My Visit to MASS MoCA

One of the biggest draws to the North Berkshire area is the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art...fondly called MASS MoCA by the locals, visited by thousands every year, and loved by everyone for their contribution to the community, to the Arts, and their major role in cultural education.

Since this is a difficult and heavy subject matter, I am going to ask my favorite art-world heroine, SISTER WENDY, (British critic, writer and nun!) to explain some of the "artistic" facts, as I journey through the walls and floors of the masterpieces.
Some of you may know Sister Wendy from her PBS specials...she is amazing. There is a 6 DVD set of her talks available in media shops like Borders, Barnes & Noble or FYI.
"Sister's" conversation is of course, entirely fictional, but I know you have a superior imagination and will humor me in this endeavor.

Sister Wendy will explain the real meaning behind some of the artwork in this museum...and I will be the everyday clod who knows nada about art philosophy, commenting on the pieces as I see them... in my ignorant, heathen manner.
Let us begin...
Driving to North Adams from The 1896 House is about a 10-15 minute journey straight down Route 2 East. MASS MoCA sits on the left and is easy to spot along the road. Parking is free.

You are met with a clump of luminous factory buildings and dangerous looking alleyways to trek through. Large yellow "arrows" point the way...one would expect at any moment, a gang will appear and steal your handbag or ipod, or at the very least, a long coated man will try to sell you a watch for $20.

Be brave...it is safe. Go ahead down the alley and head into the open center, where you will see your first "art" display...

ME:  Oh look! Wicked cool trees hanging upside down!

SISTER WENDY: In Tree Logic, the art of the piece is not found in its condition at any single point in time, but in the change of the trees over time. Trees are dynamic natural systems, and Tree Logic reveals this dynamism. The familiar, almost iconic shape of the tree in nature is the result of gravitropic and phototropic responses: the tree grows away from the earth and towards the sun.

When inverted, the six trees in this experiment still grow away from earth and towards the sun - so the natural predisposition of trees might well produce the most unnatural shapes over time, raising questions about what the nature of the natural is.
ME: I wonder if birds nest upside down in the branches?

Heading past HUDSONS shop, I glance in the window at the cool vintage and artistic stuff they have for sale. Chewing gum wrapper handbags, records, old posters, jewelry...way neat.

GRAMERCY BISTRO is located in this setting as well...great food and solid rep for consistant quality.

Heading for the MoCA door, you see the entrance to a large old factory. 

MoCA has quite a history.

In the 1800's, the building housed a printworks shop. It later spent time as Sprague Electric and was a major employer in the area. MA MoCA took the property over in 1986 and has since renovated many of the spaces, brought amazing artists and performers to the area, and has become somewhat of a phenomenon in the Berkshires. It costs about $15 to get in.
Kids cost less and there is a lot for them to do and be interested in.
The staff are really friendly and helpful and there are tours given every hour or half hour...so wait for one of them. You will be given a great objective tour of the displays and gain insight and education about what the artists are saying. Much better than trying to rough it by yourself.
DO NOT GO BY YOURSELF UNTIL YOU HAVE TAKEN A TOUR. The tours are free, so make sure to join one.
Luckily, there is a great gift shop and cafe to visit while you await the next tour.





My tour began with a walk to the video area... a very awkward and uncomfortable 5 whole minutes watching a film by Guy Ben-Nur showing his family dressed up in swan costumes gathering sticks in the woods. My eyes glazed over. In another room's vid, he is acting out the book MOBY DICK with his young daughter in their kitchen... ME: Oh come on! This is not art!

SISTER WENDY: Kathy, this medium is modern and is indeed "art". Over the past decade Guy Ben-Ner has become known for a series of playful videos which often star the artist and his young children. The humorous, home-made films have an authentic, do-it-yourself appeal, though their deceptive simplicity quickly reveals sophisticated cinematic and literary influences - ranging from the physical comedy of Buster Keaton and the humanist films of François Truffaut to literary classics such as Herman Melville's Moby Dick and Daniel Dafoe's Robinson Crusoe. With humor and pathos, Ben-Ner re-tells these iconic stories of the individual's search for meaning and identity in relation to the influence of society's mores and traditions.

Through these timeless tales he sheds light on contemporary philosophical and political issues, while avoiding a didactic approach. Often exhibited with the simple sets and props created for the videos, Ben-Ner's work de-mystifies the creative process, symbolically inviting the viewer to move beyond the space of reception into the realm of production.
ME: Longest 5 minutes of my life!

We proceeded by a bicycle you can pedal to view a video of how the elctricity is generated to power the video. People seemed to enjoy this and there was always someone riding the thing, so I never got a turn.

