NORTHAMPTON—Thornes Marketplace recently announced that the owners of Provisions on Crafts Avenue will move their store into Thornes with a projected opening in the fall.

Provisions’ owners Bruce McAmis and Benson Hyde had been considering various relocation options for some time. “When it became clear that Cornucopia was going to vacate its space on the lower level this summer, a deal came together quickly,” said Jody Doele, a Thornes co-owner who serves as marketing manager. 

Cornucopia will move out of its space at the end of June, and owners Nate Clifford and Jade Jump will relocate to 384-A Dwight St. in Holyoke, next to the Fame lounge. A moving sale runs through June 28.

“We are so excited to bring real, healthy, affordable and accessible food to the great, beautiful city of Holyoke,” Clifford said. “Jade and I have lived in Ward 8 since we moved here in 2015. We love Holyoke. We are good at this. We are scrappy, and we will always hold true to our core values.”

Clifford and Jump have set up a GoFundMe page for relocation costs, and donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/help-cornucopia-market-with-relocation-costs.

Provisions offers wine, spirits and specialty foods, including a wide array of cheeses. 

“They have a long history of success on Crafts Avenue and are an anchor of the downtown business community. We are honored they will join us in Thornes,” Doele said. 

McAmis and Hyde plan to move Provisions as soon as they receive approval from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to transfer their license and hope to open in September.

“We love Northampton, and we’re excited to be making a move into Thornes, which we hold in high esteem,” said McAmis.

Learn more about Provisions at provisionswine.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 Provisions to Move its Crafts Avenue Anchor Store to Thornes Marketplace in the Fall appeared first on Beetle Press.

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.

Visitors can play classic and new arcade games for $20 per day

NORTHAMPTON— Visitors to Thornes Marketplace will be able to play classic arcade games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders as well as newer games like PAC-MAN Smash Air Hockey after Hometown Arcade opens in November in space previously occupied by Acme Surplus.

For $20 a day, entrants can play games from the ’80s and ’90s, including ski ball, bubble and air hockey and lots of pinball machines. Rhythm games, like Guitar Hero and Beat Mania, will also be available. 

And youngsters who take a chance on the classic claw machine—trying to grab a toy as a prize—will be guaranteed a prize for $3 per play.

“What I love about arcades is they’re a fun place to spend some time with family and friends,” said Matt Snow, owner of Hometown Arcade, who also has a location in Norwood and one that recently opened in Bloomfield, New Jersey. “I prefer this sort of format of arcade that’s a mix of old-school, classic games at an affordable price point, and I’m excited to have a presence in Thornes.”

In Norwood, Snow’s arcade is off the beaten path, and he hopes the downtown foot traffic will bring players to his Thornes space. He added, “We’ve had a lot of support from the ownership group of Thornes, and we’re excited to be a part of it and be a part of the Northampton community.”

Snow hopes his Northampton arcade will be accepted into the New England Pinball League for team play, and he hopes to offer a women’s league. He will also have a unique 10-player game called Killer Queen, on which two teams of five compete, and he plans on hosting Killer Queen tournaments.

Hometown Arcade will also offer birthday party packages.

Snow is in the process of securing a beer and wine license for the arcade and is also negotiating a partnership with a local restaurant to provide pizza. Snacks and soft drinks will also be sold. 

Hometown Arcade should be open by mid-November, after work to upgrade the electrical panel and amps is complete. His Norwood location opened in May 2023, and the New Jersey venue opened recently.

To learn more about Hometown Arcade, visit hometownarcade.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 Hometown Arcade to Open in Thornes Marketplace in November appeared first on Beetle Press.

Fare includes crepes, macarons and frozen, to-go French specialty dishes 

NORTHAMPTON—French-born Jean-Luc Wittner and his wife, Evelyn Darling, will open a second location of their restaurant, Suzette French Creperie & Café, on the first floor of Thornes Marketplace in mid-November.

Because they will not offer coffee in their Northampton shop, it will be named Suzette French Creperie, but the fare will nearly mirror the popular offerings in their Worcester café—crepes, macarons and frozen to-go French delicacies such as Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Blanquette, Riesling Chicken or Navarin D’agneau, which is lamb ragout.

