2008 Great Places to Shop - Summer by Hersam Acorn

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Yankee Shopper • Berkshire Penny Saver TriState Pennysaver News • Vermont News Guide

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Great Places to Shop

�� A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

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A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Great Places to Shop

Warming Up To Summer Fashions

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(ARA) - Over the ages, people have been trying to find innovative ways to keep cool. Babe Ruth kept cabbage under his cap to keep cool during baseball games. Just being barefoot can keep kids cool all summer long. With the hottest months just around the bend, it is time to pull the summer clothes out from the back of the closet, go swim suit shopping or start thinking about a cabbage soup diet (under the hat just isn’t going to cut it). Before you stock up on vegetables, consider the following sizzling summer heat tips.

Saver shir e Pen ny pper • Berk News Guid e Yankee Sho s • Verm ont nysaver New TriState Pen

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers Publication Mary Garcia, cover design Melissa Miller, page design Berkshire PennySaver 154 West Park Street, Lee, MA 01238 413-243-2341 Yankee Shopper 20 Cleveland Road, Dalton, MA 01226 413-684-1373 TriState Pennysaver News 109 South Street, Bennington, VT 05201 802-447-3381 Vermont News Guide 99 Bonnet Street, Manchester, VT 05254 802-362-3535

Renee Tassone, General Manager

Fabrics that help disperse perspiration are great to beat the heat. You don’t want clothing that will stay wet. Breathable fabrics that pull moisture from your body and evaporate quickly are best. Cotton is a fiber that naturally helps absorb sweat to keep you cool. Advances in textiles allow for synthetic lightweight, wickable fabrics which move moisture from the skin to the outside of clothing and encourage evaporation. It isn’t a coincidence that summer fashions are usually lighter colors. Dark colors absorb heat, making you warmer than you need to be. Light colors reflect the sun and help to keep you cooler. While color choices will regulate your temperature, it isn’t always as helpful in protecting you from the sun’s UV radiation. The more translucent or see-through the fabric is, the less sun protection the fabric provides. The apparel industry now offers a wide range of sun protective clothing. These lines list an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) value that tells you how much protection the garment gives you, much like sunscreen. Find a balance between coverage with clothing and sunscreen. Loose, lightweight garments and hats during peak sun hours and shorts, skirts, and dresses once the overhead sun has gone down are good choices. Hot weather style is for everyone these days. Shorts come in all styles from cut-offs to Bermudas. Choose a style that works with your shape and not only will you stay cool, you will look fabulous. The same can be said of swimsuits. Flattering styles, such as the tankini, are made for every body type. Padding for smaller busts or shelf bras for the ample put curves in all the right continued on page 12

Great Places to Shop

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Armstrong Jewelers Anchoring the store’s customer service philosophy is store manager Maria DeLuca, who works in tandem with sales associate Diane Pelles. Armstrong wasted no time in giving credit where credit is due. “Maria makes this place tick,” Armstrong said. “She is a native of this area and knows so many people. She is the finest ‘people person’ I’ve ever known. Having her with us lets us provide service on top of product.” “The whole team works together to tailor everything to the needs of the customer, whether visitor or local.” Armstrong Jewelers is located at 439 Main St Main St in Bennington, and is open Mon.-Fri. 9:30a.m.-5:30p. m., and Sat. 10a.m.-2p.m. For more info, visit www. armstrongjewelers.com or call 802-442-2122. Telly Halkias is a freelance writer and editor. E-mail: tchalkias@aol.com

- By Telly Halkias BENNINGTON, Vt. - Kevin Armstrong has been in the jewelry industry his entire adult life, but felt something might be missing. In 1993, while working in Rutland, he had the opportunity to open his own jewelry shop in Bennington. And so K.F. Armstrong jewelers was born, and finally home. The store now can be found at 439 Main St. at the foot of the Cone Building. “The personal touch with customers is so important,” Armstrong said. “In a smaller town like Bennington, you can really make lasting connections with people and it becomes more like dealing with a member of your family than a customer.” A Graduate Gemologist, the industry’s highest professional certification, Armstrong makes custom designed jewelry, and offers a full-service repair and manufacturing capability. The shop also does antique restorations, appraisals, and stocks a select assortment of fine jewelry from a number of quality manufacturers. Armstrong also carries a number of watch lines, including the very popular Seiko and Citizen brands. A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Great Places to Shop

Did You Know?

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CD’S & RECORDS NEW, USED & IMPORTED AT DISCOUNT PRICES OUT OF PRINT LPs FOR THE COLLECTOR 131 WATER STREET WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS.

413-458-5229 • Open 10-6 Mon.-Sat. www.toonervilletrolleycds.com

(MS) - You can think green when shopping. One of the easiest ways to help the environment while shopping is to buy items in the largest size your household will use. For example, instead of buying individual servings of cereal or yogurt, think about buying larger boxes or containers. Small sizes of items typically use more packaging for each ounce of product than larger sizes. Smaller sizes may also be more expensive when compared side-by-side to the total net weight or quantity of larger packages. So shopping in bulk can actually save money and the environment, to boot.