We next entered an exhibit called THESE DAYS: ELEGIES FOR MODERN TIMES... which is a collection of paintings and videos about hope and despair. I enjoyed one of a cello player, passionately playing a Bach prelude. You get sound and vision here...but the cool part is that artist Sam Taylor-Wood (female) has digitally REMOVED the cello, so it appears the guy is playing nothing at all. Some folks thought he was acting, pretending to play.  
ME: I'm way impressed with the clean digital removal of that cello...being an avid photoshop user taking wrinkles out of my facebook photos, I can appreciate that skillset.

SISTER WENDY: As the lone cellist mournfully plays his music, the cello has been erased, evoking a stark sense of loss, yet he still plays with passion and life. Vitality and mortality battle one another without a clear victor. There is a sense of hope in the saddest of conditions.

This theme prevails throughout Sam's exhibit's, including her other works of note, such as Ghosts VI and Escape Artist. I'm quite taken by her Little Death video. 

ME: Eeeoowww! Sister, that Little Death vid gave me the creeps. A dead rabbit hangs by a foot and the camera captures it rotting over a period of time, being eaten by maggots while the body fluids soak up into the wall...everything except the fluffy tail is gone by the end. So glad I didn't get an ice cream cone before this tour.

SISTER WENDY: But Kathy, the fruit in the video remained fresh throughout the hare's decay process. In Europe, fruit represented new life, hope and vitality in art.
The video

One of the other artists displayed in this group was ROBERT TAPLIN. He created 9 scenes with resin figurines depicting a DANTE Inferno like world. Seriously engaging and interesting peeking into little caverns and boxes to see the eery scenes.

Another video was shown in a 360' room. It was called BELOW SEA LEVEL, by Pawel Wojtasik.

ME: I got a little queasy sitting in that room with all the New Orleans wetlands water rising and falling around me. There were scenes of musicians and Mardi Gras players in a post Katrina environment...kinda funky this one.

SISTER WENDY: This film engages viewers in the contemplation of elements, natural and man-made, that make New Orleans such an essential site.

The connections are palpable from the eerily quiet waters surrounding the city, to the life that goes on within it.

OK, on to another room...this one with huge wall paintings of words over words. This exhibit is called THIS IS KILLING ME.
ME: I kind of enjoyed looking at all the layered words on the wall...especially seeing the thought process of going to eat, feeling sad and stuff, but many of the words were mis-spelled and that drives me nuts. (Did I just miss spell mis-spelled?).


Present in much of the work are deep feelings of inadequacy-the artist plagued by the idea that she or he is not good enough, hard-working enough, or famous enough (and never will be). Some of the work unveils the sources — or lack thereof — of the artist's inspiration — laying bare the unending pressure to develop meaningful and original ideas. Other work gives shape and form to the creative process, pointing to the labor, the hand of the artist, and accompanying procrastination entailed in making art. Ultimately, many of the pieces derive content from an engagement with psychoanalysis and a mining of one's own unconscious and psyche. The works presented, far from becoming cathartic votives, are embodied monuments to the complexities of artistic practice.
There was also a case purposely left with a film of dust on it, housing mannequin heads that look like the artist. Interesting grouping this was.

Into a really large room, we came upon a HUGE slab of curved concrete. My lawyer friend said "this is a lawsuit waiting to happen!" when we got close enough to notice protruding rusty coils. The tour guide explained that this was loaned by a collector who could no longer "display" it in his yard, as neighbors complained about the eyesore. Really? Imagine that...lol

ME: Isn't this from the BIG DIG? How the heck did they hoist this up to the 2nd floor?! More importantly...WHY?

SISTER WENDY: True, they are wavy planes of concrete as thick as 10 inches bristling with rusty, bent lengths of rebar form a long pile that looks ready to be carted away. Because we’re in an art museum we know we’re looking at a work of art. So we read the pile not as junk but as sculpture, a formally impressive arrangement of undulating ribbons punctuated by the busy staccato of the rebar pieces. Splayed sheets of lead lying over one section, like pages of a newspaper or an oversize book, add a poetic grace note.
ME: Let's take a drive on the pike and go see the mothership in Boston.

Further into the room, we see artist Keifers work...actually really nice post war wall art scenery pieces in a 3 dimensional medium.

ME: Ok, I like this one. These are my colors.

Oh wait...
 
On the other side of the room sits what appears to be a large broom made of mud and little clumps around it. Our tour guide explains this is on loan from Pennsylvania by the infamous Joseph Beuys.

ME: Oh great...a humungous muddy broom and some dinosaur dung. Save a huge corner in the museum for THAT.  
 
 
 
 
 

Beuys' dramatic "Lightning with Stag in its Glare", (Blitzschlag mit Lichtschein auf Hirsch),1958-85, is the only environment that the artist cast in bronze. This monumental work is encrusted with layers of meaning. At its core, it enacts a dramatic moment in nature: A bolt of lightning (the large, suspended sculpture) strikes the ground, illuminating a stag (cast in highly reflective aluminum). Other animals are present, but are not so well illuminated. There is a goat (a metal cart with a pick resting on it) and worm-like primordial animals (the dark bronze forms scattered on the floor). The final element present, the Boothia Felix, is a metal tripod with a roughly rectangular mass on top of it and a small compass resting on top of that. This element is named for a strip of land in northern Canada that was the first established location of the north magnetic pole.
ME: UH-HUH...Right...

