Nonprofit Center Launches Film Showcase Celebrating Berkshire Nonprofits

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC) has launched its first  film sharing event, "REEL GOOD: Nonprofits Strengthening the Berkshires," sponsored by Talon Media.

The event highlights 20 Berkshire County nonprofits through short films that share their missions and invite community engagement.

"There are so many nonprofits doing essential work across the Berkshires," said McCaela Donovan, NPC associate director. "This event uses storytelling to amplify their impact, reach new audiences, and show people how they can get involved."

The free event will take place during the City of Pittsfield’s 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival on Wednesday, February 18, from 3–5 p.m. at the Berkshire Athenaeum auditorium. A brief panel discussion with nonprofit leaders will follow the screening, focusing on the year ahead for the sector and the importance of effective storytelling. NPC welcomes local nonprofit leaders and staff, local businesses and entrepreneurs and the general public, especially those interested in nonprofit involvement.

Featured organizations include: Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, The Berkshire Botanical Garden, Berkshire Bounty, Berkshire Busk, Berkshire Community Land Trust, Berkshire County Arc (BCARC), Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative, Berkshire Grown, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Berkshire HorseWorks, Child Care of the Berkshires, Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDCSB), Flying Cloud, Kids 4 Harmony & 18 Degrees, Music in Common, Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC), Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) & the City of Pittsfield, Sheffield Historical Society, Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center, Turn Park.

To RSVP, visit www.npcberkshires.org/events and select the Feb. 18 event.

For more information, contact McCaela Donovan at mccaela@npcberkshires.org.


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Friperie Berkshires Moves to New Great Barrington Location

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Friperie Berkshires has moved to new quarters on Bridge Street and will reopen this Friday, Feb. 13.

Owner Elizabeth Conkey has relocated her store from Lee above the Berkshire Co-op at 34 Bridge St., in Suite 101. 

The space is twice the size of her former spot in Lee, which is better for her, she said, because she needed it to add more services for her customers.

"I've been looking for a permanent space to land, and this space is perfect, because it's twice the size of where I was and I needed more room because I'm going to start doing men's and children's clothing as well," she said.

Besides adding more clothing, she will also be implementing a wardrobe service for her customers. 

"In addition to just constantly stocking the store and finding treasures, I started offering a capsule wardrobe service," Conkey said. "So it has three tiers, and basically, people can hire me depending on what tier of offering they're interested in, and I will go and thrift specifically for them based on a mood board that they send me from Pinterest, or just a file folder of photos that they like."

Conkey kept the Lee storefront through the summer and had been renting a space in Great Barrington from a friend. She finally found her new space around New Year's, and will be launching a website.

She is excited to open just a short distance from where she was. 

"I've really grown pretty exponentially in the past six months. I'm launching a website. I'm so thrilled with the growth. So it just seems like appropriate to finally move into the forever space, and have room to spread out and offer more categories of clothing," she said.

She also wanted to express her gratitude for her customers and friends' support to keep her dream alive.

"I am just so grateful to the people who have continued to shop in my store from the day it opened. Through the holidays, I had an incredible holiday season, and I just felt so grateful to everybody for telling their friends at my store, sharing about what they bought on Instagram, encouraging co-workers to come in," Conkey said. "It's been such a gift to feel welcomed by the community, and I feel like now my customers are becoming my friends, and I'm just excited to start this new chapter and never have to move all of this inventory ever again."

She will be open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. She encourages people to check her Instagram for updates on clothes and her store.

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