Reimagine the Chamber | SUBMIT your input on June 20

Issue #38 | Thursday June 9, 2022

News from the North Adams Chamber

Reimagine The Chamber Event

Monday, June 20 @ 6 p.m.
Greylock Works

We’ll facilitate a productive 1-hour session to generate the most impactful ideas about the services we provide, addressing the biggest challenges facing businesses and the community initiatives we should prioritize.

Make your voice heard as we explore how to restructure the Chamber to better serve you!

RSVP

Stick around after the event to enjoy Music Moxy Mondays @ Greylock Works starting at 7 pm.

We need your help clarifying our mission, rethinking how we operate and choosing the types of services we offer.

We want to make sure each and every single business in North Adams has a voice in this process! After all, the Chamber is your community.

Please take a few moments to respond to 3 simple questions.

DEADLINE JUNE 17TH

TAKE THE SURVEY

What started in 2021 as a small initiative by local businesses, turned into a grand celebration of bright colors, music, and hundreds of supporters.

This year Boxxa Vine is the featured entertainer with special guests and local drag queens Vuronika Baked and Jackie Leggs. The event is free and open to the public. In the courtyard, MASS MoCA will stage a small cocktail bar while Bright Ideas Brewing will be open for craft beer drafts. Chingón Taco Truck will be serving up a special menu in honor of the event as well as Door Prize – a new restaurant located right before the museum entrance.

Pride Month, celebrated every June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall riots, aims to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ Americans.

Pride Month is more than just hanging inclusive flags, it’s about bringing the North Adams community and businesses together for a new tradition that has yet to be established to shine a light on the LGBTQIA groups in the region.

The North Adams Pride Committee is made up of Bear and Bee Bookstore owner Rye Howard, North Adams Chamber of Commerce Business Development team members Nico Dery and Makayla-Courtney McGeeney, and entrepreneur Andrew Fitch.

Questions? Want to get involved? Email hello@nachamber.org

1Berkshire Partners with North Adams Chamber of Commerce and proAdams for “Pop Up, North Berkshire” Summer Business Pilot

Yina Moore, the new owner of The Adams Theater, has been granted funds to lease an Incubator Space on Park Street in Adams as part of the latest “Pop-Up” pilot program.

It will double as a community gathering space and a pop-up gallery. Other uses could include co-working space, an arts-related retail shop, an event venue, or a place to stop in and socialize over coffee, Moore said.

Read more about her new initiative via The Berkshire Eagle.

The other businesses to receive funding are:

WallaSauce - North Adams - Owned and operated by Sarah DeFusco and Kirby Casteel, WallaSauce is a familiar name in and around the region as a locally produced streetwear brand focused on minimizing waste while simultaneously exploring self-expression through clothing, merchandise, and creative thinking. They will be opening a retail storefront in the City to both sell their products and produce their items in a prominent downtown space.
Secret Sun Tanning Salon - Adams - Owned and operated by Jason Nocher, Secret Sun Tanning Salon will inject new life into an updated downtown space offering tanning options to the local market, filling a gap that has been identified over the last several years. By creating another service offering on the main downtown corridor, Secret Sun will help draw increased and new traffic and customers to the area.

An additional fourth business will be identified and supported for opening in North Adams in the coming weeks.

Full story on the pilot program via iBerkshires.

What’s Happening?

NAMAzing Coffee Dates | Every Friday Morning | 7:30-9 a.m.
Eagle Street Parklet
Door Prize Opens Restaurant at MASS MoCA | Friday 11-7 p.m., Saturday/Sunday 11-5 p.m., Monday 11-7 p.m.
Windsor Lake Concert Series | Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
North Adams SteepleCats | June-July | Joe Wolfe Field
Full Schedule
Open Studios at MASS MoCA | Thursday, July 14 & Thursday, August 11
Each event will take place from 5-7 PM in Building 13 + Building 34.
FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO ALL.
More information

Artist Meetup

Join Common Folk, The Adams Arts Advisory Board The Adams Theater, and Rapoza Center for the Arts for a casual meetup at the new Incubator Space on Sunday, June 12th at 3 p.m.

PopCares Cruise-in

This event is OPEN to ALL Vehicles
Show Vehicles $10 donation
Vendors: $20 donation
Registration is from 6-8:30 am

Proceeds go to PopCares Inc., a local cancer charity where ALL money raised is donated to cancer patients in the No. Berkshire & bordering So. Vermont towns.

For more info:
Email: popcares.events@yahoo.com
Phone: 413-281-1094
www.popcares.org

Moxy Monday

Live entertainment at Greylock works every Monday through June and two dates in July. Starting at 7 p.m.

June 9-12: Reunion for the 2s & 7s and a Cluster 5th Reunion for 2015, 2016 & 2017
June 24-26: 25th Reunion classes of 1995 and 1996
June 24-26: Grad Art 50th Reunion
July 22-24: Class of 2020 Celebration Weekend

Here’s what to expect:

13 vendors selling a variety of products including eggs, honey, jams, early-season vegetables, flowers, jewelry, fish, and more!
Live music from talented local artists
Bring Your Own Bags
Stop by the Market Manager table if you need EBT tokens or need to pay with a card, we have tokens for you too
Depending on the weather bring sunglasses, sunscreen, a rain jacket, etc.
More info

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures awards $100,000 to Berkshire Area Farmers Markets

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV) has awarded $100,000 in grants to nine Berkshire area farmers markets to support SNAP matching programs. The grants were awarded through BAV’s newest grant fund, the Market Match Fund.