Entering another room, we come upon an upside down glass house. Entitled GRAVITY IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH, artist Manglano-Ovalle depicts upheaval and the dualistic definition of gravity.
ME: I liked the spilled coffee on the ceiling.

SISTER WENDY: Science and emotion are simultaneously inverted and logic is therefore challenged. The artist emphasizes a shift in perception which transforms the world in twhich we know it, making it transparent. There is a phone ringing inside....did you notice that Kathy? One caller leaves the message"gravity is a force to be reckoned with and you won't win".

The star player in this museum has got to be the Sol Lewitt exhibit. Housed on 3 floors, each representing a phase of his artistic career, it is a dazzling series of colorful and intricate works. Slotted to remain for 25 years, then possibly painted over, Sol's belief that art is not precious will be honored.
ME: I loved this stuff. They built the walls in this exhibit just to house his art! Cool standing in front of the color panels too. Where IS my camera?! Is this the inspiration for the Partridge family bus?

Sol LeWitt (September 9, 1928 - April 8, 2007) was an American artist linked to various movements, including Conceptual art and Minimalism. LeWitt rose to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and "structures" (a term he preferred instead of "sculptures") but was prolific in a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, and painting. He has been the subject of hundreds of solo exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world since 1965. His prolific two and three-dimensional work ranges from wall drawings (over 1200 of which have been executed) to hundreds of works on paper extending to structures in the form of towers, pyramids, geometric forms, and progressions. These works range in size from gallery-sized installations to monumental outdoor pieces. Sol LeWitt was one of the main figures of his time; he transformed the idea and practice of drawing and changed the relationship between an idea and the art it produces. LeWitt’s art is not about the singular hand of the artist; it is the ideas behind the works that surpass each work itself.

There are many more pieces and exhibits at the museum, including pornographic cartoons, an exhibit called Invisible Art (too funny for me to even critique), and sculptures, photography and audio pieces.

This museum is chock full of surprizes and well worth a visit. I came here twice and plan to go again. They have some permanent and some revolving displays. Check their website for events and new exhibits: MA MoCA

North Adams is abundant with art studios, and the local liberal arts college feeds the town with many creative and talented artists. Venues dot the streets and there are often art fairs on weekends.


MASS MoCA has live entertainment, rock bands, avant guart artists, puppet shows, music workshops, and theater during the week. It is an amazing place. Stop in if you visit the area!

SISTER WENDY: Ta-ta for now Kathy. I'll pray for you!
 
 
 
ME: Thanks for your help Sister!

MASS MoCA is closed TUESDAYS. Open 11-5. Later on Saturdays and event days.
Take advantage of our MoCA Special at The 1896 House
 
 
 
 
 
Love & Peace,
Kathy

Back from Vacation!

Just back from vacation and working feverishly on the next blog posting. Didn't want to leave the sleigh ride post up here in 70' weather! lol

Look for the newest post in a few days!
Happy holiday weekend to everyone!

xx
Kathy

Happy Thanksgiving from Williamstown!

Hey.... Celebrate the big turkey day TWICE! Tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 1896 house's super restaurant, The '6 House Pub, they will be having a Thanksgiving Eve Turkey Dinner with all the traditional fixins' and fun! Imagine enjoying a full delicious dinner with NONE of the cleanup or mess! Relax on the big day, watch the game and the parade without having to struggle in the kitchen!
I hope you will join Sue, Denise and the rest of the staff and enjoy the full belly-bustin meal. Chef Robert is outdoing himself this year... choppin, stuffin, bakin, stewing, roastin and mashin! Smells so good around here, the dogs are going crazy. Grab a few take out plates and serve 'em tomorrow at home if you want to watch the parade and the game without kitchen trauma.

Gosh the month is going by quickly and before you know it, the SNOW will be here. There are a ton of fairs and bazaars being announced every day, and on top of all the usual winter festivities in this winter wonderland, like all the museums and shopping and hiking...well...ski weather is approaching! Time to start thinking about lift tickets and putting the snow tires on the car, finding your ice scraper and locating both gloves and your scarf.

I'll be keeping you informed of the local happenings in my next blog...but until then, I will leave you with 2 very cool seasonal recipes from my personal Thanksgiving collection. 
Both are cheap, easy and QUICK to make and will really impress if given as last minute T'Day gifts or dinner donations...

