Judy Bates has been an artist her entire life. She started window painting when she was 13, and has been working as a creative force and entrepreneur ever since. That should come as no surprise, given her family history—voted “the most creative family in America” by USA Today in 1993. “My grandparents, parents, all three of their daughters, and all of our spouses were makers,” Bates acknowledges. “Our collective mindset was always about making things.”
“I was raised with the mantra ‘If you don’t have it, make it’ and taught to see opportunity everywhere,” she recalls. For Bates, it has always centered on expressing herself through art. Luckily, in the Berkshires, that occupation is respected and financially supported. “HappyPlace Berkshires is offering me the chance to do what I love.”
Pride of place meets artistic passion
The story behind her current business begins with a dinner party at an embassy in Paris. “I saw a large Tanglewood poster by John Stritch and was immediately struck by it. I had this swelling pride that I not only knew the artist, but also loved going to Tanglewood,” Bates recalls. “Seeing his work made me feel proud and privileged to be living in the Berkshires. I also knew he had passed away, and made a decision then and there that I wanted to continue putting affordable original poster art out in the world.”
Bates had met Crispina ffrench of The Dolphin Studio (a legacy project carrying on her parents’ printing business) at the Massachusetts College of Art while earning her BFA in fiber arts. As soon as she returned from her trip to Paris, Bates called her. “Crispina let me use their studio to make prints of my first design, an outline of the legendary 220-year-old, 100-foot sycamore tree near McDonald’s in Great Barrington,” she explains. “Crispina also let me sell them at her weekend Holiday Shindy, and I sold out.” After that, Bates turned to Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow, Shakespeare & Company, and other iconic Berkshire venues, creating more original designs.
Finding her happy place
For four years, Bates had a store/studio in Lenox called Berkshire Poster. Hoping to open a Berkshire brand store that could serve as a collaborative space for other artists, she came to Great Barrington in 2015. There she met a handful of artists, including Jess Garb, who was selling vintage/upcycled clothing on Etsy, and they collaborated at the former Hey Dey shop on Main Street.
Based on her initial success, she began scouting retail locations and found a supportive landlord in Mike Parsons. “I was looking for a different kind of space, and this one, steps up from the sidewalk level and previously filled with architects, fit the bill,” she says. Parsons loved the fact that she wanted to do something for the Berkshires and agreed to give it a shot at a price Bates could afford.
Bates and Garb moved across the street on June 30 and opened HappyPlace Berkshires the next day (July 1, 2019). Since then, they’ve been working together running a “screen printing and stitching studio featuring original Berkshire branded goods” made onsite in the studio within the shop. “It’s very fun here. It’s our Happy Place,” Bates smiles.
Developing a brand—and logo
“I kept looking for iconic Berkshire symbols that captured the region’s culture, natural beauty, and devotion to farming and community—what people love about the Berkshires—but it was hard to find the essence. There wasn’t one thing that represented all of it,” Bates says. “At one point, Jess and I collaborated and designed a ‘Berkshire Circus Days of Summer’ poster with a tuxedo bear on it, and it hit all the right buttons! People loved the image of the bear, and we slowly incorporated other Berkshire passions to include a winter bear, snowboarder bear, and farmer bear.” Bates considers this an important nod to the bears that were here first and need to be respected and remembered as the Berkshires grow. “It was our customers’ enthusiastic response to the bear that gave it its beginning,” she shares. Thus, the “Bearington Bear” became the HappyPlace brand.
“My whole point was to create imagery to represent what the Berkshires has to offer and the collective mentality that we all appreciate, from James Taylor’s July Fourth concert tradition at Tanglewood to Ski Butternut,” Bates notes. She more explicitly outlined that perspective in another design, her “Berkshire Manifesto” (shown below). “It’s about gratitude, safety, good food, community, kindness, positive vibes, and an appreciation that we all have something to offer,” she emphasizes.
Like most business owners, they had to adjust during COVID. Again, with a little creativity, they cut up and sewed printed tees into masks and kept going. Realizing that the new trend of working from home was lingering long after the pandemic, they ramped up the production of T-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. “There’s always a silver lining,” Bates admits. “We were able to pivot and readjust. I’m grateful for all of it.”
Although Garb fell in love and moved to Rhode Island last year, she still supplies the shop with vintage denim and sweaters. A new artist named Jill Brenner—who has her own company, Good.Trouble.Jacket.Co., which makes positive-messaging jackets for toddlers to adults—is now working in the studio with Bates. “So, we are still two artists making Berkshire-branded goods,” Bates says.
collaborated on (right). Graphic and photo courtesy HappyPlace Berkshires
10,000 friends
The best part of this business? In addition to the local community, which she loves, she feels like she has 10,000 friends. “When they come to town, they stop by to say hi and catch up,” Bates remarks. “I love those 15-minute interactions—they infuse so much happiness and love, and I continue to learn so much.” She relishes hearing “spoonfuls of their adventures” and sharing updated recommendations on where to go and what to do in the Berkshires. “When I travel, no matter how beautiful it is, the lasting impression is always the people you meet—they show you the true spirit of each place,” she says, adding that she is proud of the Berkshires and loves being a Berkshire ambassador.
Beyond the locals, second-home owners, and tourists, she is grateful for the Berkshire School (a co-ed, college-prep boarding and day school) in South Egremont. “Their mascot is the bear (represented by a bear claw), and fortunately for me, the kids from that school have adopted Bearington bear. I love September when the first-year students come in and start their collection of ‘Bearware,’” she notes. Bates has also done screen prints for Monument Mountain Regional High School’s ski team and limited collaborations for friends who own area businesses (but only prints her own designs).
Mentoring the next generation
Bates also enjoys training young people—particularly empowering young women—as a way of paying it forward and showing gratitude to the women who offered her an opportunity when she needed one. She currently has three interns working in the studio and shop. “They seem to find me, interested to learn the ropes in terms of running a business,” she says, quickly adding, “And they have so much to offer! Every time I raise the bar, they exceed my expectations. I learn so much from them—this generation of girls is a force.”
“I consider myself an artist and entrepreneur. I saw an opportunity 15 years ago to produce original merch representing the Berkshires at a time when there wasn’t much. I recognized that people here appreciated original designs and handmade products,” Bates summarizes. “I love that the brand is starting to have an identity now, and people are wearing it worldwide.”
Is she ever concerned that the creative well will run dry? “I’m constantly inspired, and my idea book is too full to ever worry about that,” she assures. So, whether you’re looking for a Berkshire sweatshirt or tee, poster or pillow, barware or tote, you’re bound to find something that makes you happy at HappyPlace Berkshires. Shop their website, or stop in the store.
Berkshires