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Great Places to Shop

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Great Places to Shop

THE STUDIO CLUB

ArtWorks!

A major clue awaits you as soon as you pull into the parking lot! Floridian Fred Gabotz’s sculpture “Wild Delight”, an eight foot high bright red couple doing a fast and furious jitterbug beckons you inside for some fast and furious shopping. In most galleries you can hear a pin drop; a library-esque setting where customers speak in hushed tones and ponder inner meanings. Not so at The Studio Club ArtWorks! Colorful, funky and fun are words that come to mind where jazz fills the air in a space designed to put a smile on your face. The art is accessible, affordable and, in most cases, useful.

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Adjacent to the commercial photo studio of owners Gabe Palmer and Pat Kane, the gallery hosts ever-changing exhibitions of Palmer’s work highlighted by the American handiwork of 150 artisans, with a few Canadians thrown in for good measure. The jewelry collection is particularly revered with unique pieces for every budget and already boasting a large fan club. “As with everything in the gallery, I hand select each piece with the idea that if it doesn’t continued on page 9

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FINE JEWELRY SINCE 1948 Manchester’s Oldest Jewelry Store TIMOTHY P. POWDEN, Graduate Gemologist • Seventh Generation Jeweler

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Great Places to Shop

Jewelers of America The mark of a professional jeweler

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THE STUDIO CLUB

ArtWorks! continued from page 8

sell, I’ll own it.” says owner, Pat Kane. One delightful corner of the gallery is devoted to certified Fair Trade crafts created overseas by villages, tribes and artisan groups working with indigenous materials and adaptations of traditional designs. To be certified Fair Trade, the artisans must be paid a middle income wage within the context of the local economy. Knitted characters from rural Kenya, beaded animals from refugees in Zimbabwe, silk macramé from Colombia, wooden toys from Russia, and wool stoles from India are among the many fair trade offerings. Throughout the gallery a recurring theme is green recycle, reclaim, reuse. “We favor crafts, both American and Fair Trade, that repurpose materials destined for the landfill,” says Palmer. “We have rugs woven from the remaining salvage of T-shirt manufacturing (shirts made in the USA, I might add), stemware made from wine bottles, jewelry made from cast-off glass, bottle stoppers created from door knobs, picture frames fashioned from continued on page 13

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�� Great Places to Shop

Toonerville Trolley - By Telly Halkias WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The world “vinyl” might conjure images of any number of protective materials and products. But for Hal March, owner of Toonerville Trolley Records in Williamstown, Massachusetts, it’s a sacred reminder of the past – and present – of his unique business. In the late 1970s, March started selling vinyl records out of the back of a Boyertown Step van. His primary markets were college campuses such as Bennington and Middlebury. Then in 1978, he decided to make a go of a permanent site, and settled on 131 Water St., where he still operates today, just south of the Williams College Campus. “The aim has always been as wide a range of music as possible,” March said. “We have indy rock, small-label folk music, classical, and jazz - our specialty. You can also find punk, hardcore, obscure industrial noise, 50s doo-wop, techno, bluegrass, world music. You name it; we try to carry - or special order – it all.” Toonerville has thousands of out-of-print continued on page 11

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Great Places to Shop

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Toonerville Trolley continued from page 10

records - many still sealed - both LPs and 45s. March stocks many rare collectibles and hundreds of bargains at $1.00 apiece or less. In keeping with the times, the store carries new CDs and a good supply of used CDs at $8.00 or less, plus an always interesting and worthwhile $2.00 sale bin. One can also find guitar strings and whatever used stereo equipment March is able to acquire. So if you’re a serious collector, Toonerville wants you to visit. It’s much better stocked that the back of March’s old van. Toonerville Trolley Records is located at 131 Spring St. in Williamstown, and is open Monday through Saturday, 10a.m.-6p.m. For more info visit www.ToonervilleTrolleyCDs. com or call 413-458-5229. Telly Halkias is a freelance writer and editor. Email: tchalkias@aol.com

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�� A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

Great Places to Shop

Warming Up To Summer Fashions continued from page4

places. With styles like boy shorts, ruffled bottoms, high cut and string bikinis, the list is “bottomless”. According to Aleta Campbell, Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing and Management academic director for California Design College, “If the climate is hot and dry, consider the activity one will be participating in. If sporting activities are on the agenda, think synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon and polypropylene. These fibers, when designed for active wear, dry faster and can be lighter in weight (due to wicking characteristics).” More serious engagements like a job interview or business presentation require a cool, calm exterior persona despite the temperature. Fabrics that resist wrinkles and moisture and put forth a more polished appearance help to make a great first impression. Robert Lindquist, professor of business at Argosy University, Orange County campus says it is better to over dress

than under dress. A light wool suit with a starched cotton short sleeved shirt can be dressed up or down as the occasion and climate dictates. “When in doubt, dress to the nines. You can always take off a layer as needed, but you can not fix being under dressed,” Lindquist says. Add an extra element of style by choosing natural fibers such as cotton and flax (linen) as they are often used in upscale spectator sports wear and can be very comfortable. Natural fibers absorb moisture and cool the body as the fabric dries.