PUMPKIN BUTTER

Ingredients:
2 Cans (15 oz each) PUMPKIN
1 1/3 Cup Apple Cider
2 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 tsp. Maple Sugar (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. Ginger
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients and stir until blended. Cover and Heat on MEDIUM-LOW for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. This mixture splatters, so wear a mitt when stirring and also glasses or eye protection.
When the mixture is cooked, spoon into (12 4oz small) canning jars, cover with warm lids and tighten rings around the jars. Place into a large pot of boiling water (bath) and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from bath and let stand until room temperature. Caps will "pop" when seal is set.

Remove rings and clean jars if needed. Decorate with fabric and cinnamon sticks and miniature pumpkins and tie twine around rings.

Will keep 9-12 months. Refrigerate after opening. Especially good with cinnamon graham crackers or on a bagel with cream cheese. : )

 
SPICED CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients:
1 1/8 cup water
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 orange, peeled and pureed
1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
1/3 cup chopped dried mixed fruit ("fruitcake mix")
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
 In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves (simple syrup). Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst.
Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. Follow directions for Pumpkin Butter to process. (10 minutes). Let stand until room temperature and label/decorate jars.
Use as a side dish at Thanksgiving, or as a condiment with pork or poultry.

Have a happy and safe holiday!
xx
Kathy

THE THRIFT SHOP HOP !

Years ago I worked for a United Way organization that gave Welfare folks computer training and classes for GEDs. As the Receptionist, I was usually dressed nicely and one day was asked to go with a group of students to a local thrift shop and help them find clothes to "Dress for Success".

I was kind of a snobby shopper, always buying my clothes at THE MALL, blowing nearly all of my paychecks in "real" stores like Macys, Filenes, JC PENNEY, Cherry &Webb, Vickys Secret, etc... I ordered garbs from Coldwater Creek, Chicos and Chadwicks catalogs.... I remember thinking, "how will these poor girls find anything nice to wear at a thrift shop?"
It's a stigma many people have about 2nd hand clothing stores, and if you think this way, I hope to change your mind. As I helped one gal after another find perfect workplace attire, I began noticing familiar labels with not so familiar low pricing.

A TALBOTS Blouse for $2.99?! A CHICOS Jacket for $5.99?! A KATE SPADE Handbag for $20?!  Even a "fake"would cost tons more!  Those clothes were in excellent condition, some brand spankin new, and bought for pennies on the dollar. What a grand awakening for me! I have been a loyal fan of thrift shops ever since.

As I create this blog, I am wearing a blue sweater that has the name "BETTY" scrawled in black marker on the inside neck tag...Whoever Betty is (or was), I thank her (or her next of kin) for buying with good taste and generously donating her sweater. It is my favorite.

TIPS FOR THRIFT SHOPPING:

1. LOOK OVER THE GARMENT CAREFULLY. Check it out at different angles under the light for stains/spots, rips/tears, broken zippers, missing buttons, faded colors, and ewww...imbedded smells. Some of these things can be fixed, and some can not. I always wash or dry clean anything bought in a thrift store before I wear it.

