Ana Bradbury, owner of the Lanesborough Local Country Store, described her business as “a modern general store with an emphasis on local sourcing,” adding, “We have a little bit of everything, from food to toilet paper to birthday cards to gift items.”
Lying in The Village at Greylock, a commercial center at 20 Williamstown Road (Route 7)—just north of the entrance to the Mount Greylock state reservation between Pittsfield and Williamstown—Lanesborough Local is a lively and eclectic mix of groceries, prepared food items, beer and wine, sweets and snacks, and sundries. It includes a deli and café, an ice cream counter, and a gift shop with toys and other specialty merchandise.
One role, Bradbury explained, is to serve as a convenience store for residents of the Landsborough area. “It’s a nearby place where people can stop for groceries and other items they need in their daily lives,” she said. Most products are from local farms, food producers, and artisans in the Berkshires and elsewhere in the region.
Bradbury, who grew up in North Adams and now lives in Hancock, had previously worked in the mental health field before leaving the workforce to raise her children. “When my kids became older, I was ready to go back to work,” she said. “Because I was still busy with my family, I decided to start my own business to allow flexibility in my schedule. I’d always wanted to run a ‘Mom and Pop’ store, so I went ahead with this.”
She opened the store in 2021, taking over a 1,300-square-foot storefront. Last year, she had the opportunity to expand into a 5,000-square-foot building in the same complex when Mantiques, a large antiques store that had occupied it, closed. After renovations and other site work, the business moved into its new home last August. “That made a big difference,” Bradbury said. “It gave us more sales space. We could also upgrade our kitchen, which allowed us to provide more options for prepared food and baked goods.”
In addition, it enabled the store to provide on-site dining, with about 10 indoor tables and additional (seasonal) seating outside. “Many of our customers had wanted to be able to sit down and relax and enjoy their meals or ice cream here,” she said, noting that those include a mix of residents, people who work at nearby jobs, and tourists. “We have a lot of regulars who come in at least once a week,” she said.
Besides cheeses, meats, and other packaged groceries, Lanesborough Local Country Store sells prepared sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers, snacks, and other meals to take out or eat on-site. It also includes an old-fashioned ice cream counter, serving scoops, sundaes, and shakes.
Bradbury said she chose to focus the Lanesborough Local Country Store on local and regional products because it reflects her own values. “It’s probably easier to just go for what’s most convenient and cheap, but I prefer quality,” she said. “I also believe in small businesses and wanted to help support local and regional producers by providing a sales outlet for them. We want to be a destination for people who want to find products made in the Berkshires.”
She added that she enjoys the nature of smaller businesses. “Because I work with the owners directly, we know each other personally. We do carry some items from elsewhere, if a regional source isn’t available, but I make sure that the companies follow values such as fair trade and labor practices.”
Like for most other businesses, inflation is a challenge. “My goal is to provide a comfortable, casual place that’s affordable,” Bradbury said. “But prices for everything have gone up dramatically, so we have to work hard to offer reasonable prices while making enough of a profit to stay in business.”
One more specific challenge arose recently when the town cited the business, contending that a vintage truck with a store sign on its side violates local regulations that allow only one sign. The vehicle is registered and parked by the entrance, but the town noted that the store also has a permanent sign, so that is a duplicate. Bradbury said she hopes the town will allow the truck to remain, and is currently waiting for their decision. (See her Facebook post for more details.)
Lanesborough Local has a staff of four during the winter, and about eight during the busy summer season. It is currently open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with plans to extend hours as the weather warms up. It also hosts Local Market Days from May through October (see below), featuring local vendors and other outdoor attractions.
Last year’s move also created another opportunity for her family. Bradbury’s fiancé, Tyler Purdy, did much of the construction work on the original store and the new one. He and a friend, Adam Steele, decided to take over the store’s former site and open The Tap Room, a bar with a stage and games. It is also intended to host community events.
