Pittsfield — For Mary Collins, the August 22 opening of Pittsfield’s Burlington Store, formerly Burlington Coat Factory, 555 Hubbard Avenue, was sort of a “homecoming.” The local resident had shopped at the popular discount retail store when she lived in Connecticut. But that was two decades ago and before Collins relocated to the area.
“I’m so excited,” said Collins twice while pushing a cart. “I love the prices.”
According to District Manager Lori Comar, Store 1652 in Pittsfield was the logical choice for the company’s buildout as the closest Burlington Store is about 75 minutes away. “There was a need and an ask for our stores inside this community,” she said. The Berkshire Crossing space was open and amounted to “the perfect square footage” for the endeavor, she said.
“How excited are we to have a Burlington in Pittsfield,” Comar addressed the sizable crowd gathered outside the shop just prior to the doors opening. “I hear you all have been driving to Albany or Springfield or Holyoke or wherever you drive to to come see Burlington.”
The Pittsfield site is the 26th Burlington Store in Massachusetts and joins the New Jersey-based Fortune 500 conglomerate’s 1,115 stores that are in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to a news release.
On behalf of Burlington Store, Comar and Store Manager Ryan Traficante presented a $5,000 check signed to Dalton’s Craneville Elementary School in conjunction with the corporation’s charitable initiative, the Adopt A Classroom program.
Craneville Principal Becky Sawyer told The Berkshire Edge she was grateful for the gift that helps teachers outfit their classrooms “in the current times and financial landscape.” She thanked the company for the donation. “It means a lot to our teachers and staff,” Sawyer said. “Such a positive way to kick off our school year next week with this donation, and it’s really wonderful to welcome a business to the Berkshires that has such a strong focus on community and clearly values education.”
The first 100 customers entering the store each received a $10 coupon.
The Pittsfield location employs about 40-plus area residents, with plans to hire more associates, Traficante said. That number will escalate seasonally to a total of 60-plus employees during the winter holidays.
Traficante, who will be relocating from New York to the Berkshires, remarked about the welcome the team has received from the community and the area’s beauty, noting the scenic mountains visible from the store’s entrance.
“We’re very, very excited to be part of the Pittsfield community,” Comar said.
For Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti, from a retail standpoint, the store provides more choices for Berkshire residents while also creating jobs. “This is a great opportunity for Pittsfield,” he told The Berkshire Edge. “When we look to go shopping, our options are limited. With the Berkshire Mall closing several years ago, we need to go find other places.”
Marchetti said he considers Pittsfield to be “on a rebound” during his administration, explaining the city is currently working with two companies that are in the midst of significant expansion projects, including local custom embroidery and screen-printing service Elegant Stitches and Jain America’s Inc., a Chicopee-based PVC foam producer. “So, this [Burlington Store opening] also fits the economic development plan of making sure we have something for everyone and jobs at all levels of employment,” Marchetti said.
Chef Xavier Jones, who owns Big Daddy’s Philly Steakhouse in North Adams, was among the local celebrities at the opening. He admits to being a fan of the stores and was in town “to check out the shoes.” For Jones, the trek is much more manageable than traveling to the Burlington Store in Albany where he is used to shopping.
Arriving on site at 7:45 a.m. for the store’s scheduled 9 a.m. debut, Pittsfield resident Misty Labshere, whose drag queen persona is “Rebel,” made sure she was first in line for the opening. She reminisced about shopping excursions to Burlington Coat Factory she took with her mother when she was little and now brought her own daughter along for the experience.
“I’ve been waiting for years for them to take it out of Holyoke so I don’t have to travel,” Labshere excitedly explained about her reason for being at the Pittsfield opening. “And it’s my favorite store in the whole world because everything in there is so cute and priced so well. It’s just Burlington.”
Ten-year-old Stella Paris combed the aisles for the perfect “first-day-of-school outfit.” The rising fifth grader also chose a little “bling” in the form of a necklace and earring set. It was her first time in a Burlington Store, and she was smiling from ear to ear.
Pittsfield’s Antoinette Clark had no trouble filling her shopping cart during the store’s opening. An avid fan of the national chain, she said she has been forced to reluctantly travel to New York State or Springfield to get her fix.
“We love it,” Clark said, adding that she was stockpiling wares for numerous family members. Exhilarated to see the Burlington logo locally, she admitted to getting up at 3:30 a.m. for the event and was third in line to enter the new store. “Everything’s so new—that’s what makes it so exciting,” Clark said.
Pam Delmolino said she loves “the variety of stuff you can find here.” In the first few minutes of opening, her cart claimed a good-sized purse. “Five minutes, and I already found a pocketbook,” she said.
Burlington Store in Pittsfield is open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, see Burlington’s website.
