Co-owners of the eclectic collectibles shop are author Augusten Burroughs, his husband Christopher Schelling, and creative entrepreneur Shari Sirkin

NORTHAMPTON—The Shiny Black Door, a new shop offering a highly curated selection of rare jewels, fine art, and other unique collectibles, will open on the second floor of Thornes Marketplace in late November.

Partners in the creative venture are best-selling author Augusten Burroughs, a Northampton native; his husband and literary agent, Christopher Schelling; and longtime friend and colleague Shari Sirkin, a creative and entrepreneur. Burroughs and Sirkin will run the shop in Suite 260, formerly occupied by LeBonNton, and Schelling will serve as a silent collaborator and contributor.

Burroughs is best known for his memoirs, “Running with Scissors” and “Dry.” He’s had nine titles appear on The New York Times bestseller list. He and Schelling live in Southbury, Connecticut, and Sirkin lives in Stratford, Connecticut.

“It’s like a homecoming in a way,” said Burroughs. “I had a famously dysfunctional childhood in Northampton, filled with abuse and neglect. I’m returning to the scene of the crime, if you will, but this time, I am bringing joy and experience. It’s an exciting way for me to be back here on a brand new journey.”

Burroughs and Sirkin are wide-ranging collectors of one-of-a-kind items, and their shop will reflect their whimsical and offbeat tastes, paired with their deep knowledge and their backgrounds as interior designers. Arranged to make visitors’ jaws drop, the space will hold pieces from each of their collections, including fine and undiscovered art, collectibles, musical instruments, vintage clothing, furniture and home accessories from antique to modern, all at a range of prices. 

As Burroughs and Sirkin have been developing the shop, passers-by have peeked in. “The looks on their faces have been amazing,” Sirkin said. “Even though they can see that it’s not open yet, they can’t help but be drawn in. That sense of wonder is what everybody will experience as they walk through the door.”

Burroughs added, “The store is a curiosity cabinet you can walk into.”

Burroughs’ love of jewelry came from his paternal grandparents, who collected jade in China and Hong Kong and inspired him from a young age. As he has gone on book tours across the world, he has been collecting unique items. Under the moniker The Blue Paisley Fox, he sells jewelry on 1stDibs.com. 

Sirkin is an entrepreneur who has worked in a variety of fields. In the 1990s, she introduced the concept of personal training gyms to Connecticut. She is also a well-respected and groundbreaking Realtor, having brought the concept of team-based real estate agencies to the region. She is a world traveler as well as an avid collector.

Schelling is an Ohio native who became a literary agent in the 1990s and has operated his own agency, Selectric Artists, representing many best-selling authors since 2011. 

Burroughs isn’t just a Northampton native; he has decades of connection with Thornes Marketplace. “I spent a lot of time at Thornes as a teen because I was obsessed with the window designs,” he said, noting that his silhouette was once painted on the walls of Thornes’ fourth floor as an art project that remained for years.

“It’s exciting to introduce people to things they may never have come across or seen before,” Burroughs said. “We’re creating an immersive experience for people so they can share in the joy that we feel. Every piece has a story and a history.”

The Shiny Black Door will open in late November.

For more information on the shop, visit theshinyblackdoor.com.

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

The post The Shiny Black Door to Open on Second Floor of Thornes Marketplace in Late November appeared first on Beetle Press.

Rebecca Maillet, the founder, lead farmer, and creative director for Many Graces, holds up the great coverage the press release generated in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Note: I have been the PR partner for Thornes Marketplace for about five years now, working with Jody Doele, co-owner and marketing director of the historic and eclectic shopping center in Northampton, Massachusetts. My work is to help brainstorm topics for press releases, then develop and distribute them. When the release has gone out to the media, I also repurpose the story as a blog, which Thornes posts on its website. This release/blog about Many Graces, a new flower shop in Thornes, got a great deal of attention—both with TV crews and in print media.

We are pleased to announce that Many Graces, a unique flower shop with products grown on Hadley farmland, is holding a soft opening of its new shop on the first floor of Thornes Marketplace from Feb. 1 to 14.

A grand opening will be held March 1. Come on in and meet the Many Graces team and check out the beautiful local wares—from bouquets to dahlia tubers!

Rebecca Maillet, the founder, lead farmer, and creative director for Many Graces, is excited to have a local storefront in Thornes for the business she founded in 2018, which has since been operating as an online center for flower and bouquet distribution. 

