Great Barrington — Robin Helfand, owner of Robin’s Candy at 288 Main Street, has sold her business to longtime customer Elise Contarsy, according to announcement she made via email on Friday, June 6.
Helfand originally opened the store in Millerton, N.Y., in 2004. She moved to Great Barrington in 2007 and relocated the store to Main Street in Great Barrington in 2008, occupying the former location of White Knight Records.
“I was not planning on selling the shop, but [Contarsy], a longtime licorice customer, walked into the store last fall and we made an agreement,” Helfand told The Berkshire Edge. “For the last several years, I have been focusing on my consulting practice RH Consulting.”
According to her company’s website, Helfand consults with businesses on growth and planning. “For the last several years I have been focusing full time on my consulting practice, and fortunately I’ve had a great team running the store,” Helfand said. “I realized by selling the store, I would be able to continue to expand my consulting practice so I can help other small businesses in the Berkshires and throughout the region. Elise walked in the store one day and said, ‘I am moving up here full time, and I’ve always dreamed of having a small business.’”
Contarsy said that she had never owned a store before purchasing Robin’s Candy. According to her LinkedIn profile, Contarsy, from New York City, previously served as the executive vice president in merchandising for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia from 1997 to 2004, vice president and general merchandise manager in product development and branding for Bed Bath and Beyond from 2004 to 2007, vice president in brand licensing for Better Homes & Gardens from 2008 to 2018, and senior vice president for Bonnier Consumer Products from 2018 to 2020. She also served as the CEO for Ombre from 2021 to 2024.
“I was looking for a new opportunity for myself here in the Berkshires,” Contarsy said. “I love this area, and I’ve been a vacationer in this area for over two decades along with my family. My children went to Eisner Camp, and I taught them how to ski at Ski Butternut. I thought it would be great to buy a small business and work for myself on a smaller scale.”
Contarsy said she plans to continue to operate the store as Helfand has and does not plan to make any changes to its operations. “We’re going to continue with all of the candy favorites that people love,” she said. “This includes the assortment of nostalgic and international candies, along with all the candies that children are looking for from TikTok. We will continue to have our signature fudge.”
“Robin has quickly become a mentor and a friend,” Contarsy added. “Having been a customer of hers for over 15 years with my children as they grew up, I couldn’t be more excited to step into this role.”
Helfand said she will miss the store and her customers. “But I’m really dedicated to paying forward the success that we achieved here by expanding my consulting practice to provide services and support to more small business owners in the region,” she said. “I’m not retiring. In fact, I’m now working double full time on my consulting business.”
For more information about Robin’s Candy, visit its website.
