Great Barrington — The evolution — if not revolution — in the town’s downtown business landscape that began last spring has produced its latest mutations when Martin’s restaurant announced last week it was closing its doors for good after a June kitchen fire, and when Lauren Clark announced she was moving her art gallery from Railroad Street out to Stockbridge Road after the holidays. Meanwhile, around the corner, Michael Ballon has signaled that he has sold his iconic Castle Street Cafe, one of the first proponents of locally grown ingredients for his menu.
And these are only three of the many recent changes downtown.
Out on Stockbridge Road, there is also the demise of the local Kmart, now nearly empty for a January 31 turnover to a new Marshall’s and possibly two other chain stores in the Barrington Plaza. Meanwhile, Olympia Sports, next door to Kmart, announced it, too, will say goodbye. KIMCO Associate Development Director Christopher Ciminiello, manager of the shopping center, could not be reached Monday for comment
Back downtown, Lauren Clark of Lauren Clark Fine Art told The Edge that since her lease is up at the end of this year anyway, and the rent has become too steep, she decided to move on. She had asked the landlord to lower it, but that didn’t work, and she tried to come up with other solutions. In the end, she said, while the downtown location is great, she came down on the side of leaving. It took her a month and a half to decide, she added.
“The foot traffic wasn’t worth the expense,” she said, adding that her 20 years in the art and framing business will draw clients to her new location in the old Hammertown space at 325 Stockbridge Road. “And my three years here put it on the map, so people will follow.”
Hammertown, by the way, moved last summer to Bridge Street, in the old Foster’s hardware location.
She said the new space has great light, and great neighbors like Lisa Vollmer Photography.
Clark said she had looked at the space on Main Street that Bra & Girl is leaving, but said it was too small. Bra and Girl is closing permanently.
Meanwhile, Cadeaux moved to Railroad Street from a storefront near the Rubi’s Cafe on Rotary Way, where NEXT Consignment just got settled in. Cadeaux owner Deb desCognets said while the rent is “a little higher” she has “better visibility” here for her “one of a kind vintage inspired” shop. It’s a tiny wonderland of delicious stationery, silk ribbon, and “snarky cards,” as she puts it. She mixes vintage with new.
But desCognets has seen some serious changes on Railroad Street. Once upon a time she owned “Decades,” a vintage clothing store in the Allium restaurant space, that was, before that, Verdura.
And soon at the top of Railroad Street, the town will see the old Pearl’s and Martin’s building, once home to NAPA auto parts, revamped into new storefronts with apartments and office space above. 47 Railroad Street developers closed on Martin’s last week, marking the end of an era in Great Barrington.
Meanwhile, at the foot of Railroad Street Jane Iredale and Louisa Ellis owner Melissa Bigarel have teamed up in a new enterprise at the corner of Railroad and Main, where Tune Street used to be, while across Main Street, with perhaps a hint of the emerging future in Great Barrington, Fuel Coffee has expanded into the cavernous storefront abandoned by the Gypsy Joynt. Fuel owners Will and Robin Curletti have transformed the space with a minimalist industrial hip décor reminiscent of Brooklyn (New York) emporiums, added a piano – frequently played – with plans for future nighttime entertainment, all of which has attracted an enthusiastic – and youthful – clientele.
