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The Burlington Store opens this Friday in Berkshire Crossing.

Burlington Store Debuts in Pittsfield on Friday

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The new Burlington store will open in Berkshire Crossing later this week.  

During the morning ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Aug. 22, the store will present a $5,000 donation to teachers at Craneville Elementary for much-needed back-to-school supplies. Following the grand opening, the first 100 shoppers over the age of 18 will receive a $10 Bonus Card on Friday and Saturday. 

The discount retailer touts discounts of up to 60 percent off brand-name merchandise and regular new arrivals. 

News came that a new retail store was coming to the city earlier this year when the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a sign exemption for Burlington Stores, formerly Burlington Coat Factory. The space at 55 Hubbard Ave. was vacated by Staples in December after 30 years in business. 

"To celebrate the grand opening of their new store location and highlight their ongoing commitment to education, the retailer will be donating $5,000 to a nearby high-needs school through their long-standing partnership with the national non-profit organization AdoptAClassroom.org," a press release from Burlington Stores Inc. reads. 

"Funds will be used to provide students with classroom materials they need to learn and succeed.?The presentation of the donation to the local school community will take place at the ribbon-cutting ceremony." 

AdoptAClassroom helps offset the financial burden that teachers incur, often about $860 per year, to equip classrooms with the supplies needed for student success. The nonprofit has raised $73 million since 1998, and 90 percent of the funded classrooms are considered "high needs." 


"As a company who cares about their customers and associates, Burlington is dedicated to adding value to the communities in which they live and work. Throughout the year, Burlington supports a variety of philanthropic initiatives that empower those locally to live better lives and build brighter futures," the company wrote. 

Craneville Elementary, located in Dalton, has more than 450 students enrolled in Grades kindergarten through 5 from Dalton, Windsor and Cummington. It is part of the Central Berkshire Regional School District.

"With class sizes of approximately 20, we provide a variety of services including remedial reading, Title I, special education, speech and language, occupational therapy, and physical therapy," the school's website reads. 

"In our pursuit to develop well-rounded citizens, students enjoy art, music, PE, and library weekly.  Our children are taught by a highly-qualified staff in a nurturing environment." 

The Pittsfield store will bring the total number of Burlington locations in Massachusetts to 26; there are 1,115 stores nationwide with the closest in Holyoke and in Latham, N.Y. It will carry ladies' apparel, including petites and plus sizes, menswear with big and tall sizing options, kids' and juniors' apparel, baby items, footwear, beauty and fragrance, home decor, and pet care and toys. 

According to the company's website, four part-time positions are open for the Pittsfield location, offering a base pay of $15 per hour: retail stocking associate, retail shortage control, cashier associate, and retail sales associate. 

The Pittsfield location is said to feature a "reimagined" store layout that features "refreshed format, featuring thoughtfully organized aisles and bold signage making it easier than ever to navigate the store and get inspiration for the latest must-have trends." 

The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.  The grand opening on Friday will begin at 8:45 a.m. 


Tags: new business,   big box retailer,   grand opening,   

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Tina Packer, Founder of Shakespeare & Company, Dies at 87

Staff Reports
LENOX, Mass. — The doyenne of Shakespeare's plays, Tina Packer, died Friday at the age of 87.
 
Shakespeare & Company, which Packer co-founded in 1978, made the announcement Saturday on its Facebook page.
 
"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Packer, Shakespeare & Company's founding artistic director and acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher," the company said on its post and in a press release. 
 
Packer, who retired a the theater company's artistic director in 2009, had directed all of Shakespeare's plays, some several times, acted in eight of them, and taught the whole canon at more than 30 colleges, including Harvard. She continued to direct, teach, and advocate for the company until her passing.
 
At Columbia University, she taught in the master of business administration program for four years, resulting in the publication of "Power Plays: Shakespeare's Lessons in Leadership and Management with Deming Professor John Whitney" for Simon and Schuster. For Scholastic, she wrote "Tales from Shakespeare," a children's book and recipient of the Parent's Gold Medal Award. 
 
Most recently her book "Women of Will" was published by Knopf and she had been performing "Women of Will" with Nigel Gore, in New York, Mexico, England, The Hague, China, and across the United States. She's the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the Commonwealth Award.
 
"Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Tina Packer, a fiery force of nature with an indomitable spirit," said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. "Tina affected everyone she encountered with her warmth, generosity, wit, and insatiable curiosity. She delighted in people's stories, and reached into their hearts with tender humanity. The world was her stage, and she furthered the Berkshires as a destination for the imagination. 
 
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