A DAY IN THE LIFE OF LENOX
Togetherness keeps Lenox afloat during past year Sense of community, rich culture gives classic New England town its homey, and yet gilded, feel By Noah Hoffenberg LENOX, Mass. At the heart of Berkshire County is Lenox. From here, one can access the entire region with ease. But, the question begs, why would you leave town, when everything you want is already here? The town, after all, has been called home by such notable residents such as James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma and Maureen Stapleton, and families like the Carnegies, Astors and Vanderbilts. A community institution and supporter, Lee Bank recently asked us to take a closer look at Lenox, for this first installment A Day in the Life of …, a bimonthly UpCountry series that highlights what makes Berkshire County’s 32 towns such special places to visit, shop, work and live.
‘Small-town feel’ A resident of town for more than 28 years, Suzanne Merritt, owner of Lenox Fit, says she and other families came to Lenox as visitors and stayed for very specific reasons.
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“I think everyone is looking for a version of the same thing, which is a small town, a protected feeling, a safe environment, where everybody knows everybody,” says Merritt. “People who live here seem to really look out for one another.” Merritt grew up in a town just outside New York City, which was isolating despite the large number of residents. “Living down in that area with such a huge population, it boosts a sense of anonymity, whereas up here you get a much more community-oriented feel,” Merritt says. At no time was that more apparent than the pandemic, she says, when caring was on full display between the community and the businesses that call Lenox home.
‘A lot of bang for your buck’ Jennifer Nacht, director of the Lenox Chamber of Commerce, says the town’s central location and concentrated downtown are an attractant for many visitors. “The downtown is three blocks that's completely walkable. Within a quarter mile, there’s Ventfort Hall, there are shops, there are restaurants, there are parks, there are trails,” says Nacht. “You get a lot of bang for your buck when you visit Lenox.” In addition to being home to Ventfort, a mansion and Gilded Age museum, Nacht says the town is an incredible mix of venues, from the larger, such as
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Tanglewood, Shakespeare and Co., and Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount, to the smaller, as with Sohn Fine Art and the Pumphrey Gallery. “Even though we've got Wi-Fi and people are driving Teslas, we still have the charm,” she says.
‘Everybody knows your name’
Tina Bartini has been the area manager for the Lenox and Pittsfield offices of Lee Bank for the past year and half, working out of the Lenox branch for the past six. L enox is a town like “Cheers,” the classic 1980s sitcom “where everybody knows your name,” says Bartini. Her clients are rarely strangers, and newcomers quickly become friends. “It just makes you love your job.” A Berkshire native, daughter of a Lee mill worker and former resident of Lenox, Bartini says her bank is both a responsible community member and builder, helping Lenox thrive and remain a top place to visit in the Berkshires, says Bartini. The hope is that some of its many visitors will want to move here. “I want to make this area so that people can come back here and actually live,” says Bartini.
‘Local decision making … will never go away’ Lee Bank President Chuck Leach says his bank is, by design, part of the fabric of the local community.
“I think that’s been forgotten somewhere along the way by most banks, which have pursued a model of scale,” says Leach. “The local decision making, the relationship aspect, the hands-on give and take will never go away.” Inherent in the bank’s relationship with Lenox is economic development, says Leach, which it infuses into Lenox via commercial and municipal lending, sponsorships, volunteerism and philanthropy, through its new charitable arm, The Lee Bank Foundation. Being able to give money to Lenox recipients is wonderful, notes Leach, but “the secret sauce that enables community building is people.” “Other banks offer more commodities. Our point of differentiation is the people, people like Tina and the teams that she manages, and our customers within the community.”
‘I just feel like I’m home’
For local business owner Merritt, the welcoming feel of her town has always drawn her back to the green hills of Western Massachusetts, no matter where her journey took her. “I’ve traveled all over the world, and nothing feels better than coming home to Lenox in the Berkshires,” says Merritt. “I just feel like I'm home when I'm here.” Visit these fine locations in Lenox, just south of Pittsfield and north of Lee, at the junction of routes 7A and 183 … Sponsored Content
