Great Barrington — This week, The Berkshire Food Co-op opened its new retail store, The Attic, located right upstairs from the Co-op at 34 Bridge Street, Suite 101. The focus of the store is on kitchen and home goods, including non-plastic and reusable items, with a variety of handmade goods, bags, and wearables, along with gifts.
According to Co-op General Manager Jessica Bosworth, many of the types of items sold at The Attic were previously sold in the Co-op itself. “We eventually discovered that our general merchandise category in our building was one of our fastest growing categories,” Bosworth told The Edge. “At the time, I was the department manager and the buyer for that category. We felt that having a good pulse on the community’s wants and needs, it made sense when this space became available to turn [it] into another little retail shop. This allowed for some more growth downstairs for some other categories, and also to give the Co-op a chance for some expansion.”
Bosworth said that, for about a year, both she and the Co-op worked with local architects and contractors to get the store ready. The architecture of the store was prepared by Bradley Architects of Pittsfield, while A. J. Schnopp Construction of Dalton served as the construction company. The live edge countertop, which was constructed from a jatoba tree, was constructed by Berkshire Wood Products of Sheffield, and the furniture for the store was purchased at Collinsville Antiques in New Hartford, Conn.
Bosworth said that many of the products being offered at the store are from local artisans. “One of our main highlights and focuses is to give a platform and voice to local artists and artisans,” she said. “Not only have we curated products that are ecologically minded, sustainably minded, affordable, [but we are] filling the needs of places around town that don’t carry these types of items.”
“We chose the name ‘The Attic’ because the store is sort of a place where you can lose yourself, like you would in exploring somebody’s attic,” Bosworth said. “Plus, it’s above from the Co-op, so it was a name that made sense.”
The Attic is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more, information call 413-528-9697 or go to its website.
