Pittsfield Businesses Receive MassDevelopment Funds

Staff Reports 11:09AM / Tuesday, September 19, 2023Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — MassDevelopment has awarded $2,230,052 in grants to advance the rehabilitation of 22 properties in Gateway Cities across Massachusetts that will have significant economic impacts on commercial corridor revitalization goals.

In Pittsfield, Marie's North Street Eatery & Gallery, Remedy & Culture LLC, Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc, and Methuselah Bar and Lounge received grants.

"For generations, Gateway Cities have been welcoming places to live, start a business, and build community," said Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment's Board of Directors. "MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative allows the state to work hand-in-hand with local partners to ensure these cities remain places of opportunity for all and we are proud these TDI Equity Investment grants support that goal."

These grants represent the second and final tranche of awards from the Fiscal Year 2023 round of MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Equity Investment program. In May, the agency awarded $714,893 in TDI Equity Investment grants to five properties.

Marie's North Street Eatery & Gallery will receive $31,000 to renovate the interior of its existing space, which long housed Marie's European Delights, to offer sit-down dining and affordable grab-and-go options to cater to the city's downtown lunch crowd.

Remedy & Culture LLC will receive $28,000 to help the company make interior renovations to an 860-square-foot vacant storefront at 90 North St. in the Central Block. The renovated property will feature a wellness retail shop, yoga and meditation classroom, and private treatment room.

Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc. will receive $179,000 to purchase the iconic King Kone soft serve ice cream shop at 133 Fenn St. and convert it into a worker cooperative. The nonprofit incubator will also expand its current arts programming through the creation of a community art gallery and exhibition space in the adjacent retail space in the same building. This grant is funded by the Barr Foundation.

The Barr Foundation awarded $1 million to MassDevelopment's TDI in order to expand the number and scope of projects eligible to receive funding, particularly those with a focus on cultural and creative economies and community empowerment.

Methuselah Bar and Lounge will receive $120,000 to help the company expand into an adjacent space to allow for increased dining capacity and the ability to host events, including those connected to the Latinx and LGBTQ communities. Specifically, this grant will help fund the installation of a required fire suppression system for the entire building to facilitate the expansion.

MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative works with cross-sector partnerships in targeted commercial districts in Gateway Cities in order to engage community members, implement local economic development initiatives, and spur further public and private investment. Since 2015, MassDevelopment has invested $20 million in TDI districts through tools such as technical assistance, real estate investments, grant programs, and fellows who work in the districts. That investment has directly influenced over $100.2 million in public and private investments in the districts, and assisted an additional $219.9 million.

Through TDI Equity Investment, MassDevelopment invests in near-term projects that activate ground-floor and commercial spaces that will have significant economic impacts within a TDI district; are consistent with Commonwealth and agency priorities; engage and build capacity in local communities and with partners; catalyze market demand and support TDI district goals; and lack other sufficient funding sources to proceed.

In January 2023, MassDevelopment released a Fiscal Year 2023 Notice of Funding Availability for projects in or near TDI districts in Attleboro, Barnstable, Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Revere, Springfield, Taunton, and Worcester.

In addition to contributing $1 million towards TDI Equity Investment awards, the Barr Foundation has awarded $4.4 million to MassDevelopment since 2019 to create and administer arts-based programming that directly supports the expansion of cultural and creative industries in Gateway Cities.

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Capeless Students Raise $5,619 for Charity

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
11:13AM / Friday, December 19, 2025

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students at Capeless Elementary School celebrated the season of giving by giving back to organizations that they feel inspired them.

On Monday night, 28 fourth-grade students showed off the projects they did to raise funds for an organization of their choice. They had been given $5 each to start a small business by teachers Jeanna Newton and Lidia White.

Newton created the initiative a dozen years ago after her son did one while in fifth grade at Craneville Elementary School, with teacher Teresa Bills.

"And since it was so powerful to me, I asked her if I could steal the idea, and she said yes. And so the following year, I began, and I've been able to do it every year, except for those two years (during the pandemic)," she said. "And it started off as just sort of a feel-good project, but it has quickly tied into so many of the morals and values that we teach at school anyhow, especially our Portrait of a Graduate program."

Students used the venture capital to sell cookies, run raffles, make jewelry, and more. They chose to donate to charities and organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Berkshire Humane Society and Toys for Tots.

"Teaching them that because they have so much and they're so blessed, recognizing that not everybody in the community has as much, maybe not even in the world," said Newton. "Some of our organizations were close to home. Others were bigger hospitals, and most of our organizations had to do with helping the sick or the elderly, soldiers, people in need."

Once they have finished and presented their projects, the students write an essay on what they did and how it makes them feel.

"So the essay was about the project, what they decided to do, how they raised more money," Newton said. "And now that the project is over, this week, we're writing about how they feel about themselves and we've heard everything from I feel good about myself to this has changed me."

Sandra Kisselbrock raised $470 for St. Jude's by selling homemade cookies.

"It made me feel amazing and happy to help children during the holiday season," she said.

Gavin Burke chose to donate to the Soldier On Food Pantry. He shoveled snow to earn money to buy the food.

"Because they helped. They used to fight for our country and used to help protect us from other countries invading our land and stuff," he said.

Desiree Brignoni-Lay chose to donate to Toys for Tots and bought toys with the $123 she raised.

Luke Tekin raised $225 for the Berkshire Humane Society by selling raffle tickets for a basket of instant hot chocolate and homemade ricotta cookies because he wanted to help the animals.

"Because animals over, like I'm pretty sure, over 1,000 animals are abandoned each year, he said. "So I really want that to go down and people to adopt them."

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