“What makes our success is we have savory and sweet, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options,” said Wittner, a self-taught chef with a deep respect for Julia Child and a passion for creating delicacies. “We also focus on quality and convenience. Our offerings resonate with a broad range of customers, from those seeking a quick snack to those in search of gourmet meals.”

Wittner and Darling live in Worcester and opened their business there in 2020, navigating and surviving both the pandemic and slow, weekday demand. Wittner’s two sons bolster the team and will be critical as the business expands to a second location in Northampton.

Clement “Clem” Wittner is the general manager in Worcester, and Marc Wittner is chef de cuisine; Wittner senior will work in Northampton full time, at least at the start. 

Wittner said he and Darling are excited about opening a second restaurant in Thornes. “We fell in love with Thornes Marketplace—the look of it, the tenants there. It’s like a small family business,” he said. “That’s who we are. That place is us.”

Suzette French Creperie gets its name from the classic recipe Crepes Suzette. Wittner gets his passion for cooking from his French mother and grandmother, who were always creating. That seed grew while he was working as a sales manager in France, and colleagues gathered for meals.

“They were cooking incredible dishes, and I thought, ‘If they can do it, I can do it too.’”

Wittner came to the United States in 2011 and worked in the hospitality industry for the first time, both as a server and in the kitchen. “I wanted to learn how food service works in America,” he said, adding that he had always longed to be his own boss.

When he met Darling, the two realized they could combine their skillsets—his in operations and hers in business management—and create the business of their dreams. “We are very complementary,” he said, adding, “This is not the American dream. It’s my dream, in America. I like that people are enjoying my food.”

Wittner finds—and tailors—recipes online and in the cookbooks that line his bookshelf, and he also finds recipes and techniques on YouTube. He is proud to have mastered the creation of French macarons, which his shop sells in 10 different flavors. 

“Usually, I’m humble, but the more time goes on, the less humble I am because of the feedback of the customers,” Wittner said with a chuckle.

Suzette French Creperie will be located in Suite 130 in Thornes, likely best recalled as a former flower kiosk. The business will not sell alcohol and will keep the same hours as Thornes Marketplace.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that Suzette French Creperie will be joining Thornes in November,” Marketing Manager Jody Doele said. “Jean-Luc and Evelyn have a well-established operation in Worcester, and we know that they will please the palates of many in downtown Northampton.”

To learn more about Suzette French Creperie, visit suzettecreperie.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 Suzette French Creperie to Open in Thornes Marketplace in Mid-November appeared first on Beetle Press.

Vacancies are unusual but not unprecedented for the iconic downtown shopping center

NORTHAMPTON—Thornes Marketplace recently announced it currently has four retail spaces to fill in the iconic downtown shopping center, which is unusual but not unprecedented.

Typically, Thornes has a full slate of retail vendors at the 150 Main St. location, but the closure of Acme Surplus after 43 years following the owner’s death, and several other shifts due to health issues and relocation, leave it with vacancies. 

“It was a bit of a whirlwind,” said Jody Doele, marketing manager and co-owner of Thornes. “Captain Candy closed after the owner was diagnosed with a serious health condition. Another business owner moved to Rhode Island, and the fourth decided running a brick-and-mortar retail operation was not for him.”

Available are the following: a highly visible second floor space with two entrances, a main floor space one door down from Thornes’ anchor tenant, Cedar Chest; a space on lower level one adjacent to Herrell’s ice cream and Cornucopia; and the second largest retail space in Thornes—the former Acme Surplus space, also on lower level one. 

“The former Acme space would be ideal for a large-scale bar or restaurant, entertainment center or unique retail concept,” said Doele.

Thornes Marketplace is a retail center in Northampton with over one million visitors annually. It holds popular longstanding businesses such as Cedar Chest, Herrell’s, Paul and Elizabeth’s, and Jackson & Connor.

“Our marketing and advertising budget exceeds a quarter million dollars per year,” Doele said. “What we offer retailers is an opportunity to have long-term success with a high-quality landlord. We work hard to help create an environment for success.”

Thornes has a carefully considered tenant selection process, and Doele said, “We’re all about creating a unique and highly attractive experience for those visitors coming to Thornes that seek an independent shopping experience.”