2. TRY ON CLOTHES. Size is not always exact. Did you know that a Size 12 from 1980 or earlier is a Size 10 in 2009?! (Nature is cruel!). Wedding gowns are what they call TRUE SIZE, which any bride will tell you is a size smaller than what you normally wear. True of some designer garments also, especially European stuff. That size 12 you wear now would have been a size 14 twenty five years ago. Remember this when buying vintage clothing. If the clothes are within the past 2 decades, you can safely assume they will fit your current number size.
A "Large" in Junior is very different from a "Large" in Misses. In thrift shops, all Larges are generally lumped together. Be on the lookout ...Someone may have washed an item in hot water, it shrunk, so even that "MISSES Large" can be more of a tight MEDIUM now.
Chico's has their own "multi-sizing" system. A Chico Size 0 is anything in the super skinny range up to 4 Size 1 is Size 4 to Size 8. A Chico Size 2 is Size 10 to a Size 14. Size 3 is 14+.
Bring a tape measure if you are too lazy to try things on. Measure the inside leg and the length of sleeves on any outfit.
Petite will fit a non-petite person, but beware they tend to be cut slightly shorter in the arms and the waist is cropped closer to the bustline. The pants are always shorter than "normal". I believe Petites are most common in thrift stores because elderly women wear petite, and their clothes are donated after they uhh...emmm... well ...
Men's clothes often wind up in the women's racks. You can tell it's a man item when a MEDIUM looks like it would fit a gorilla (it did), so try on all your clothes and save yourself the post thrift shop heartbreak of having a garment way off size.
3. BUY IT WHEN YOU SEE IT. Don't wait until next week when you have more cash flow. Even if you hide it, it won't be there, because I will have found it and bought it by then.
4. LOOK IN OTHER SIZES. People stash clothes in the darndest places. Perhaps they think it will go on sale soon, or they want to hide it until they have the cash to come back to buy it. I always check the surrounding racks for hidden treasure...and I find it.
5. WILL IT LOOK GREAT ON YOU? Don't just buy it because it's a good deal. Make sure it's a flattering color for you and it fits. If you get it home and it is not so great, DONATE it back by putting it in a charity bin! Besides the main players, Planet Aid,
D A R E, Local Charities and Schools have collection bins and will benefit from the sale of your clothes. I donate most of my off season clothing. I know I will enjoy replacing them next year.  : )
6. BE CAREFUL WITH SHOES. I don't like to buy shoes at a thrift store, not only because of hygeine issues, but because used shoes have molded and shaped themselves to someone else's foot. "New with tags" shoes, roller blades/ski boots/ice skates or special event high heels are the only exceptions. (They mold to NO ONE's FEET!).
7. ASK THE SALES CLERK ABOUT SPECIALS OR SALES. Some places have color coded price tags, or color coded plastic thingys that hold the price tags to the garment. Some have a "Today all pink tags are 50% off" kind of sale, or "All sweaters $1.50 today". Salvation Army does a "Family Day Sale" where all OTHER colors but the one mentioned are on sale. Goodwill in Northampton has a one free book a month card. It pays to ask when you walk in the door.
8. CHECK OUT OTHER STUFF. There are BOOKS, DVDs, CDs, TOYS, JEWELRY, KNICK KNACKS, FURNITURE, KITCHEN STUFF, LAMPS, HOLIDAY DECOR', SPORTS EQUIPMENT, CRAFT SUPPLIES, LINENS and many other types of items in a thrift store. Many are new merchandise received as unwanted gifts or things that were bought on impulse. I remember throwing all kinds of cool household stuff into a charity bin just to get rid of the clutter! Talk about a CLEAN HOUSE episode! Niecy would have been proud of me. ;-)
9. RE-SELL ITEMS FOR PROFIT.  I bought a jar of buttons for a craft project (paid $1) and found that some of them were made of the coveted Bakelite.  I sold them on eBay for $25! Hmmm...re-sell items you buy in a thrift store?! What a great idea huh? Craig's List and eBay are great money making sites, and local papers often give free ads to sell items worth up to $250.
10. COSTUMES AND SPECIAL EVENT CLOTHING. Got a little kid who needs a suit or a party dress for one special event? Need a tie in a hurry? Want an elegant dress for a special celebration or to attend a wedding (even the wedding dress!)? Looking for a costume? Check out a Thrift Shop...you will be amazed.
11. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHAIN THRIFT AND CONSIGNMENT.
A chain store like SAVERS, Goodwill or Salvation Army get bulk clothing in all kinds of condition from donation bins and bulk weight purchases. While some chains do launder and dry clean their clothing, most do not. You are likely to find 50% damaged or stained clothes in a large chain thrift store like The Salvation Army, because of the vast amount of items they process "by the pound" and the manner in which they transport and handle their goods.
CONSIGNMENT SHOPS are run by great people with a keen eye for fashion and quality. The clothes are clean and in good repair. They will be more than happy to assist you in locating a particular type of garment in a certain size or color or brand, or search their outside resources to locate it for you if they do not have it in the store presently. Chain thrift workers will usually not be so specific, knowlegable, or helpful.
Most consignment shop clothes are modern or new, clean and pressed, stain and rip free, have all their buttons and zippers work. They are usually sized on the racks by number and are well organized. Consignment Shop pricing may be slightly higher than chain thrift, but quality clothing is plentiful. Also, none of that icky "baby poop" smell you find with many lower end chain thrift stores.
12. GOODWILL IS A FABULOUS CHARITY! Goodwill gives jobs and training to folks who are in transitional phases of life, or who are un-employable by general industry standards, or they are only available to work limited hours. Goodwill also has an ONLINE site that gives FREE Computer training! You can learn EXCEL, WORD, ACCESS, POWERPOINT and all of the Office Suite programs. I am so grateful to them and encourage anyone out there to go to this site and start learning.  http://www.gcflearnfree.org/default3d.aspx
13. THE SALVATION ARMY IS A FABULOUS CHARITY! Whenever there is a neighborhood tragedy or horrible flood in the community, the Salvation Army is the first to render aid. They help everyone and have got to be the nicest people on the planet. Their food pantries and free meal programs feed countless thousands of hungry folks. Their Grace Hospital is amazing ...a hospice where the dying go for their last days. The staff are incredible people, subject of a compelling movie called "Dying With Grace" that came out a few years ago. Worth hunting down to watch.
14. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX ON USES FOR CLOTHING. I attended a class in Pittsfield this summer making rugs from used T-Shirts with Crispina. My rug is beautiful and it hardly cost a thing. You can make crafts and household decorations with materials culled from used clothing. Just think of the insulation they make from 2nd hand jeans.
15. MOST MEN DON'T LIKE USED CLOTHING. They may buy ties and belts, and perhaps a book or DVD, but I think it's more of a chick thing going to thrift stores for serious clothes buying. There are a few artsy men who dig thrift shops, but it has been my experience dragging one not so enthused man along, that most men do not want to wear other men's clothes...especially pants. (It's a guy thing). The worst part is, after they have exhausted examining the Knick-Knacks, Books and DVDs, they hover over YOU, rushing you to get going...just take my advice and leave DICK at home.
16. BRING CASH OR YOUR CHECKBOOK. Many shops do not accept credit cards. Not because they want to inconvenience you, but it is amazing how high the fees are for vendors to accept credit cards. When you are selling shirts in your shop for $1, you cannot afford $1.50 for the credit card transaction to go through! Some shops that DO accept credit cards, will have minimum limits on your purchase to do so.
17. BE PROUD (NOT ASHAMED) OF YOUR PURCHASES. You have contributed to Charity, Recycled for the benefit of the planet, and Re-used perfectly good clothes, saving tons of money while being a local hero supporting local small businesses. KUDOS to you!
18. WANT TO LOOK ONLINE BEFORE YOU GO? Here is a very high end Consignment Shop located in Pittsfield. It's called USBLUESWARE and has an online site to peek at their fabulous new or nearly new top designer merchandise... http://www.usbluesware.com/

