image description

Crane Stationery Future Uncertain With Reports of Layoffs

Staff ReportsPrint Story | Email Story
COHOES, N.Y. — Mohawk Fine Papers, which owns Crane Stationery, is reportedly being acquired by the international Fedrigoni Group and employees at Crane were laid off. 
 
The news was reported Wednesday by Albany Business Review, which also confirmed that 75 people in the Crane unit were notified on Tuesday that they were laid off "effective immediately."
 
The deal appears to be affecting what's left of the 220-year-old Crane Stationery, which Mohawk purchased in 2018. The New York company closed the North Adams, Mass., plant in 2020 and laid off nearly 200 employees. 
 
A number of them were offered jobs in Cohoes, where the printing of Crane was to continue, and remotely. Workers said on Facebook that they'd been locked out of their email and company access on Tuesday with no notice; some have apparently received the news by letter via FedEx.
 
The Crane Stationery website has been down since Tuesday afternoon with a notice that "we are taking a moment to reflect" while maintenance and upgrades are being performed. 
 
The company's apparently been mum with its many customers on the status of their orders. "Please let your loyal retailers who have been with you for 50 years what the hell is going on!!!" posted Paper Mill Studio Designs on Crane & Co.'s Instagram. "Hundreds have orders pending with you."
 
Another commenter on Thursday posted that she'd "been emailing and calling for days about my missing order. No response. Phone lines don't even pick up. That's bad customer service." 
 
Some of these comments have since disappeared from the Instagram account. 
 
Fedrigoni is a specialty paper and luxury packaging manufacturer based in Italy. Established in 1888, it says it employs more than 4,500 in 27 countries. The firm's been on acquisitions tear the last few years, taking over paper and adhesive companies in France, China, Spain and Turkey, and acquiring an equity stake in SharpEnd, a software solutions firm.
 
Mohawk, family owned since 1931, had entered into a manufacturing agreement with Fedrigoni in 2022 and became its North American distributor last July.
 
Mohawk Fine Papers purchased Crane in 2018 from an employee partnership and not long after was touting its commitment to invest $3 million to $4 million into the facility in the Robert Hardman Industrial Park on Curran Highway. 
 
It was in the midst of a rebranding effort expected to be unveiled by the end of the year when it announced the plant closure, blaming the pandemic, digital culture and the bankruptcy of its largest customer. 
 

Tags: Crane,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.

Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.

We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.

In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.

Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear. 

The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.

"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."

Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.

In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.

The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.

"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.

They are hoping their display carries on the tradition of the Arnold Family Christmas Lights Display that retired in 2022.

The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.

In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.

"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said. 

View Full Story

More North Adams Stories