To learn more about the available spaces, visit thornesmarketplace.com/spaces-for-lease or email Doele at jdoele@thornesmarketplace.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 Thornes Marketplace Seeks to Fill Four Retail Spaces appeared first on Beetle Press.

Unique products include greeting cards that can be planted and pins that make a person’s pronouns easily identifiable

NORTHAMPTON—Small Victories retail shop will open Friday, March 29 in Thornes Marketplace, offering unique, handmade wares from greeting cards that can be planted to grow herbs or wildflowers, and pins for easy identification of a person’s pronouns.

The business, owned by co-founders Isa Wang, a designer, and Vincent Frano, an illustrator, herbalist and horticulturist, will be located on the first floor near the Main Street entrance. Goody bags will be available for the first 100 visitors who sign up for the company’s mailing list on opening day.

Wang and Frano, also life partners who live in Belchertown, moved to the area in 2014 and operated a retail shop called The Bower Studio in Pelham and then later in Amherst, which closed in 2019 due to Covid-related issues.

Since 2021, they have been designing and producing their products in a studio space in Eastworks in Easthampton, selling online to retail and wholesale customers via their own website. Wang said their products are carried in over 2,000 stores across the country and abroad.

Frustration has been one key inspiration for their eclectic gifts. “The initial idea almost always comes from not finding the product I’m looking for in the market and deciding to make it myself,” Wang said. “If I’m looking for a sleek, stylish pronoun pin, and all I find are plastic buttons, I’m going to make what I envision. I know someone else is out there looking for this thing and coming up short.”

While their products include pens, writing utensils and original prints—and imperfect seconds that can be purchased through a vintage vending machine—the two most popular lines are plantable seed cards and the enamel and metal pronoun pins. 

Plantable cards are original designs printed on paper made from all recyclable paper embedded with seeds; herb cards, when planted, grow basil, parsley and chives, and the wildflower cards produce a mix of six different flowers. 

Pronoun wares include mix-and-match enamel pins that read “He,” “Him,” “She,” “Her,” or “They,” and metal badges on which the buyer’s preferences can nestle together, for “She/Her” or “She/They,” for instance. There are also pins with neopronouns and Spanish pronouns.

“I started the pronoun pins in 2016 as a side project to see if there was interest,” Wang said. “It really took off as the conversation around pronouns and inclusivity grew. The need for the product grew as well.”

He added that they have been working for years to design the customizable version of the pin that allows users to create specific combinations. The pronoun line is doing particularly well with business leaders buying for their staff; customers include Hudson Yards Experiences in New York, Warby Parker eyeglasses and Salesforce, a software company. 

Wang holds a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the Museum School in Boston and a master’s in fine art from the School of Visual Arts. Frano holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Small Victories employs 10 staff members, eight of whom work full time, including Bee Leake, as the business’ director of marketing and community. Team members are musicians, fine artists, writers and are either members of the LGBTQIA+ community or allies. 

Ten percent of all Small Victories profits are donated, currently to Translate Gender in Northampton, which leads efforts to fight gender oppression; The Native Land Conservancy, with a mission to preserve and restore healthy landscapes; and Harbor Camps, for transgender and non-binary/gender-nonconforming youth.

Wang said he and Frano are pleased to be moving into Thornes. “I have been visiting Thornes since 2003, and I always like how they feature local businesses,” he said, adding, “We wanted to be linked with the community at large. We want to be involved.”

Learn more about Small Victories at smallvictories.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 Small Victories Opens in Thornes on Friday, March 29 appeared first on Beetle Press.

Protecting tenants, staff and customers in an era in which daily mass shootings have become the norm is the goal

NORTHAMPTON—Given that daily mass shootings have become the norm across the country, Thornes Marketplace has hired Protective Advanced Safety Services (PASS) of Agawam to enhance its emergency action plan and provide training to merchants and staff.  

The four-hour “OVERT: Occupational Violence Emergency Response Training” will take place on a Sunday to be determined when the building is closed to the public. PASS leaders will provide both classroom training and three or four active shooter scenarios in which blanks will be fired to simulate real gun fire and an authentic scene.

Tenants were made aware of the training today in a staff meeting.

ABC News reported in May that there were at least 202 mass shootings in the country in 2023—which is more than one a day—and Jody Doele, marketing manager and a co-owner for Thornes, said Thornes leadership wants to be proactive in protecting tenants, staff and customers from harm.

