As Country Curtains closes its doors after sixty years, it is important to understand the relationship between Country Curtains and the character of Stockbridge. Simply put, Country Curtains money preserved Main Street. Jane Fitzpatrick didn’t shape Stockbridge, but she held it in the palm of her hand.
"Market forces increasingly favor big box stores and large online retailers who can offer less expensive product, free or low-cost shipping and a broader array of home goods for one-stop shopping."
--- Country Curtains Marketing Director Shane Wirta
"This is terrible, tragic news for you and our community. It really is the end of an era."
--- Nancy Fitzpatrick, board chairperson of Country Curtains, in a letter to employees
As issues of accessibility and appropriate preservation of a historic building were raised, the library's staff and board knew that a full upgrade was in order.
She traveled to Europe to research similar country estates and brought back ideas to return Blantyre to a state of elegance, using her keen interior design skills to ensure every space was elegantly appointed with stunning antiques and lush fabrics.
The young screenwriter let it be known to his Berkshire hosts that he was interested in settling in the Berkshires, and he looked at a number of large estates with a real estate broker. The one that struck his fancy was Wheatleigh, the upscale hostelry. His name was Thilo Rethmann. In fact, however, he was wanted in Germany on 57 counts of fraud, and had fled California after swindling his landlady out of $40,000.