“We can grow so many things that you could never find in traditional retail stores,” she says. “I’m looking forward to letting people see the real wealth of beauty that is possible to generate from our landscape.”

Kel Komenda, managing director for Many Graces, adds, “We are looking forward to connecting to the community in a way that we have yet to have the opportunity to do. We’re looking forward to having a daily face in the community and being able to talk to people about what is involved in our work and showcase how abundant our products are.”

Many Graces will offer year-round flower subscriptions, botanical décor, cut flowers, houseplants, dried flowers, centerpieces, dahlia tubers that can be planted by local gardeners, and dried-flower terrariums. Services also include wedding and event design consultation. 

Over 250 varieties of specialty cut flowers are grown by Many Graces; Rebecca has an eye for that which is not typical. She grows close to 10,000 dahlias in various rare varieties, including orange globe, apple blossom, and verrone’s obsidian dahlias. 

Also of interest in the shop, August through November, are eucalyptus and some very unique varieties of Japanese lisianthus. “They are stunning flowers and have a 10- to 14-day base life,” Rebecca says of the latter plant. 

Among the shop’s early harvests will be tulips. “We planted 12,000 specialty tulips in the fall, so people should be getting excited about that,” Kel says. “I didn’t really think a tulip was an interesting flower, but the kind that Rebecca grows are mind-blowing and can get to three feet tall.” 

Many Graces leases eight and a half acres of land in Hadley, growing on about half that currently. “We farm according to organic certification practices, so we’re constantly rotating where we’re planting on different fields to restore and regenerate the fields before we plant them again,” Rebecca says. 

As a child, Rebecca’s mother took her on foraging expeditions in the woods to find things of beauty, such as unique pinecones or branches they would then craft into interesting centerpieces. She founded Many Graces in 2018 after serving as the primary caregiver for her beloved friend Ruth through a cancer diagnosis. “Flowers really were a balm to the difficulties of that time,” Rebecca says. “They were the little beings that gave us beauty and hope and joy in what was an inherently difficult time. After Ruth passed away, I found myself gravitating toward flowers to stay close to her.”

In 2016, Rebecca began growing flowers at Next Barn Over Farm, developing a flower CSA as an add-on to its already-successful vegetable CSA program. Two years later, she created Many Graces. Through the website, people can buy bouquets or buckets of flowers to design their own arrangements. Dahlia tubers are also available, as are flower subscriptions, through which subscribers receive a bouquet a month from May through December; the December offering is an evergreen display.

All of those products can now be picked up in the shop at Thornes.

Rebecca has a master’s degree in English literature from Mills College in Oakland, California. She was working toward a doctoral degree in English literature at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, when she felt a tug toward the flower business and discontinued her studies.

Kel holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and philosophy from a small liberal arts school in the Midwest.

Rebecca expects to have a team of about 10-12 staff this season, with crews for farming, retail, and weddings and other events. Several positions are open; those interested should visit the Employment page on the Many Graces website to view current job openings and contact information.

“We strive to communicate what it means to be a small business with young staff,” Kel says. “We want to continue to support this little local economy we’ve created out of nothing.”

Rebecca says, “Our success so far is reflective of all the hearts—mine and Kel’s and our staff members’—and also, perhaps most importantly, the enthusiasm and support of the community. We’re really excited to be in Thornes because we’ll get more facetime with the community that has already lifted us up so much in the last four years. We’re excited to be more present.”

We are excited as well—to have Many Graces in Thornes Marketplace! Welcome! 

The post Unique Flower Shop with Products Grown on Hadley Farm Opening in Thornes Marketplace appeared first on Beetle Press.

Soft opening for Many Graces to be held from Feb. 1 to 14; grand opening on March 1

NORTHAMPTON—Many Graces, a unique flower shop with products grown on Hadley farmland, will hold a soft opening of its new shop on the first floor of Thornes Marketplace from Feb. 1 to 14 with a grand opening to be held March 1.

Rebecca Maillet, the founder, lead farmer, and creative director for Many Graces, is excited to have a local storefront for the business she founded in 2018, which has since been operating as an online center for flower and bouquet distribution. 

“We can grow so many things that you could never find in traditional retail stores,” she said. “I’m looking forward to letting people see the real wealth of beauty that is possible to generate from our landscape.”