“We want to be sure we have the most up-to-date security plan and that our tenants and staff are equipped with knowledge and some experience. Taking part in a simulation in which blanks are used will give us all the most authentic perspective on what these terrible situations are like and allow us the best chance at a swift and positive response,” Doele said. “We believe this action is a necessary one to help keep our Thornes community safe.”

PASS develops training programs and provides crime prevention measures, overall risk assessments, behavioral analysis and active shooter trainings to public and private clients. 

PASS co-founders John Nettis and Steve Grasso will lead the session at Thornes.

Nettis is a retired senior lieutenant of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department with 21 years of experience in law enforcement. He worked in the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit and in the Tactical Response Unit as team leader for 18 years and is a past director of the Western Mass County Correctional Officers Academy. He is trained in criminal and behavioral profiling and is a CPR first responder. 

Grasso is a retired sergeant / safety / crime prevention officer as well as traffic bureau and school resource officer / supervisor of the Agawam Police Department with 34 years of service. He is trained in many different police operations. 

Nettis and Grasso both hold Active Shooter / A.L.I.C.E. Trainer certification.

As part of their work, Nettis and Grasso will assess the Thornes building, review all security policies and procedures, evaluate logistics of the facility and demographics of employees and develop a plan specific to Thornes Marketplace. 

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 Thornes Marketplace to enhance its emergency action plan with security training and active shooter drill appeared first on Beetle Press.

Lauren Gunther and Alex Feinstein purchase the stores from Rich Madowitz

NORTHAMPTON—Two longtime, downtown businesspeople, Lauren Gunther and Alex Feinstein, have together purchased two stores in Thornes Marketplace—Cedar Chest, which is in its 75th year, and Stay Golden, a brand-new business on the first floor.

Gunther, previously the merchandise manager for both businesses, and Feinstein, the former owner of GoBerry in Northampton and Amherst, purchased the stores in mid-April from Rich Madowitz, who is also a co-owner of Thornes. Gunther and Feinstein are both natives of Hampshire County.

Feinstein closed his Amherst shop early in the pandemic, and the GoBerry in Northampton closed in January 2022. He has been doing pandemic-related financial consulting in the region and had been actively looking for his next challenge when Madowitz connected the two new co-owners late last year because he thought their skillsets were a great fit for joint ownership. 

“We’re excited to move forward and be able to involve our staff in the transition,” said Gunther. 

Feinstein said, “I’m pleased to step into businesses that are already doing awesome work and see what our energy can bring to them to make them do more.” 

Gunther has been with Cedar Chest for 13 years. Feinstein came into the mix in early December 2022 in a consultant role. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and retailing from Framingham State University and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. He earned a bachelor’s in fine arts from Connecticut College and has worked in finance and IT in Boston. 

Cedar Chest, a longtime eclectic gift store, carries everything from home décor to stationery, loungewear, bath and body products, and holiday items. Its new sister store, Stay Golden, which opened in October 2022, offers primarily casual and business clothing for women along with jewelry and other accessories. 

About 30 associates work at the shops, with a half dozen dedicated to Stay Golden.

Gunther and Feinstein said they do not have plans to make changes to merchandise in the stores, but they will be looking at creating efficiencies that will allow them to make their staff team stronger. 

“I love to find efficiencies and document and implement systems,” said Feinstein, who grew up in Northampton and Easthampton. “I’ve been on board for five months now and have a new scheduling system, email platform and digital invoicing system in place. Finding tools that work across departments and help people collaborate is what I bring to the table.” 

Gunther’s expertise is in merchandizing. She grew up in Williamsburg and shopped in downtown stores as a young person, later working at Faces for a time as well. “It’s interesting to be among those helping two of these shops to evolve,” she said. “It’s unique to have two entrepreneurs of similar age who grew up in the area and are now really involved in downtown and Thornes. That’s fun and unique.”

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 Cedar Chest and Stay Golden in Thornes Marketplace Change Hands appeared first on Beetle Press.

I have been the PR partner for Thornes Marketplace for about six 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 about the new wall mural behind the Thornes building drew a record high media response. It was sent to the media in late September 2022, and the mural was completed in October 2022.

