have access to creative tools ranging from sewing machines to soldering tools to jewelry-making supplies to creative software like Photoshop and Illustrator to green screen capability to a podcast studio.
 
It marks the latest step in the evolution of the town's library into a full-service community center.
 
"I think Studio1095 is very much part of that broader evolution," Milne Director Angela Zimmermann said last week. "Libraries are continuing to provide those core services people have always relied on — books, information, technology, research help, and a place for learning — while also becoming places where people can create, connect, explore, and participate in their community, a sort of community creative and learning space. 
 
"The Thingdom and Sensory Space are good examples of that same evolution — both of which just happened at the Milne in the last couple of years. They recognize that a library can meet community needs in ways that go beyond traditional collections. And Studio1095 builds on that idea by giving people access to equipment, technology, creative tools, and opportunities they might not otherwise have access to."
 
The Thingdom is the Milne's lending center where cardholders can check out such "non-book" items as a fondue pot, a leaf blower, a paper shredder, a snow sled or an electric drum kit.
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