“IF YOU NEED ANYTHING FOR A CRAFT, PLEASE COME HERE. Jamie is so kind and accommodating! First time I visited she sold me a set of knitting needles from her personal stash because she didn’t have the size I needed in stock. She just ordered me a sewing machine part so I didn’t have to go to Pittsfield to go to Joann or order on Amazon. So happy to have someone with good values serving our community. I’m so happy to be able to get all my handwork needs met locally!”
— Prim Ormanovich, Google review
What draws us to the old traditions of sewing and mending, knitting and crocheting, weaving and felting? For some, it’s the creative expression—particularly if your job offers few creative outlets. For some, it’s the mindful connection—the chance to unwind a ball of yarn, escape all the noise, and relax. For some, it’s the sense of achievement that comes from learning a new skill or making something tangible with your hands. For others, it’s about community—connecting with fellow crafters/artists, sharing patterns, giving and getting support. And for still others, it’s about sustainability—repurposing a favorite old item into something new and unique, rather than tossing it (which, by the way, is prohibited by Massachusetts law).
Whatever your inspiration or skill level, you’ll find a welcoming face and passionate community at Hart GB in Great Barrington, which on Saturday, March 1st celebrated its “grand reopening” at 34 Railroad Street, just five doors up from its previous storefront (16 Railroad Street). Owner Jamie (Hart) Goldenberg designed the new space using 3D modeling software SketchUp, IKEA cabinets, and advice from a friend in interior design.
It offers many benefits over the former iteration, including a ramp to make the store accessible to all, a bathroom for students to use during classes, a deeper space and higher ceilings, and a back porch to enjoy creating with a boost of fresh air and vitamin D. Of course, you’ll find all the things you loved about the old location, too—including the beloved button sign, created in 2023 and “sewn” onto the new facade by Jess Marsh of Hired Hand Signs.
Threading the needle—the creative journey begins
Like many Berkshire artists, Goldenberg grew up someplace else (in her case, nearby Connecticut) and spent a swatch of her young adult life living and working in New York City. What drew her to the proverbial fabric of the Berkshires initially was Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, where she transferred her junior year in high school and studied photography. She got her start in the photography world at Orion magazine, Aperture, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2010, deciding “it was time to move to Manhattan,” she worked full time as a photo editor for Businessweek and did freelance work for The New York Times and GQ. “It was a golden era for young editors/creative directors,” she says. “Everything was based on merit, and we were given incredible freedom and trust. It was really fun.”
The focus question for Goldenberg’s work during those years was the same as it is now: “How am I taking information from the world and synthesizing it in a meaningful way?” However, the medium and pace were vastly different. After a while, she “needed some quiet” and took time off from that work to immerse herself fully in creativity for a month. An innkeeper friend gave her a place to stay, and she took advantage of open studio time to dive into ceramics at IS 183 Art School (now Berkshire Art Center) from nine to five every day. “It was very therapeutic,” she says.
Returning to Brooklyn, Goldenberg started weaving on a tapestry loom to “keep scratching the creative itch,” eventually getting her own rigid heddle loom in 2013, allowing her to weave yards and yards of fabric. As she discovered, “All of the arts involve form and function, math, creativity, and problem solving. They’re about creative distraction and process, exercising part of the brain, not about the end product.”
Dedicating all that time to weaving helped her land a nine-month residency at Textile Arts Center, which coincided serendipitously with the pregnancy of her oldest daughter. “It became a structured way to continue my work, giving me space and time to continue to create,” Goldenberg says. She also taught in the photography department at The New School’s Parsons School of Design during this time. Looking back on that teaching experience, she acknowledges it was a valuable training ground for launching her business.
A post-election move to Hudson in 2016 allowed her to set up a studio in her home’s detached barn. “The line between motherhood and labor can get so blurred,” she admits. “I had to make art to be the person I wanted to be as a parent, but I needed a separate space to do it.” In 2018, the week before her second daughter was born, Goldenberg moved to the Berkshires to open MUSE (Multi-Use Studio Experiment) in Housatonic with her then-partner.