The back side of Thornes Marketplace will soon become a sprawling canvas for a Florida artist who will paint one of his nature-inspired works of art on the 67-foot-high by 50-foot-wide structure. 

Chosen from a field of 87 applicants for the $20,000 project funded by a grant from the city of Northampton, Ernesto Maranje will begin his work at the end of September, and it is expected to take roughly two weeks to install the art. His design features weaver birds and raccoons, created with layers of much smaller images of flora, fauna, and creative touches.

“Weaver birds have continuously been a symbol in my work. I imagine that they are the ones constructing my pieces, weaving together leaves, twigs, flowers to create the finished piece,” Ernesto said. “The weaver birds are the composers of the design.”

He is excited about the shape of the east exterior wall of Thornes, adjacent to the parking lot and the entrance to the parking garage and is excited that the façade has a lot of windows—16 to be precise. “I like that challenge,” he said.

The finished mural will cover the entire back side of the building, from the parapet to the ground, including the space under the roof and awning.  

A $20,000 grant from the city of Northampton will be expended to cover the fee for Ernesto’s services and supplies, and Thornes will cover the roughly $6,000 in other costs associated with the project. Jody Doele, marketing manager for Thornes; Brian Foote, director of arts and culture for the city of Northampton; and Mi Belitsky, a member of the Northampton Arts Council, reviewed all 87 applicants and chose Maranje’s work.

“Thornes is super excited by the project,” Jody said. “Northampton’s continued vibrancy and relevancy are important to all of us, especially at this point in its history. We believe public art adds enormous value to the cultural, aesthetic, and economic vitality of a community.”

She added that Northampton’s downtown faces economic and social challenges currently, and as a dominant retail player in the downtown, Thornes wants to help insert vitality and positive change. “Thornes remains committed to doing what it can to help Northampton thrive,” she said. 

Brian said the grant was funded by two donations from D.A. Sullivan & Sons, Inc., both earmarked for mural art, and he noted Thornes owners have for several years expressed interest in hosting a mural. 

“It’s great to see building owners excited to invite mural art, and D.A. Sullivan & Sons has been a longtime supporter of projects intended to improve the city for everyone,” Brian said. 

He noted that last year, the city was involved in installing two murals on Short Street and Kirkland Avenue with permission and support from Jordi Herold, owner of the Iron Horse Music Hall and a developer of historic properties in Massachusetts.

Ernesto, of Sunrise, Florida, will travel to Northampton with his wife, Hilary Maranje, his business partner, from Tennessee, where he is currently painting. He said he began exploring art as a vocation in 2012, when he was serving as a diesel mechanic in the U.S. Coastguard and became injured; he was assigned to work on land, doing odd painting jobs. 

“One of the painting tasks was to paint the California flag on a pair of window shutters,” he explained. “Someone had started the job, setting up a grid on the shutters, and then transferred the project to me. Basically, from that day on, I’ve never stopped painting. I fell in love with it. I started going home after work and painting.”

Ernesto took art classes at the Art Institute of Miami for several years before he was invited to take part in mural festivals in Europe and the Middle East. Along with other invited artists, from 2015 to 2018, Ernesto painted murals on walls, residential houses, and the sides of buildings in communities with orphanages and refugee camps. 

“The goal was to lift spirits and expose children to artwork,” Hilary said. 

The festivals were not paid jobs; they provided Ernesto with experience—and stipends. By 2018, he was being commissioned by companies and developers for paid projects, and he launched his own company; his wife manages the business side of the operation.

Ernesto mainly paints murals with acrylics and spray paint and has created roughly 80 murals to date. He also does smaller gallery work. 

“The inspiration comes from different avenues,” he said. He enjoys the hard work that comes with painting murals—lifting, walking up stairs, waking up early. “Another inspiration is seeing the final product—seeing the wall complete and being satisfied with completion. Inspiration for the subject matter comes from biology. I have a fondness for evolution and species. There are lots of animals and organic elements in my work.”

In the request for proposals for artists, the artwork goals were to create a decorative, large-format design that is visually captivating and will promote goodwill and tourism. Artists were asked to create a design that is not Northampton-centric in terms of history or geography.

The city requires that Ernesto will use Smog Armor paint and primer products on fifty percent of his final work because it is proven to reduce air pollution and is non-toxic. Two coats of paint are also required.