There are so many 2nd hand shops in the immediate area,
so I have assembled a short list of some.  I have named this group the
"THRIFT-SHOP-HOP"
This "hop" will allow you to visit 7 thrift stores in one short afternoon. They loop from Williamstown to North Adams to Adams then Pittsfield and return. Make a note of shop hours before you venture out. I find Wednesday is a terrific all around day for sales.
Here we go!

WOMEN'S EXCHANGE
283 Cole Avenue
Williamstown MA 01267
Hours: Tues-Fri 9:30 to 4:00   Sat  9:30-3:00    CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY
Williamstown is a touch on the "upper" side, so was I ever surprised to find a terrific thrift store slam dab dunk in the middle of town! This place has 2 separate buildings on the same property. One building houses clothes and the other has household goods. They rely on donations and consignment items.
Proceeds go to NORTHERN BERKSHIRE HEALTHCARE, so you can feel good about your purchase going to a worthy cause. While they do mark individual items down, they don't have any sales like most 2nd hand places do. Prices are sort of fair, but higher than Goodwill or Salvi or the other shops in today's loop.

The Womens Exchange has high end dresses and is one of my favorites for office and party wear.











Love those church lady hats!

Good assortment of leather coats, jackets and fleece tops for the upcoming chilly weather.

Neat fashionable ensembles and quite a collection of handbags.



The "Trouser Room" is chock a bloc full of jeans and office pants.

Good assortment of Plus size and Maternity.
NO children's clothes or toys, which leaves more space for the adults. YAY!











A fairly nice Mens department, divided into 2 rooms.

Sketchy sizing, as everything is labeled either " S" "M" "L" or "XL", but most have no inside tags, so the workers "guessed". It's Russian Roullette unless you try everything on. There is a dressing room.
The staff (mostly older volunteers) are absorbed in the process of pricing, consignment paperwork and hanging up things. While they will answer questions, they are not usually on the sales floor. They quietly check tags, ring your sale up, bag your clothing and send you on your way.

In the HOUSEHOLDS building, (fondly called "EXCHANGE II"), there are 2 floors.

You will find knick knacky stuff

....furniture pieces,
a linens and bedding room,

Books, funky lamps, wall decor', nut bowls and candlestick holders. Tons of baskets too.

There are also kitchen wares, pottery, christian stuff, and jewelry. There are some electronics, but not much hi-tech stuff and a handful of CDs/DVDs. I found some Dudley Do Right Glasses (a set of 6 for $2!)

and I proudly scored this chair for only $5!




Just up the road a few miles off of rte 2, right on 8A to Eagle Street, you will find our 2nd Thrift Shop in the loop...

MIA'S EXCHANGE
11 Eagle Street
North Adams, MA 01247
Hours: Tues - Sat 11:00am-4:00pm  
CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY     

Yes, there is a Mia, (short for Maria) and she has been running this quaint, space-challenged little shop for almost 11 years. Her mother comes in to iron the clothes, most of which are upscale pieces. She doesn't take junky stuff and it shows. It doesn't take long to discover the Coldwater Creek tops, Jones & Co blazers, J.Jill and Ann Taylor trousers and other quality items she is selling for around $5 each with this 10th anniversary sale...

Office dresses, suits, sweaters, tops, blouses and a small but eloquent grouping of menswear.

I love her belt tree and I even bought a new hat!

Mia has a back room full of track suits, dresses and other clothes.
She has some furniture items, but the cramped space only allows for small pieces and lamps. There is an assortment of books and households, toys and collectables. 