Kel Komenda, managing director for Many Graces, added, “We are looking forward to connecting to the community in a way that we have yet to have the opportunity to do. We’re looking forward to having a daily face in the community and being able to talk to people about what is involved in our work and showcase how abundant our products are.”

Many Graces will offer year-round flower subscriptions, botanical décor, cut flowers, houseplants, dried flowers, centerpieces, dahlia tubers that can be planted by local gardeners, and dried-flower terrariums. Services also include wedding and event design consultation. 

Over 250 varieties of specialty cut flowers are grown by Many Graces; Maillet has an eye for that which is not typical. She grows close to 10,000 dahlias in various varieties, including the rarer orange globe, apple blossom, and verrone’s obsidian dahlias. 

Also of interest in the shop, August through November, are eucalyptus and some very rare varieties of Japanese lisianthus. “They are stunning flowers and have a 10- to 14-day base life,” Maillet says of the latter plant. 

Among the shop’s early harvests will be tulips. “We planted 12,000 specialty tulips in the fall, so people should be getting excited about that,” Komenda said. “I didn’t really think a tulip was an interesting flower, but the kind that Rebecca grows are mind-blowing and can get to three feet tall.” 

Many Graces leases eight and a half acres of land in Hadley, growing on about half that currently. “We farm according to organic certification practices, so we’re constantly rotating where we’re planting on different fields to restore and regenerate the fields before we plant them again,” Maillet said. 

As a child, Maillet’s mother took her on foraging expeditions in the woods to find things of beauty, such as unique pinecones or branches they would then craft into interesting centerpieces. She founded Many Graces in 2018 after serving as the primary caregiver for her beloved friend Ruth through a cancer diagnosis. “Flowers really were a balm to the difficulties of that time,” Maillet said. “They were the little beings that gave us beauty and hope and joy in what was an inherently difficult time. After Ruth passed away, I found myself gravitating toward flowers to stay close to her.”

In 2016, Maillet began growing flowers at Next Barn Over Farm, developing a flower CSA as an add-on to its already-successful vegetable CSA program. Two years later, she created Many Graces. Through the website, people can buy bouquets or buckets of flowers to design their own arrangements. Dahlia tubers are also available, as are flower subscriptions, through which subscribers receive a bouquet a month from May through December; the December offering is an evergreen display.

All of those products can now be picked up in the shop at Thornes.

Maillet has a master’s degree in English literature from Mills College in Oakland, California. She was working toward a doctoral degree in English literature at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, when she felt a tug toward the flower business and discontinued her studies.

Komenda holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and philosophy from a small liberal arts school in the Midwest.

In addition to Maillet and Komenda, Maillet expects to have a team of about 10-12 staff this season, with crews for farming, retail, and weddings and other events. Several positions are open; those interested should visit the Employment page on the Many Graces website to view current job openings and contact information.

“We strive to communicate what it means to be a small business with young staff,” Komenda said. “We want to continue to support this little local economy we’ve created out of nothing.”

Maillet said, “Our success so far is reflective of all the hearts—mine and Kel’s and our staff members’—and also, perhaps most importantly, the enthusiasm and support of the community. We’re really excited to be in Thornes because we’ll get more facetime with the community that has already lifted us up so much in the last four years. We’re excited to be more present.”

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

The post Unique Flower Shop with Products Grown on Hadley Farm to Open in Thornes Marketplace appeared first on Beetle Press.

Janice Beetle Books LLC centers around book development

EASTHAMPTON—Janice Beetle, a longtime writer and editor from Western Massachusetts, has launched a second business, Janice Beetle Books LLC, which centers around book development and publishing.

The owner of Beetle Press, a PR and communications firm, Beetle has offered the book development expertise through Beetle Press for nearly a decade. She has now built Janice Beetle Books around that creative service line. 

Beetle works with writers of all skill levels—as well as nonwriters—to help them carry a book idea through to publication. She also offers writing coaching services.

“My clients need help with some part of the work—whether it’s developing the idea, writing or editing the manuscript, or navigating the publishing process,” Beetle said. “It’s very exciting to help people bring a long-held desire from book idea to bookshelf.”

The website for Janice Beetle Books is at JaniceBeetleBooks.com and was developed by Danaë DiNicola of Turn Signal Media. The site showcases services, Beetle’s own creative writing to date as well as her clients’ books. 