To learn more about Ernesto and his work, visit www.maranje.com. 

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

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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 Thornes Marketplace to Become a Canvas for Wall Mural appeared first on Beetle Press.

NORTHAMPTON—Cedar Chest, a longtime eclectic gift store, is celebrating its 75th anniversary in downtown Northampton as its new sister store, Stay Golden, announces a rebrand and grand opening event in its permanent location in Thornes Marketplace.

The anniversary for Cedar Chest, which carries everything from home décor to stationery and holiday items, will be marked with special promotions in the store from Thursday, Sept. 22 to Sunday, Sept. 25. Customers who spend over $75 will receive a gift bag full of free items from different sections of the store.

The grand opening for Stay Golden will be held Oct. 14 and is free and open to the public.

The launch will be held in conjunction with Arts Night Out from 5 to 8 p.m., and those who visit the shop can dance to music played by a DJ, have their photo taken in a photo booth, and sample charcuterie by Fed by Foley and cocktails from Tellus & The Satellite Bar. There will also be giveaway items and a raffle.

Both businesses are owned by Rich Madowitz, also one of the co-owners of Thornes. About 30 associates work at the shops, with a half dozen dedicated to Stay Golden.

“We are excited our customers can find us in two spaces in Thornes,” said Lauren Gunther, merchandise manager for Cedar Chest since 2010 and now Stay Golden as well. “We are excited to see Stay Golden grow.”

Cedar Chest was originally on Main Street in Northampton and dates back at least to 1947, the year the oldest-known photo of the shop was taken. After Brinkley and Gordon Thorne, and their wives Mazie Cox and Annie Woodhull, purchased the McCallum Building in 1977 and launched Thornes Marketplace, Cox purchased Cedar Chest and moved the business into Thornes, where it remains an anchor store.

Madowitz purchased the business in 2010.

Gunther said, initially, the shop sold linens, bedding, and home décor. “Now it’s a gift shop of epic proportions,” she said, noting the business tagline is “Home. Body. Heart.”

The store sprawls over two floors with items ranging from loungewear and bath and body items on the ground floor to kitchen products, home décor, holiday and seasonal items, books and stationery on the second floor. “We try to separate what we’re doing from what other people are doing in town and in the building,” Gunther said. “We have unique products not represented elsewhere.”

As the buyer for the business, Gunther is pleased that she can visit trade shows once again and move away from buying online, as she was forced to do during the pandemic. Before she came to Thornes, Gunther’s background was in fashion, so it has been exciting for her to watch Cedar Chest’s sister store evolve with a focus on women’s clothing.

First launched last summer as an eight-week-long pop-up shop on Level One by the parking garage and sky walk, the business was called Cedar Chest Fashion. The concept was successful, so it expanded and rebranded as Stay Golden with the help of Carrie Lenard of Lenard Design.

“Golden” in the name is a reference to each day’s Golden Hour—after sunrise or before sunset, when the intensity of the sun’s light is reduced, and the sky appears redder and softer. “Golden Hour is about the feeling you get when the sun and the air and the mood feel right, all at the same time,” Gunther said. “We want to be with people in those moments where they feel—and look—their best and can hold onto that feeling. We want women to Stay Golden.”

Some of the fixtures and décor in the shop—from hangers to mannequins—came from Faces, which closed in 2019 after nearly 45 years in business. “We now occupy the whole shop, and we cater to professional women who want to update their closet every season with a couple great new products,” she said. 

Stay Golden carries primarily clothing for women—a mix of everyday casual and some business wear, such as silk blouses or items with rich patterns and textures. “Women will find things like fuzzy jackets and sweaters in fall and glitz around the holidays,” Gunther said, noting the shop also carries jewelry and small accessories, like sunglasses. 

“The store’s mission is to ride the edge of trends with a focus on the classic styling and to make women look and feel beautiful,” she added.

Soon, Stay Golden will launch an informational website at staygoldennorthampton.com.

For more information on Cedar Chest, visit explorecedarchest.com.

The post Cedar Chest Celebrates 75th Anniversary in Downtown Northampton as its Sister Store, Stay Golden, Announces its Grand Opening in Thornes Marketplace on Oct. 14 appeared first on Beetle Press.