I got a piece of her jewelry too...saw more that I wanted, but hey it's too easy to go overboard!  Oh so pleasant to talk with, Mia is also a generous and thoughtful businesswoman, donating coats and warm clothes to those in need, working with schools and shelters in the area.  Just a GOOD person!
You want to support someone with these ethics.

Everything is half price off the tag amount every day (aces!) this year. A terrific little shop that is a MUST!
Our next thrift shop hop stop is down the road on rt 8 in Adams...

THE GOODWILL STORE
160 Howland Avenue (Rt 8)
Adams, MA 01220
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00 -6:00  Sun 12:00 -5:00
Goodwill stores are all set up different, depending on the manager, the building and the location. Some are great, some are nasty. Adams' Goodwill is a smidge on the junky side, but definitely has it's good points.

Dresses are cheap...if you can find one that doesn't look like Utah cult member churchwear.

Sweaters are scarce except for the very BILL COSBYish ones.

Shoulder padded satin blouses from DALLAS days abound and a large bin of T-Shirts for the curious to rumage through tops off the ladies clothing experience.

Great assortment of blazers.

It has an excellent luggage and linen department also,

...and lots of glassware and mugs. Worth a looksee at the dishes. I have found champagne flutes, candy dishes, coffee mugs, rammikins and bean pots in here for really low prices.

A huge assortment of baskets,

...and the best selection of handbags in the loop.

It is smaller than it's sister stores visually, because they put Mens clothes and family shoes in the back connecting building with the sporting equipment and books (good planning methinks!)

 Wow, check out these baseball and basketball cards I found in the electronics department!


No, I don't usually find clothing in here, but I have at least 2 handbags, 1 pc of luggage, a wall hanging, a wicker basket pot and a stuffed turkey (the cloth kind!) from this very store.

They have frames, CDs and VHS/DVDs, clocks, electric knives, air popcorn makers and cassette players. Tons of jigsaw puzzles (that I truly HOPE have all their pieces), kids clothes, ski's, workout machines and lots of baseball hats. I was pretty impressed by their abundant yarn and crochet supplies.

Their jewelry is encased up front, but priced higher than you would want to pay in a 2nd hand store. They have a customer card you can get stamped for every $12 spent and when you fill it, you get 25% off your next order.
On to the next stop...just continue up rt 8 a short ways and look on the left for our next shop...

EXPERIENCED ATTIRE
75 Park Street
Adams, MA 01220
Hours: Tues - Fri 10:00-5:00  Sat 10:00-3:00
CLOSED SUNDAY AND MONDAY
I love this shop's name! For nearly 18 years, Nancy Lescarbeau has been running this great little consignment place.

The tiny storefront does not hint to the vast size and length of the inside. The store goes back for miles!
Nancy is a great person, (as are all of the private consignment owners I met on this tour), involved with the Grange, as well as a Professional Business Womens organization, and very talkative and friendly.
The store was originally started with 2 friends who abandoned ship and found their careers on a different path over the years. Nancy has hung on in the best and worse of times.


Recently renovated after a flood in the building, Nancy now has the downstairs open and is busy filling it with household items, linens and baby stuff.

There are strollers and car seats everywhere!

What a cute horse toy! Wish I were 3 again...

One of my favorite parts of this store is the giant WALL OF SHOES.

The other outstanding feature of this place is the back room of wedding dresses and bridesmaid outfits,

Mother of the Bride garb...

...and a shelf of nothing but wedding shoes, mostly dyed in pastels, waiting for friendly feet to stroll them down the church aisle once again.

Wedding dresses can be $40 to $150, and all are in pristine or near to excellent condition. I would like to believe, they have only been worn once...
...same for the bridesmaid dresses and fancy duds.
When I was taking photos, there were 3 well dressed women searching through the racks of packed gowns, looking fearfully at me to not capture them on film. They know they will look like a million dollars at their upcoming event and don't want their cover blown!

This store also has some great finds in regular clothing, office wear, kids and menswear.
Nancy pointed out some nice leather jackets a former "biker chick" was selling. All in great condition.
I was pleased with her jewelry assortment too. Lots of nice earrings. I was pleased to hear that she does layaway for folks who need to pay in small doses.
I bought a 5 panel screen for my bedroom (this blog is costing me money!!!) and continued happily on my way to our next stop...just up rt 8 a few more miles in Pittsfield, 1/2 a mile past the Stop n Shop on the left...

THE GOODWILL STORE
440 Merrill Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Hours: Mon-Sat  9:00-6:00  Sun 12:00-5:00
This is a great Goodwill. Not just because mighty Tim is so cool about robotically greeting everyone who enters,  but mostly because they have terrific sales. Famous for their $1.49 sweater sales, I have lucked into them mostly on Wednesdays and always find treasures.

They post the sales right as you walk in. Check this area out before you proceed.

