“This alliance is about multiplying our efforts, not draining them. If we work together—even just a little—we can create the kind of energy downtown that none of us could pull off alone. And I promise: it’ll be fun, creative, and worth your time.”
— Donna Norman, founder of GBBA, in her presentation to 30 local businesses
Donna Norman is the proud owner of Calyx Berkshire Dispensary (307 Main Street, Great Barrington), the only 100 percent woman-owned and -operated dispensary in the Berkshires. Since launching her business and joining the Great Barrington business community five years ago, she has been a fierce advocate for women and small business owners. “I really want to champion women and create a safe and welcoming environment for them,” she noted in an interview in June—words she is putting into action through organic daily collaborating and networking as well as intentional formal alliances. (See the Spotlight from June 2025 for more on Calyx.)
Women’s health issues—especially reducing pain and discomfort for women dealing with breast cancer and menopause—are both a passion and a priority for her, based on struggles she’s witnessed with family and friends and stories shared by customers. Her focus on (and support for) women has included donating to Elizabeth Freeman Center by “rounding up at the register,” partnering with Greenhouse Yoga for breast cancer awareness, participating in The Red Lion Inn’s Women’s Wellness Weekend, and (just recently) sharing her unfinished loft space for a clothing swap to raise money for a youth choir scholarship fund.
Community involvement—and investment
“Being involved in my Berkshire community is important,” Norman stresses, highlighting her prior term on the Chamber of Commerce and current service on the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDCSB). But involvement alone isn’t enough, she’s realized. While multiple alliances support Great Barrington small business owners—including Massachusetts Business Network (MBN), Mass Cultural Council (MCC), and Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA)—Norman is alarmed by the growing cost of keeping the doors open in downtown Great Barrington and the number of businesses that have closed their doors since she started her business.
In a recent presentation making the case for additional support and resources for Great Barrington merchants, she listed some of the businesses we’ve lost as a community in recent years: Marjoram + Roux, Baba Louie’s, Gorham & Norton, Evergreen, Twoflower Cafe, Church Street Trading Co., Griffin, Dare Bottleshop, Départ Wine, Gifted Child, and Subway.
A grassroots alliance for GB
Norman is now championing another passion—”driving foot traffic, increasing visibility, and boosting local pride in our downtown core” through a new initiative called the Great Barrington Business Alliance (GBBA). Designed as a “grassroots alliance of downtown business owners” that is non-political and community-focused, it aims to bring together small business owners in Great Barrington without high fees or excessive red tape. “This is about flexible involvement and a shared commitment to community,” she notes. “Just a grassroots group made by business owners, for business owners.”
Her goals are simple—and challenging. “I want to create strategic, low-cost, high-impact programs tailored to our seasonal flow, cross-promotion between businesses to encourage spending at multiple locations, and a strong social media push to highlight what makes our downtown unique,” she states. “But beyond events, this is about forming a real alliance where we share ideas, pool small resources for big impact, and advocate together for the needs of our businesses.” She’s quick to explain that this isn’t about replacing the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce—it’s about creating an agile, proactive group that can move quickly and respond to the actual needs of our downtown economy.
Community-oriented ideas to draw out locals and extend tourism
Although her first idea—a Halloween Pet Parade and Thriller Flash Mob Mom Zombie Dance—was dropped because a few businesses felt there wasn’t enough time between late August and late October to get all the details worked out, it was a good one. “Imagine our Main Street filled with families, kids in costumes, pets dressed as superheroes, local businesses handing out treats, music in the air, and a surprise zombie dance flash mob (replicating what “Mombies” have created in Fairfield, Conn., going viral and raising over $650,000 for breast cancer) that stops everyone in their tracks. We could turn Halloween into something our whole town looks forward to—together,” she says.
Norman has proposed three events for Winter 2025. The first, Late Night for Locals, will be held on Thursday, December 11. A group of local businesses will be open late, offering a festive drink or live holiday music, and a discount for local shoppers. Also in the works is a Gingerbread Walk, which would include a two- to three-week “build your business/service in gingerbread” competition for area businesses, complete with a customer walking map, voting, and prizes. The event will kick off at the annual Southern Berkshire Chamber’s Holiday Shop, Sip, & Stroll on December 13 and be held in partnership with local libraries and schools.
The third GBBA winter event, in conjunction with the Knox Trail 250, is the Knox Winter March on January 10, 2026. Leading up to America’s 250th birthday, Revolution 250 is planning a celebratory simulation tracing the historic Henry Knox Noble Train of Artillery journey of 1776. This expedition brought 60 tons of captured cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to the Continental Army in Boston and served as the catalyst for what we now recognize as Evacuation Day. In Massachusetts, starting in Great Barrington, the Revolution 250 parade will pass through over 33 towns, including some locations in New York.
“This isn’t a political event,” Norman says, “This is about celebrating our freedom—Berkshire Strong for 250 Years! It isn’t about red vs. blue; it’s about red, white, and blue, and the courage of ordinary people who stood up for independence right here at home.” Among the activities she envisions are a “Walk with Knox” historic walking tour with accompanying “passports” and points for stopping by participating businesses to get stamps, a Colonial-themed Storefront Contest and restaurant specials, and high school theater performers re-enacting highlights in period costumes.
Finally, looking ahead, Norman proposes Winter WonderLights for winter 2026-27. “Imagine Main Street in Great Barrington covered in twinkling lights, shop windows glowing, live music on the weekends, people strolling with hot cocoa, and visitors driving here from all over the Berkshires just to see our town lit up,” she says, eyes widening. “This could be our winter signature event—one that keeps people shopping and dining here instead of leaving town.”
Like the Halloween Pet Parade, the “downtown light show” idea has been hugely successful in other places, providing the local community with free holiday lights while also driving foot traffic/business to local downtown retailers during the slower winter months. Citing Rochester, Minnesota’s “Downtown Winterfest” and St. Augustine, Florida’s “Nights of Lights” (which became one of the Top 10 Holiday Light Displays in the U.S.), Norman notes that “getting the town lit” has helped draw thousands of tourists and boosted off-season sales. “Local businesses reported an increase in revenue between 20 and 40 percent during the three months,” she notes, adding, “This shows it’s not just ‘cute’—it’s economic development.”
Stronger together, staying alive
“Small businesses are the soul of Great Barrington—the shopkeepers, bakers, farmers, makers, and dreamers who make our town vibrant and unique. Yet too many of us feel alone, unheard, and unsupported,” Norman concludes. That’s why she and a group of local business owners are coming together to form the alliance, which is still a work in progress. To date, in addition to Calyx, 23 Great Barrington businesses have attended initial meetings and shown interest in the alliance, including Berkshire Humane Society, Bernay Fine Art, Better Yoga, Carrie Chen Gallery, Dead River Oil Company, East Rock Inn, E. Caligari & Sons, Fluff Alpaca, Fuel Coffee, Great Barrington Bagel, Hart GB, Home Love, Karen Allen Fiber Arts, Marketplace Kitchen, JW Arts Supply, People’s Pantry, Railroad Street Collective, Rob’s Records, The Well, Tom’s Toys, Ward’s Nursery, and WSBS.
“We’re working hard to create a collective voice and support network for the people who keep our Main Streets alive,” she says. “Our message is simple: We are stronger together.” To learn more about the Great Barrington Business Alliance, email Donna Norman at dnorman@calyxberkshire.com.