The Fund is an economic development and food access initiative that provides funding to increase the impact of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program) benefits at area farmers markets. It provides funds for markets to offer a $1-for-$1 SNAP match up to $30, providing SNAP recipients a total of $60 to spend at every participating farmers market. With continuing community support, BAV hopes to increase the $30 limit in the future.

Bolstering SNAP matching programs allows significant business growth opportunities for farmers and food producers who sell direct to consumers at farmers markets. Additionally, market match programs increase low-income households’ purchasing power at local markets, allowing all SNAP-eligible customers to extend their SNAP dollars while nourishing their families with local, nutrient-dense foods.

BAV was able to provide funding to every 2022 applicant, with grants ranging from $2,000 - $30,000.

The following farmers markets received a grant from BAV’s Market Match Fund: New Lebanon (NY) Farmers Market; North Adams Farmers Market; Pittsfield Farmers Market; West Stockbridge Farmers Market; Lee Farmers Market; Great Barrington Farmers Market; Sheffield Farmers Market; Copake Hillsdale (NY) Farmers Market; Millerton (NY) Farmers Market. For a complete list of all Berkshire area farmers markets and their food assistance programs offerings, visit the Berkshire Farmers Market website.

nbCC's 36th Annual Meeting

Friday, June 17th | 11:30 - 1:30

We’re looking forward to celebrating our 36th Annual Meeting this June at the event space at Greylock WORKS.
We hope you can join us. Register here: https://conta.cc/3vAyjCW
Tickets are $25/person. Scholarships are available.
We’ll be honoring Dr. Kerri Nicoll with the Peacemaker Award, and Mary Morrison with the Neighborhood Heroes Award.
Buffet lunch will be catered by Grazie.

Faerie Festival

June 18th, 10 am to 9 pm
Bowe Field, Adams, MA

Get your wings ready for a day of magic, music, dancing, drumming, painting dragon eggs, fairy wing embellishment, fairy house building, puppet shows, fire performances, food, vendors and much more.

More information

Juneteenth Celebration

The Juneteenth Collaborative Committee, (consisting of NAACP, Berkshire County Branch, Women of Color Giving Circle, Rites of Passage and Empowerment (ROPE), Westside Legends, Multicultural Bridge, Berkshire Black Economic Council, Saint John’s Lodge #10, Clinton Church Restoration, and Lift Every Voice!) will host its first annual Juneteenth Celebration!

The event is the new reimaging of the annual Gather In festival. Those that are interested in becoming a vendor must apply by June 13th and can find the form on the NAACP’s website. As we recognize the strain on our local restaurants during Covid, there is no vendor fee for vendors this year, but we are asking if they are able to give a donation of any amount.

More information

ROOTS Fundraiser

Thursday, June 23 | 6-9 p.m.
The Airport Rooms at Tourists

Show Your Teen Spirit ticket covers admission to event, appetizers, desserts, performances, and entertainment. The ticket does not include cash bar or Silent Auction entries.

Tickets

The Firehouse Café & Bistro

Under new ownership, the restaurant celebrated its grand opening on May 28. Xavier Jones, who formerly operated BiggDaddy’s Philly Steak House in Adams and Pittsfield, and partner Warren Dews Jr. plan to serve Mediterranean-infused small plates with a menu that will reflect the cuisines of up to 30 countries.

Berkshire Eagle article

Hours: Tues-Sun 4-10 p.m.
Address: 47 Park Street, Adams

Request for Concepts at MASS MoCA

Join a thriving community of entrepreneurs, artists, and businesses located on the MASS MoCA campus in downtown North Adams, MA. As the largest contemporary art museum in the country, MASS MoCA is not only a destination for culture-loving audiences from around the globe but a stimulating center for creativity and commerce in the region. The ventures filling the MASS MoCA campus are destinations unto themselves, from stunning artisanal crafts and exceptional commercial galleries to delicious local brews and the best tacos around. Will your business be the next must-stop locale?

MASS MoCA is inviting concepts for the old Sprague Electric Company guardhouse at the main entrance of the MASS MoCA campus located on Marshall Street in North Adams, MA.

More information about the submission process.

Workshops & Webinars

EforAll

EforAll Berkshire County Pitch Contest | Application Deadline July 15
A total of four cash prizes will be given out (1st place @ $1000, 2nd @ $750, 3rd place @ $500 as well as a $500 Fan Favorite prize).

June 13 | 4-5 p.m. | Deep Dive Webinar

Massachusetts SBDC

June 15 | 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Balance Sheets, Income and Profit/Loss Statements: Understanding Business Financials
June 23 | 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Basics of Starting a Business

Social Media Bootcamp

Wed, Jun 22 | Springfield, MA

Sponsored by our friends at COMMON CAPITAL & MSBDC. In this Bootcamp event, we will provide an overview of Social Media marketing best practices with an emphasis on getting found on social media. Tips and tricks for more effective marketing will be shared by our All-Star lineup.

Tickets

Funding Opportunities

Empower Digital Grant
Deadline extended to June 30, 2023

Beginning in May 2021, $3,800,000 will be made available for the Empower Digital Grant. This grant program provides funding for the needs of Massachusetts-based small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals seeking tools and services to develop their digital capabilities in partnership with a Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) provider for up to $5,000.

APPLY HERE

Connect with Us!

North Adams Chamber Business Development Team

Marketing: Makayla-Courtney McGeeney
Business: Nico Dery

Check out our NEW website at nachamber.org

Need help with your books, business proposal, or assistance with loan applications? Can’t quite wrap your head around social media? The North Adams Chamber of Commerce Business Development team can help! Email for a 1-1 free consultation at our NEW office on 85 Main Street. Virtual or in-person consultations are available.

Contact: hello@nachamber.org