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A New Bakery is Open in Williamstown

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – A new bakery is opening up at the Colonial Plaza in the former Maestries Munchies.

Great Falls Baking Company opened on Oct. 11 showcasing many baked goods made in house from scratch.

Since she was a girl, owner Andrea Bennetch was an aspiring baker. 

"When I was that young, my mom was going back to school, and so there were nights during the week where we would just be home with my dad while my mom was at school. And at that point in my dad's life, he could not cook anything except for, like, eggs and sandwiches. So after doing that for two weeks, I was like, Mom, you need to teach me to cook something because I'm tired of eating this," she said.

Bennetch formerly worked at Big Y and in healthcare. Earlier this year she decided she wanted to do something she loved. She posted on Facebook in one of the community groups asking if a bakery opened, what would people want to see.

"I just said if a new bakery was to open, what kind of things would people like to see that they aren't already sort of getting in their community? I had like 150 people comment on that post, and so that sort of really set it in motion for me. Like there is a demand, like people want these things," she said.

After realizing the demand, she added another post asking where space was available for a potential bakery. A local realtor commented and showed her the space at 230 Main Street, the shop had a lot of the needed products.

"One of the people who commented on that post was a real estate agent from Bishop and West, and she brought us in here. And you know, when we came in here, like all of these feedbacks were here. The huge mixer was already here. All of this stuff was already here [tables]. The display case out front was already there. So we were just like, this is a perfect place."

Great Falls Baking Company will sell  desserts and bread made from scratch. Bennetch bakes everything fresh to have ready for her customers. She has started on her Thanksgiving forms to make pies for the table.

"As far as baked goods, we will have cookies, we do brownies, we do lemon squares, we do pecan squares, we do homemade coconut macaroons," she said. "Everything here is made from scratch, homemade, I don't use anything frozen."

Her husband, who was a former chef, said he would be willing to work and cook on the weekends. Sometime in the future, they plan to install a flat top grill to be able to provide breakfast on the go.

"Eventually, we would like to get a flat top in here. And then on the weekends, he wants to do breakfast to go. So like, breakfast sandwiches, that type of thing. He doesn't want to work in a kitchen full time, but he was like for the weekend I can jump back into it a little bit," she said.

She also says she wants to add classes and fun activities for the community to participate in. Whether it is to learn how to make a certain baked goods, or having fun decorating a gingerbread house.

Bennetch says she values customer feedback and says if anyone is looking to have something she may not have to ask and see if she can do it for her as she loves to experiment new recipes.

"I really just like the feeling of creating something that tastes good, some people, have tons of different creative outlets, this is really my creative outlet. I love sharing good food with people. I love making good food for people, and that's really why, like, I am a customer service person at heart," she said. "So this really seemed like the best sort of track for me."

Great Falls Baking Company is open from Tuesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Williamstown Fire District Dedicates New Station

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
06:37AM / Sunday, May 31, 2026

Chief Jeffrey Dias recognizes firefighter Alexandra Riggs, who will graduate from Williams College next week. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Massachusetts fire marshal came to town Saturday to congratulate the local Fire District and the taxpayers of Williamstown for the "amazing" station they have built on Main Street.

 

"I travel around the state, and I've seen hundreds of firehouses around the state — some great, some not so great," Fire Marshal Jon Davine told a crowd gathered outside the station for its dedication. "And I think we saw what the previous station here was in Williamstown. I'll tell you, especially in Western Massachusetts, we have a really big problem with deteriorating firehouses throughout Western Mass. These buildings are collapsing around our firefighters.

 

"And, as the marshal, it's my job to advocate for the departments for more funding. We've been working with our state reps and local reps and the fire chiefs association, trying to come up with different funding streams, so that we can help these departments build new stations, do better, safer stations, so that they have the equipment and the building they deserve to do their job safely."

 

The chair of the Prudential Committee, which governs the Fire District, and the chief of the department both thanked Williamstown residents for the 2023 special district meeting vote that paved the way for the station that went into operation earlier this year.

 

"It's an honor and a privilege to join you today as we celebrate this grand opening of the new firehouse," Chief Jeffrey Dias said. "This facility is so much more than a building that houses fire trucks. It stands as a symbol of our community's commitment to safety, preparedness and public service. It's a place where our members will maintain our equipment. They will learn about our craft. They'll share meals and, yes, from time to time, they're going to share sorrow.

 

"This isn't a fire station. This is a firehouse. And people have heard me say this a million times already. And it houses the very best second family that one could imagine."

 

Dias was joined at the podium set up in the parking lot for the noon ceremony by Prudential Committee Chair David Moresi, state Rep. John Barrett III and the the Rev. William F. Cyr, who gave an invocation.