ABOUT MARIE'S NORTH STREET EATERY
Our Story
The idea behind Marie’s North Street and Gallery spawned out of nowhere in January of 2023. Maria, of the previous Shipton Building establishment Maria’s European Delights, was ready to retire after 10 years on North Street. Neil’s office is also in the Shipton Building, upstairs, and he was a devoted long-time patron. Ashley, a Pittsfield native whose middle name is Marie, was working with Neil on a project that was wrapping up, but her background and dreams were in the food service sector. After 15 years of working mostly alone as an entrepreneur, Neil was ready for something that actually involved being around other people.
Maria did not have prospective buyers, perhaps in part due to the unconventional shape of the location, with a long hallway difficult to utilize. But a vision came together to potentially use one side for the grab and go opportunity it was perfectly suited for, with a big bonus. That concept would leave the other side of the hallway wide open, so the vision expanded to include the photography gallery Neil always had fleeting thoughts of from photographing his travels and adventures.
Our food sells itself, with delicious sandwiches, rotating soups, a salad bar, and the grab and go. Our gallery is distinctive and unique. We were fortunate enough to receive a state grant to renovate the hallway into a gallery. And due to the generosity of The Ruins at Sassafras, a boutique Shaker museum in nearby New Lebanon, every single piece of wood in our gallery, of which there are many, is reclaimed from the old Shaker chair factory there. Our lightweight frames are homemade/handmade, and we use a proprietary attachment method that allows us to change exhibits easily, so we can host photographer shows, photo contests, or local amateurs and rotate them in mere minutes.
We hope to see you here at the Epicenter of Pittsfield and the Berkshires … frequently!
Maria did not have prospective buyers, perhaps in part due to the unconventional shape of the location, with a long hallway difficult to utilize. But a vision came together to potentially use one side for the grab and go opportunity it was perfectly suited for, with a big bonus. That concept would leave the other side of the hallway wide open, so the vision expanded to include the photography gallery Neil always had fleeting thoughts of from photographing his travels and adventures.
Our food sells itself, with delicious sandwiches, rotating soups, a salad bar, and the grab and go. Our gallery is distinctive and unique. We were fortunate enough to receive a state grant to renovate the hallway into a gallery. And due to the generosity of The Ruins at Sassafras, a boutique Shaker museum in nearby New Lebanon, every single piece of wood in our gallery, of which there are many, is reclaimed from the old Shaker chair factory there. Our lightweight frames are homemade/handmade, and we use a proprietary attachment method that allows us to change exhibits easily, so we can host photographer shows, photo contests, or local amateurs and rotate them in mere minutes.
We hope to see you here at the Epicenter of Pittsfield and the Berkshires … frequently!