Sustainability and balance over “success”
Before opening her business, Goldenberg had a strong sense of what was “required,” but an equally strong sense she could do things her way. “The real question on my mind was, ‘How do I adapt those requirements to fit my values?’” she explains. For example, while traditionally the key to running a successful business involves cutting labor costs, “I don’t do that,” she says unapologetically. “I won’t have a functioning business if I’m not valuing everyone’s work and time.”
“My goal is to make this business sustainable—a job that allows me to live and also meet my kids at the bus stop,” Goldenberg continues. That perspective requires continually reassessing what success and balance look like. Citing a book entitled “12 Principles of the Feminine Economy,” she has redefined success as “having what I need and spending time with the people I love doing something I love.”
The importance of community
When Goldenberg opened Hart GB in her first location above the Berkshire Co-op, she had to overcome many hurdles, including the lack of tourists and foot traffic. Looking back, she realizes it was a great learning experience. “I used that year to figure out the POS [point of sale] system, inventory, sourcing, and advertising. I offered classes to build my base of customers and clients.”
The chance to move up the block to 16 Railroad Street two years ago brought more visibility with additional space toward the back of the store for classes. Cydney Chasky, who discovered Hart GB by joining the Mending Club one night, is now Goldenberg’s enthusiastic right arm, helping to run the store and classes.
“I was raised by the people here in the Berkshires to have a loving relationship with community. My ‘family’ is here—quiet, simple, joyful—living in reverence for the less grand moments,” Goldenberg acknowledges. “My friends are everything to me, giving feedback, helping me move, testing my art classes, and being my biggest cheerleaders.”
“People who knit or sew are wonderful people—I wanted to create a safe, nonalcoholic, fun place for them to come to.” To illustrate, she explains, “We started a Tuesday Night Sewing Club and intentionally held it at our kids’ bedtime so we could have a night out.” The Thursday Mending Night (7 to 9 p.m.) is run by Eleanor Strehl and offered for free (with the option to contribute $5 toward Goldenberg’s babysitter). You can also sign up for an affordable Learn to Knit or Crochet/Stitch class on Saturdays (1 to 3 p.m.), book a one-hour private lesson for $75, or pop in during Goldenberg’s sliding-scale “office hour” on Thursday mornings (11 a.m. to noon).
Reconnecting to a bygone era
Unpacking more items in the new location, Goldenberg muses about the time she ordered six tomato pin cushions. When they arrived, she realized she’d mistakenly ordered six packages of 10. “They cost $2.50 each and reminded people of their moms—despite the surplus, I sold every one. The next time I ordered 120, and they all sold out again!”
What causes people to crave tomato pin cushions, “cast on” with a pair of knitting needles, make curtains on an old Singer, or sit at a loom to weave? “In part I think it’s a connection to our history,” Goldenberg opines. “Weaving and stitching are ancient arts—heirlooms as well as direct links to the love and respect we experienced when our elders taught us to sew or knit.” They are also accessible to all. “Anyone can learn, whether or not they grew up around textile arts or had a relative to teach them,” she adds.
More than anything, she surmises, they answer our need to create something beautiful. “I can remember being 11 or 12 and thinking, ‘I have to make a skirt or I’m going to die!’” Goldenberg laughs. “So I used allowance money to buy discount fabric and a pattern, and my aunt gave me her machine.” (Small seeds planted for a lifetime of creativity—which is often all it takes to start your journey.)
Whether you’re interested in exploring sewing basics (pattern and garment making), natural dyes, printing, embroidery, knitting or crocheting, basket making, or tapestry weaving, Hart GB is the place to do it. In addition to expert instruction, you’ll find a guiding hand, encouraging voice, and supportive community.
If you missed the grand reopening, don’t worry. “The previous store owner in this space (Sheila Sharma of Sorted) assigned her remaining four years to me, with an option to renew!” Goldenberg smiles.
