Hope for blighted GE parcel A $3 million state grant could help redevelop the massive Site 9. Page 3
Berkshire Business Journal 75 S. Church St. Pittsfield, MA 01201
Fresh paint, same great view
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Renovated Blue Vista Motor Lodge opens at Whitcomb Summit in Florida. Page 9
Berkshire Business Journal DECEMBER 2022 | VOL. 1, NO. 7
One-stop shopping, with festive flair
BY JOHN TOWNES PITTSFIELD — Major retailers usually get all the attention during the holiday season because they offer most of the merchandise that people are looking for at this time of the year. But in the Berkshires, big box stores aren’t the only go-to gift option. For over a decade, there’s been an event in Pittsfield that allows the region’s smaller merchants, particularly those that offer unique, handmade items, a place to mingle, form relationships with customers and offer their wares in a single setting. It’s called the Holiday Shindy, and the 15th annual version of that event is scheduled to take place Dec 10 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield. As of mid-November, 39 vendors from around the Berkshire region
Above: Craft makers and artisans show off their wares at the annual Holiday Shindy in Pittsfield in 2019 at the former Notre Dame Church. Left: Liz Gennari and Lauren Barenski, co-producers of the Shindy, are shown in front of the Zion Lutheran Church on First Street, which will host the event for the second year. FILE PHOTO
had signed up to participate. They included woodworkers, toymakers, printers, jewelers, ceramicists, apothecaries, clothing designers, upcyclers, farmers and other artisans who sell handmade art, clothing, jewelry, household goods, foods, and health and wellness products. SHINDY, Page 10