Five Things to Love About the Northern Berkshires

By Susan Bush
12:00AM / Thursday, June 02, 2005

Ruth Groff of Williamstown examines fabric at Tala's Quilt Shop.

Welcome to the new “Five Things to Love About the Northern Berkshires” feature! Several times weekly, five Northern Berkshire entities, locations, and even local folks will be highlighted on this page. We think we live in a very special place…..we hope you do, too!

What We Love About Tala’s Quilt Shop

Beautiful fabrics, antique display accessories, and a friendly atmosphere are among the reasons to stop by Tala’s Quilt Shop at the Western Gateway Heritage State Park in North Adams. Owned by Tala Neathawk, the shop was named as one of the ten best quilt shops in the country by Quilt Sampler magazine [a Better Homes and Gardens publication] in 2004. Neathawk opened the shop in 2001 and offers quilting classes and a vast selection of quilting supplies. We love Tala’s Quilt Shop for casting a positive light on the downtown.

What We Love About the Clarksburg State Forest

Clarksburg State Forest Supervisor Ed Marino is proud of the recognition the park has earned.

For two years running, the Clarksburg State Forest in Clarksburg has been named as a Top 100 Family Campground by the Reserve America organization. Once plagued by goose droppings and beaver problems, the park has gained national recognition for excellence. State forest Supervisor Ed Marino said recently that fencing, plantings, and benches have been erected along the park’s day-visitor beach.

“We haven’t had a goose on the grass since we put up the fence and put in the plantings,” he said.

We love the Clarksburg State Park for its’ clean campsites, its’ bathhouse [changing rooms] amenities, and a staff-based can-do attitude.

What We Love About the Cole Avenue Bridge Project

We love that by the end of the summer, the dual-bridge Cole Avenue reconstruction project should be completed! While we aren’t always delighted with traffic delays and congestion relating to the

Workers make progress at the Cole Avenue bridge project site.

project, we love to see work crews making progress every day!

What We Love About Heritage Antiques

We love to see new business open in North Adams and we offer our best wishes to Shirley Mills and Beth Schmehl, the owners of Heritage Antiques at the Western Gateway Heritage State Park. Mills and Schmehl opened the shop in March, and the bright, airy store is filled with a vast array of items. Mills and Schmehl said that they are pleased to be part of the city’s business community and especially fond of the shop’s location.

Shirley Mills and Beth Schmehl opened Heritage Antiques in March.

“We sell a little bit of everything and our prices range from 50 cents on up,” said Schmehl.

“And we’ll search for things for people,” said Mills, referring to specific collector’s items or general antiques.

We love Heritage Antiques for bringing a taste of the past to an up-and-coming region.

What We Love About Library Antiques

We love the up-in-the-air animal sculptures displayed in the front of the Library Antiques shop on Spring Street in Williamstown. On June 2, a horse, a fox, a fish, and a dog held various sculpted poses above the sidewalk, adding a touch of interest to the street. While everyday passersby may have become accustomed to the unique display, we believe the sculptures probably catch the eye of street visitors. We love Library Antiques for adding a bit of flair to Spring Street.

A jumping horse sculpture adorns the front of Library Antiques in Williamstown.

Susan Bush may be reached at 802-823-9367 or by e-mail at suebush123@adelphia.net.