The store is well organised and sizing is pretty close to spot on. Yes, you find the odd Cosby sweater, Joan Collins shouldered dresses, day-glo raglan sleeve nu-wave tops and the "Oops, Darlene spilled coffee on her work blouse again" kind of clothes, but most of this stuff is in pretty good shape, organized by color and size, and you can find a GAP or an Issac M mixed in with the White Stag and Faded Glory stuff.
This store has an excellent blouse and sweater supply, and the Menswear section is not bad. Check out all those baskets up top!

The wall of Books is fun to explore.

...and no one can beat this store's holiday assortment of trim and trinkets.

The vast variety of holiday theme mugs makes one want to have a "cocoa party"!
This store sells new items as well, including incense and spices.

Kids clothes, kiddie books, and stuffed animals are everywhere! A great store with fair prices.



Keep up your energy, because the next store on our list is huge! Drive up to the intersection and take a left on DALTON Road. Up about a mile on the right is our next destination...

SALVATION ARMY FAMILY STORE
501 Dalton Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00-8:00  CLOSED SUNDAY There is an "aroma" when you walk in. The crowds are a bit red-neck and haggard looking. Kids are wailing in several languages, running around wild. Funny smelling men in old clothes looking at 8-track tapes, people not using their INSIDE voice. yadda yadda yadda... a big place with an awful sound system playing scratchy music on the overhead. "Sal's Boutique" my friends and I used to call this chain.
My main issue with this place is that Salvi STAPLES their pricetags to the front of the sheerest silk scarf, to the threads of the most intricately knitted Faire Isle sweater, to the finely threaded Ann Taylor Suit Jacket...without regard to damages in the attempted removal of said tag later at home by angry assistant innkeepers who write blogs like this.

They also TAPE price tags to the front of real paintings and photographs, destined to be pulled off with part of the image on them, ruining the painting. uugh.


There is a terrific selection for PLUS size clothing.

The clothes are not exactly treated well...straight out of the streetside bin, swabbed off the truck floor, or grabbed from a passing garbage can. There are stains and rips, missing buttons, broken zippers, perspiration attack...you get the sense that someone pulled off their clothes and threw them into a bin and they hung them up on the rack for sale.

...pills and other icky evidence lodged in the handbag zipper compartments...you have to be VERY careful checking out these things.

Some items resemble "vic" clothing on COLD CASE or CSI...you wonder about their history.
BUT WAIT... I got that great little black dress here for about $10 that everyone complimented me on at last year's Xmas party...and that wide belt that really polished up my sweater look this past month was only .50 cents! You gotta dig, tolerate the low life...for the bargains are worth every creepy moment you hang out in here.

Geriatric supplies, crutches...

Kid's stuff galore!
Plus points? The sheer amount of selection. Unusual offerings. Great sales.

Danger Danger Will Robinson...You MUST wash anything you touch in this store, (including your hands).

On Wednesday's "Family Day" where one color tag is the only one NOT on sale, it is fun to scout around for all the tag colors that ARE on sale for 50% off. 

Sigue to the parking lot and a few squirts of hand sanitizer.
Ready for our next stop? Me too, and how!
Just up the road a few miles is our last stop, and one of the best places!

MIMI'S CLOSET
534 Tyler Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Hours: Mon-Sat  10:00-5:00  CLOSED SUNDAY
This place looks tiny, and may seem a little cloistrophobic when you first walk in, but it is jam packed with the most beautiful clothes I have seen today, at ridiculous low prices. MIMI's Closet is run by Nicole, whos Mom is called "Mimi" by the grandchildren. Nicole also sells AVON, so there is an added bonus right off the bat!

The clothes are spotless, folded, pressed and grouped by type and color all around the store.

Stunning dresses with high end tags, barely worn or new with tags.
Great care has been taken in the display and treatment of these clothes. What a breath of fresh air after the last place!

There are two rooms, one of which has households

... and childrens clothes

...with a section up front for baby stuff. (adorable items when I peeked in).

The other room houses mens and womens clothes,

... as well as brand new SCRUBS ($10.99) in really cute patterns.

Nicole makes sure to have a lot of quality PLUS size clothes also. No Pooh sweatshirts here!

Whimsical new holiday attire and stationary. Everyone needs a "Hottie" cap!

Shoes and jewelry too!
Mimi's Closet has it all, just be patient and search through the racks! You won't be disappointed.
Back to Williamstown up rt 7 for a few miles now, but stop in at LANESBORO JUNCTION on the way for a looksee at their country charm items! Grab a brownie at the A FRAME BAKERY too!

So how about getting a few friends together for a Girl Getaway? Imagine a full day of thrift shopping, then spending the night (comparing your purchases) at the 1896 House Brookside (on a weekday) at a super low price, then enjoy a great continental breakfast together as a group next morning at our '6 House Pub!
Sounds like a great plan to me!
Happy Bargain Hunting!
xx
Kathy