Berkshire County, West Stockbridge, MA
West Stockbridge, MA Properties for Sale
10 Things To Love About West Stockbridge
By Pamela Dreyfus Smith
Even in the dead of winter, there are a surprising number of reasons to
explore West Stockbridge. A cross section of interesting artisans, BSO
musicians, fine artists, filmmakers, foodies and collectors have
gravitated to this part of the Berkshires to live, work and enjoy the
lifestyle. These transplants are now many of the café, gallery and shop
owners broadening West Stockbridge’s character and charms in all
seasons.
1. Lovely Walks:
West Stockbridge, which was built on both sides of the Williams River,
is a romantic place to stroll. Surrounded by beautiful hills and lakes,
you can walk across bridges and through remnants of the old mining
companies and mills, then explore the cafes, restaurants, art galleries
and shops that sell local goods as well as the exotic.
2. Café Society:
In this town coffee is treated like wine and the customers are warmly
welcomed.
Six Depot Roastery Café
is in the old railroad station and
Shaker Dam Coffeehouse
is next to the river dam. Both offer very different sensibilities in
coffee making, design and atmosphere. Shaker Dam, located in a bright
yellow Shaker house, serves up coffee from around the world, discovered
by co-owner and
National Geographic
photographer John Stanmeyer. One of the specialties is the Kyoto Cold
Brew system, which makes a very low-acid coffee. Drink it by the warm
fire in a café that looks and feels like a world traveler’s living room.
A contemporary take on the coffee bar, Six Depot offers carefully aged
and personally selected international coffee beans that are roasted
right on the premises. There’s a bustling community that gravitates to
the big open spaces flooded with light and the warmth of loving owners
Lisa Landry and Flavio Lichtenthal., who was the chef at Gould Farm in
Monterey prior to opening Six Depot. The adjoining gallery space is
gaining popularity as a showcase for artists, films and live
performances. Their affogato (espresso and
SoCo Creamery
ice cream) is shown above.
3. Restaurants and Foodie Shops:
Rouge
(shown right) is well known to the
RI
region for its authentic fine French food and wine dinners. Around the
corner,
Truc Orient Express
is a favorite for delicious Vietnamese food (open in summer). The
aforementioned Six Depot Café serves breakfast and lunch until 4
p.m. Argentinian Chef Flavio often includes specialties from his native
country on the menu (local, fresh, and organically grown whenever
possible).
West Stockbridge Public Market
on Main Street is a country store that had a makeover last year by new
owner Tim Walch, previous owner of restaurants in the Virgin Islands and
Seattle, WA. Hearty, delectable take-away lunches are home cooked by
Tim’s sister on the premises and include pot roast, pulled pork and
other deli fare. There are also plenty of organic choices on their
grocery shelves.
Queensboro Wine and Spirits
, also on Main Street, carries domestic and imported beer, wine and
spirits, with a special interest in rare, handmade wines. The Nook &
Cranny Restaurant is a sandwich shop at the other end of 102 known for
its great sweet potato fries.
4. Art Galleries:
Besides the aforementioned Shaker Dam and Six Depot Galleries, West
Stockbridge also is home to
Hotchkiss Mobiles
, featuring the creations of Joel Hotchkiss, who supplies objects for
museum shops, most notably MOMA and the Guggenheim Museum. (A Hotchkiss
mobile, shown right.)
5. Shopping Adventures:
The town is home to several alluring and curious shops that will
surprise and delight.
Charles H. Baldwin & Sons
, best known for its famous vanilla extract (made using only the finest
bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar), is the producer of a collection
of other fine extracts, as well as “Mr. Baldwin’s Proper Bloody Mary
Mix,” table syrup and Bay Rum aftershave. Visit this historic
establishment to find a treasure trove of nostalgia including an old
photo booth machine and a cash register that dates back to 1888, the
year they opened.
Zoftique
, a woman’s clothing store, offers sizes into the plus range. Equator
Antiques and
McGrory’s Oriental Rugs
are in connecting stores on Main Street and fascinate the eye with
dazzling color. Robin Greeson’s Equator carries clothing and textiles
from Victorian times through the present, and is a collection of
wearable items that could double as home décor. Clothing, quilts, shoes
from the 30s and 40s, American Indian dresses and jewelry of all
kinds… There’s such variety, quality of preservation and quantity here —
every corner is a new adventure.
6. Rare and Collectible Books:
The Bookloft, currently situated above
The Floor Store
, is the sister-store to the one in
Great Barrington
but is special in that it offers only rare, collectible and used
books. The store is preparing a move to a bigger and more accessible
space across from Six Depot.
7. Artisans:
Peter Thorne
, furnituremaker and one of the founders of The Berkshire Woodmakers
Guild, creates beautifully crafted furniture and cabinets in his
workshop up the hill and behind his house. Anderson & Sons Shaker
Tree Furniture builds reproduction Shaker furniture and objects. Also of
interest are
Margie Skaggs Ceramics
,
Hoffman Pottery
and Sarah Thorne Design (Interiors).
Out of Vietnam
is part of Truc Orient Express and sells Vietnamese hand-crafted items
(summer only, shown right).
8. The Farmers’ Market and The Zucchini Festival:
The West Stockbridge Farmers Market
, held every Thursday from mid-May through the first week in October in
Merritt Green opposite the post office, offers an enticing array of
freshly grown or lovingly made products from local farmers and small
specialty companies. There are musical performers and activities for
children to enjoy. The Zucchini Festival, a town tradition in early
August, celebrates whatever you can imagine when it comes to this
over-producing vegetable: A costumed pet show competition, “zuch” races
in the Williams River, zucchini car races, and prizes for
zucchini-related activities i.e. a zucchini catapult, weigh-off and
“weirdest looking” contest. And, of course, there’s good food to eat
based around the vegetable—baked, fried, roasted and iced. (Note: At the
time of this writing, the future of the Zucchini Festival is unknown.)
9. West Stockbridge Historical Society:
The
WSHS
presents chamber music concerts in the Congregational Church (shown
right) performed by BSO musicians, and history tours through the
village. The Society will reside in the town hall, in the old public
library space, after the current renovation is complete.
10. Trails to Explore:
The town is in close proximity to many hiking trails: Flat Brook
Wildlife Management (West Stockbridge), Ice Glen, Laura’s Tower
(Stockbridge/Housatonic), Burbank Trail, Steven’s Glen (Richmond),
Shaker Mountain, (Hancock), Shadowbrook (Lenox), Goose Pond, October
Mountain (Lee), Harvey Mountain and Beebe Hill just over the border in
Austerlitz, NY.