TICKETS: 802-867-5777 www.dorsettheatrefestival.org

Before resigning yourself to an air conditioned summer surrounded by walls, consider your options. Make some realistic, practical fashion purchases and enjoy your summer under the sun in the great outdoors.

JUNE 19 - 28

To learn more about The Art Institutes schools, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/nz. To learn more about Argosy University and its 18 campus locations, visit www.argosy.edu.

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT - 10 performances only!

�� by Thomas Lysaght

Courtesy of ARAcontent

JULY 3 - 19

Direct from OFF-BROADWAY

�� by A.R. Gurney

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JULY 24 - AUGUST 9

�� book and lyrics by Willie Reale music by Robert Reale based on the books by Arnold Lobel

AUGUST 14 - 30

THE KAUFMAN COLLECTION: Volume II

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by George S. Kaufman and Ring Lardner 12

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Great Places to Shop

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

THE STUDIO CLUB

ArtWorks!

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bicycle chain, jewelry boxes made from out-of-date NYC transit maps, and handbags made from grain and flour sacks, industrial zippers, juice boxes, wool goods, and 18-wheeler inner tubes to name just a small selection.” The latest addition in both the “green” and Fair Trade categories: Poo Paper, stationery and journals made from Elephant dung!

“I can honestly say that any breakage in the gallery has been solely at the hands of adults!”

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In a recent interview Palmer and Kane explained that two out of their three most popular lines are made from junkyard finds. Colorado sculptor Fred Conlon welds scrap metal into playful gremlin characters depicting athletes, diners, cover girls, kamikaze pilots, etc. known as gnomebe-gones, referencing their replacement as garden ornaments. His most beloved piece is called “Gnomebearers” featuring two gremlins carrying away your typical ceramic garden gnome over their heads. The other line in the “most-popular” category hails from Haiti where all fuel oil arrives in drums. Talented islanders burn out the fuel residue and cut the steel barrels into rounds and rectangles. Using only a wide nail and hammer and no template or pattern, these artists cut intricate designs depicting animals, rah-rah bands, mermaids, ocean life, birds and other subjects familiar to the Southern Caribbean locale. Each piece is signed and authenticated by the artist. While there are hundreds of continued on page 14

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Great Places to Shop

THE STUDIO CLUB

ArtWorks! continued from page 13

production pieces, The Studio Club regularly orders one-of-a-kind pieces that immediately sell out. Kane explained “we recently bought a huge, 3-dimensional piece of five African jungle animals, quite unusual as a Haitian subject. My husband was worried that the price tag was a bit pricey for our clientele but we sold it within a week!

Clockwise from top - Beach bag made from grain sack (Guatemala), fish sculpture made from used farm machinery (USA), tumblers made from Sol beer bottles (USA), baseball gremlin made from scrap metal (USA), whatnot bowl made from bicycle chain (USA), salad bowl made from recycled glass bottles (USA), bottle opener made from old bicycle parts (USA), keepsake box made from outdated transit maps (Brazil), handbag made from 18-wheeler inner tube (USA), clutch made from juice boxes (Philippines), bun basket made from telephone wire (S. Africa), pillow and comforter made from secondhand sweaters (USA).

Celebrating

Years

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Great Places to Shop

Lastly, it must be noted that The Studio Club is a child-friendly environment. A coloring table is centrally located where parents can keep an eye on their offspring while browsing. Young artists get to take their creations home along with their choice of a reward sticker, and can even pop it into an inexpensive frame if they’re on their way to Grandma’s. On the way out they can stop at the I Scream Scoop Shop for a sampling of the ice cream voted “the best in Vermont” by the readers of Vermont Life. Palmer relayed the couple’s philosophy, “During a buying trip we attended a seminar for first-time gallery owners and were dismayed to hear so many seasoned pros talk about how to keep kids out of your gallery. After a lifetime of devotion to our own kids and child-related causes and activities, this was not going to fly with Pat and me, so we came up with a few simple diversions. “I can honestly say that any breakage in the gallery has been solely at the hands of adults!” The Studio Club ArtWorks! is open daily from 10:00a. m. to 6:00a.m. with an occasional later closing during the summer. “I Scream” remains open until 9:00a.m.. Both are located at 3301 Route 7 in Pownal Center. The phone is (802) 823-9308. A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication

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MA LIC. 113981 CT REG. # 503482 N.Y. LIC. WC 5600-H93 N.Y. LIC PC 679 RI 13733

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(800) 722-AQUA (2782) www.aquapool.com

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Great Places to Shop

A Hersam Acorn Newspapers publication