Others who helped in the development of the business are: Val Nelson, a business and life coach; Mark NeJame, a Northampton attorney who created the LLC; Teresa Adams, a creative writer in the region; and summer intern Anthony Aquadro.

“What I love about the book development work is that there is nurture involved as well as skill and knowledge,” Beetle said. “People come to me, and they think their idea is not worthy, or that no one will want to read their story. They have fears—that they can’t complete a book, that it won’t be good enough, that they won’t be able to get it published after doing all the work. They look to me for validation, motivation, inspiration, and resources.”

Beetle added, “I still love the deep sense of satisfaction I see on their faces when they hold their books in their hands for the first time. That doesn’t get old.” 

The following are recent clients and their book titles: Jim Ricci, author of Hand, Horse and Motor: The Development of the Lawn Mower Industry in the United States; Tom Zink, author of Seasoned: A Memoir of Grief and Grace; and Peter Cichon, who wrote Flight of Integrity with Beetle. 

Flight of Integrity is a novel that fictionalizes a turn for the worst in Cichon’s career at an airline. It will be published by Off the Common Books in Amherst, Massachusetts, in September. 

Beetle, of Easthampton, holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Westfield State College. 

Since 1998, she has operated Beetle Press, offering writing, editing, and digital marketing services to business owners and leaders of nonprofit organizations.

A former journalist, she writes and distributes press releases to local media and also does media consulting. 

She also writes content for print publications of all types, and she writes blogs, enewsletters, and website content.

For more information about Beetle Press, visit BeetlePress.com.

The post Local Entrepreneur Launches Second Business appeared first on Beetle Press.

I’ve always wanted to be a full-time author. I also have developed a specialty over the past five years in working with people who have a long-held desire to write a book—to show it to others as a way to say, “This is my story.”

This work—and their stories—are meaningful to me. It all gives me deep satisfaction.

After I finished reading Big Magic and penning the Christmas book for my boyfriend, a series of revelations came to me like tiny seed pods blown my way in the wind. It went like this:

• You wrote a pretty decent memoir in 30 days, Janice. That means you could write another book, and it might also be pretty decent.
• There are a lot of other people out there who could use your help, a lot of passion stories waiting to be told and handed out by clients to their friends and family.
• You could create a second business around these ideas and start to nurture it with time and attention.

That’s how Janice Beetle Books LLC was born. This second business will allow me to focus on clients who have a book in their heads and hearts. At the same time, I will continue to support businesspeople and nonprofits who need to raise awareness through PR.

My friend and colleague Val Nelson is guiding me through the creation of Janice Beetle Books. Mark NeJame, a Northampton attorney who is also a friend and colleague, is launching the LLC. My daughter’s best friend Ali Winkler created the logo. And Danaë DiNicola of Turn Signal Media is designing the website, which will feature photos by Sandra Costello.

The growth is tangible. It fills me with as much anxiety and trepidation as it does excitement. Doubts try to nestle into my psyche, but they continue to get pushed away by these unmistakable signs I keep receiving from the universe:

• When I was locked out of a website I access frequently, I had to answer a security question I created over 10 years ago. “What did you want to be, as a child?” It asked me. I summoned the answer instantly: an author. An amazing reminder, validation.
• I’ve had four new client inquiries since I started moving in the direction of Janice Beetle Books. Each prospect wants help with a book.
• After I praised the magic of Big Magic on Facebook a few weeks ago, a reader and friend, Lynn Moynahan, responded with a suggestion for another book, Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown. It’s about vulnerability and the ways in which we hide our creativity because we are afraid. Brene is teaching me that it is courageous to move forward with this idea I believe in with my whole heart. It’s better to fail while reaching for a goal than to skitter away without trying.
• A few weeks ago, I was cleaning out a packed storage space in my basement, taking the time to go through each and every tote. In one, I found every journal I’ve ever kept and a folder full of typewritten pages. I took the folder upstairs and found a body of work that was important to me at one time that I thought I’d lost as well as three published works of fiction. I did not remember that my fiction was published once, never mind three times. The affirmation made me giddy.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Signs, signs. Everywhere signs. The universe has spoken.

Soon I will introduce you to Janice Beetle Books and all it has to offer. I will also continue to be here to offer PR consulting and assists with writing press releases, blogs, and enewsletters.  Let me know if I can help you with a project that’s connected to your work, or your passion—or both!

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