image description — Anastasia Drayton opened her pop-up Foraged and Found inside the Plant Connector's Pittsfield location and will soon launch her plant business, the Solarium, in the space. Michael Carty will curate art for the store's Atrium Gallery.

Pittsfield's Plant Connector Closes But Familiar Face Remains

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:05PM / Saturday, August 16, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Plant Connector is closing down its Pittsfield storefront but the space's future is still green.

Anastasia Drayton opened her pop-up Foraged and Found there last November and will be taking over the location.

Taking inspiration from the Plant Connector's owners Emilee Yawn and Bonnie Marks, she will opening her own plant business in the space with an artsy twist.

Store posted to its Facebook on Aug. 4 that it would not be operating at 46 West St. anymore and would concentrate on the North Adams shop.

"It was a really hard decision to make, because we really have built a beautiful community in Pittsfield," Yawn said.

Yawn and Marks opened in Pittsfield last year after doing pop-ups and the farmers market.

"We're really focused on sort of bringing people together around the love of plants, and sort of making a space that is very welcoming and engaging. And it's about learning about stuff and sharing information. And we do a lot of fun events, and we've just really tried to kind of become a space where everyone's welcome," Yawn said.

She said closing Pittsfield was a difficult decision to make but a necessary one because it was hard to finance both stores and has been a struggle to operating the stores on their own.

Marks was running the Pittsfield store while Yawn worked the North Adams location.

"The North Adams store has really been sort of the anchor, and financially, really keeping both stores going. And I've been doing the North Adams store by myself, and I really need help, I need one other person and to help get through it and to help build the business," Yawn said.

The Plant Connector and is Refillery will remain on Main Street in North Adams. Additionally, they are looking to take more of the store on the road, with a mobile operation and launching a website for orders and deliveries, Yawn said.

"I think we're really looking forward to taking the show on the road again. We really love that interaction. We've applied for a few grants to try to get a mobile Refillery going so that we can bring it on the road, because we see the need for definitely the sustainability side of things for Pittsfield," she said.

Yawn said they love the Pittsfield community and are very grateful for their support.

"Truthfully, so grateful to them and I think we knew we were burning ourselves out about a year ago, but we were so inspired by people that we really wanted to keep going.

"We really did everything we could, from applying to grants. That didn't work out. We just really tried really hard, but we see such a beautiful community within Pittsfield, within plant lovers, we think that there's a lot of great stuff going on in Pittsfield, and just we're really grateful for being supported," she said.

Drayton hopes to keep the Plant Connector’s spirit and legacy in the community.

"I think the Plant Connector started a beautiful thing in downtown Pittsfield, and I think that the community and the customers are really, really excited about what they did. And so it feels like I'm stewarding that forward. It's not really about me. I feel like I'm doing it for the community," she said.

The new shop will be called the Solarium and she wants it to be a place where people can hang out.

"I really want to kind of increase the coziness and the inspired feel that everyone feels when they come in here, and just make it feel like a place where you want to be and to stay and to visit often," she said.

The Solarium will offer plants as well as home items. At the heart of the store will be the Atrium Gallery, a place to view art curated by Michael Carty.

The name is special to them as it represents the heart of the store, downtown, and references Carty's experience getting a heart transplant.

Carty mentioned that they will display local contemporary art that is not often showcased in Pittsfield, which might appeal to a younger audience.

"We're gonna try to showcase a lot of local artists that maybe currently, do not get as much recognition in different gallery offerings available right now. We're also going to probably be featuring more like a street art slant as well, which I feel like does not get a lot of run in Pittsfield either," he said.

"So, I think that'll be maybe a little more interesting for the younger people who are more open to that kind of artwork."

Drayton said they plan to have a soft opening in early September for their new space which will also include workshops and events for the community.

Tags: new business, business changes, plants,

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

Companion Corner: Princess at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
02:17PM / Wednesday, August 05, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is an energetic girl waiting to find her new home at the Berkshire Humane Society.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Princess is a six year old shepherd mix that has been at the shelter for just over a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Princess.

"She's very social, very friendly. When you're out walking her, she just wants to go say hi to every single new person. Loves to make new friends. She's a lot of fun. She's very active. She's very spunky. She's very playful, and she's going to need a very very active family who's going to do a lot with her."

But Princess is no stranger to the shelter. She was a puppy five years ago and got adopted quickly, but now she needs a new family to take care of her.

"She was adopted out fairly quickly as a young puppy. She's been in the same home for the past five years. Unfortunately, they were moving out of state somewhere," Olivieri said. "They could not take her with them, so she ended up coming as a return to shelter, and she came back to stay with us."

Princess needs to go to a home as the only animal or with other male dogs that are her size or bigger.

"Her perfect home would be kids eight and up. No cats. No small animals. She has quite a prey drive. She could go to a home with another dog around her size or larger, preferably a male dog. She does a little bit better with male dogs, and she's looking for a home where people are home quite a bit, so that she's not left alone for too long. She has some separation anxiety," Olivieri said.

She also needs a very active home that can let her use her energy every day, as she is very rambunctious. Especially with playing with her favorite toy, the flirt pole.

"She could use a home where people are going to give her a lot of attention and more than just a few walks a day; she's going to need lots of exercise, lots of playtime, lots of mental stimulation," Olivieri said. "She likes to learn, so someone who would be willing to take her to training classes or work on some training with her, as well as hikes, getting out and about, doing new things, different things. She is very athletic. She'd excel at things like agility, some dog sports. Just someone who is really going to want to engage and do a lot of different kinds of activities with her."

Once you let her get her energy out, she is a cuddler who wouldn't mind being held like a baby from time to time.

"She's very sweet. She's very cuddly. She's very affectionate, but she is not a couch potato. She will stay on that couch with you for a little bit, and then she's ready to go off and do something else. So she's very busy. She's very active," Olivieri said. "Once all of her exercise needs are met during the day, she will settle down nicely, and she will want to be right by your side, cuddle with you at night on the couch, sleep with you."

Princess is very healthy but does experience some anxiety and is not fully potty trained and might have the occasional accident.

"She does have a little bit of anxiety, so she is on some medication for it right now," Olivieri said. "So a lot of structure, a lot of outlets, and familiarity, getting used to a new routine and everything is gonna be really good for her. I mean, she's just lovely. Like I said, she's very social. She likes to play with other dogs. She likes to meet new people."

View Full Story