image description — The Plant Connector is opening on West Street in Pittsfield after holding a pop-up shop in the city over the holidays.

Plant Connector Opening Second Location in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:42PM / Sunday, February 04, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A North County plant shop is expanding to Pittsfield with a West Street location.

The Plant Connector recently announced its second location next to Thistle and Mirth following a pop-up on North Street over the holiday season. The shop is about a month away from opening, with a lease signed and staging underway.

Business owners Emilee Yawn and Bonnie Marks say the new location will be all about "plants, refills, and good times."

"Our 'inspo' is Victorian plant rooms where one can leisurely read, play cards, a place one can just enjoy living with plants," a Facebook post reads.

"Somehow we'll combine this with a feel-good space where community wants to join in creating:making: plant sharing and refillin'. We're also hoping to share this space with monthly art shows and popup vintage sellers (going back to our Eagle St. roots, which we've missed so much.)"

Inspiration photos on the post include moody but ethereal Victorian plant rooms as well as modern takes on the aesthetic.

Yawn and Marks opened the original location on historic Eagle Street in North Adams in 2020. Within two years, the shop outgrew the Eagle Street storefront and moved to a larger location on Main Street.

They offer classes and workshops, residential and commercial plant care, and sell various plants and related merchandise. They also offer personal and cleaning products that are green, sustainable and refillable.

The plant shop's new location is in the former expansion of Thistle and Mirth. Following a violent incident on Thanksgiving Eve, the bar and restaurant rebranded, reducing the footprint to the "old Mirth" on McKay Street, installing a pizza oven, emphasizing games and artsy community events, focusing on well-curated craft beer, and having earlier hours.

After more than a decade in business, Thistle expanded into the adjacent former print shop at 46 West St. in 2021 to offer a ramen menu and more seating. The light-filled space was filled with plants while it operated under this use, foreshadowing its future.

Tags: business changes, plants,

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BCC 40 Under 40 Winners to be Honored

01:24PM / Wednesday, February 04, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC), together with partners 1Berkshire and Mill Town Foundation, will honor the winners of its annual 40 Under Forty Awards on Wednesday, March 18 at 5 p.m. in the Robert Boland Theater, located on the main campus at 1350 West Street.

Tickets are $40 per person (free for award winners and one guest per winner) and may be purchased online at www.berkshirecc.edu/40-tix. Proceeds benefit support Workforce and Community Education programs at BCC, addressing immediate needs and helping to build a lasting endowment.

According to a press release:

40 Under Forty celebrates talented people in the Berkshires, under the age of 40, who have a deep dedication to improving the quality of life for those living and working in our community. Nominees, who hail from throughout Berkshire County, are eligible for the award through their professional work and how it makes a difference, their personal commitment to their community, or other efforts to improve the quality of life for those living and working the Berkshires.

Mill Town Foundation will promote purposeful giving by funding each 40 Under Forty Award winner with $1,000 to re-grant to an eligible Berkshire-based nonprofit organization.

The winners, along with their non-profit of choice to receive the $1,000 funding, are:

Lilia Baker, Volunteers in Medicine, donating to ViM Berkshires
Jillian Bamford, On Pointe Barre & Fitness Studio, donating to No Paws Left Behind
Haley Barbieri, Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion and Museum / Shakespeare & Company, donating to Lenox Library Association
Patrick Becker, General Dynamics Mission Systems, donating to Craneville Elementary - PTO
Deirdre Bird, Dri Umbrellas, donating to The Denise Kaley Fund for Berkshire County Women with Cancer at BTCF
Miranda Bona, Fuss & O'Neill, Inc., donating to Jacks Galore
Amanda Carpenter, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, donating to Youth Center Inc.
Lindsay Cornwell, Second Street Second Chances, Inc. / Berkshire County Sheriff's Office, donating to Elizabeth Freeman Center
AJ Cote, Food Pantries of the Capital District, donating to Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc.
Charlotte (Linden) Crane, Berkshire Community College, donating to CBRSD - Wahconah Regional High School CPR program
Jessie Downer, Lamacchia Realty, donating to Strong Little Souls
Michael Duffy, Pittsfield Public Schools – Taconic, donating to Temple Anshe Amunim
Devan Gardner, Greylock Federal Credit Union, donating to Berkshire Lyric
Christa Gariepy, Berkshire Health Systems, donating Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires (the Seed Room)
Alexander Hernandez, Berkshire Medical Center, Somos Berkshires, donating to Katunemo Arts and Healing (Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. as its fiscal sponsor)
Hilary Houldsworth, Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc., donating to Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc.
Keytoria Jenkins, United States Postal Service and Keys with Keytoria, donating to Choices Mentoring Initiative
Tom Jorgenson, Berkshire Athenaeum, donating to Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County
Amanda Lardizabal, Berkshire Community College, donating to Berkshire Humane Society
Emma Lenski, Berkshire Pride / Collaborative Endeavors, LLC / Indie Readery & Records, donating to Berkshire Pride
Molly Lovejoy, Railroad Street Youth Project, donating to Railroad Street Youth Project
Kaitlyn Maloy, Berkshire Medical Center, donating to Berkshire Health Systems Nursing Residency
Sheetal Manerkar, Berkshire Medical Center, donating to Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc.
Zachary Marcotte, Berkshire Money Management, donating to Berkshire Humane Society (Community Cat Program)
Stephanie Maselli, Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School, donating to Williamstown Youth Center
Charell McFarland, Community First Therapy and Consulting, LLC, donating to R.O.P.E (Rites of Passage & Empowerment Inc)
Molly Merrihew, WAM Theatre, donating to Latinas413
Travis Mille, ConvenientMD Urgent Care, donating to BFAIR
Octavio Miranda Nallin, Amici Berkshires, donating to Litnet
Kaitlyn Moresi, BFAIR, donating to Love of T Foundation
Kaci Nowicki, Greylock Federal Credit Union, donating to Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention
Katherine Oberwager, Baystate Medical Center, donating to Pediatric Developmental Center
Erik Ray, MountainOne Bank, donating to Youth Center Inc.
Nicholas Russo, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, donating to Zion Lutheran Church
Brianna Sabato, Pittsfield Public Schools, donating to Berkshire Running Foundation
Alyssa Sakowski, Berkshire County Head Start, donating to Berkshire County Head Start
Sierra Shehemi, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, donating to MS Support Foundation
Brittany Sumner, Berkshire ABA, donating to Families Like Ours (FLO)
Austin White, County Ambulance, donating to Emergency Medical Service Committee of Berkshire County
Emily Zelenovic, Law Office of Emily Zelenovic, donating to Construct Inc.