The Greystone Story....
Many years ago, I wandered into the most amazing vintage clothing store in Pittsfield, Mass. Oh sure, I'd been buying vintage clothing since high school and had been in and out of vintage stores in major metro areas like Boston, LA, and San Francisco.. But when I wandered into Greystone Gardens on North Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it was not just vintage shopping....it was a time-travelling EXPERIENCE.. The owner, Carla, who referred to herself as a "Past-Time Traveler", had transformed this long thin retail space into an intimate, magical Victorian world.
Greystone Gardens in Pittsfield was a ladies boudoir, a secret garden, a fantasy come true....It was Jane Austen and Audrey Hepburn.....like walking into the best novel I've ever read. When I walked in the door, I just HAD to try on a hat. It was the kind of place that made me feel like I simply MUST buy those tickets to the Opera. And, I don't even like opera!
Several years go by....
I'm now married, have two wonderful sons and own two charming country stores. I'm still in love with vintage, but there isn't much time in my typical day for past-time travelling. About the most I can manage is falling asleep watching Keira Knightly in Pride and Prejudice at 9:30 at night. Low and behold, my husband tells me Carla is selling Greystone Gardens. After over 30 years of creating and care-taking the lovely world of Greystone, Carla would like to enjoy some well-earned retirement.
At first I was immediately sad. I wanted Greystone to last forever....hoped it would always be there with the velvet capes and absurdly beautiful hats. Then it struck me.... I had retail space to fill. Why not fill it with beautiful Greystone inventory....Of course, it wouldn't be the same as Carla's incomparable creation, but it would be alive, revamped....It would have a new home to be visited over and over again by past-time travelers like myself. The Jane Austen book clubs, the stylish, the artistic, the people who understand quality and how buying something from the days when fabrics were made to endure the test of time is better value than the "disposable" clothing found in the present day malls.
Two years later, Greystone is securely nestled.....preserved upstairs at The Berkshire Mountain Country Store at 151 Main Street in Lee, Mass. It's right across from St. Mary's beautiful white church. Park right out front. And, after you've finished browsing through four magical rooms of Greystone vintage, come downstairs to the country store and enjoy the "five and dime" feel of kitchen gadgets, toys without batteries and "penny" candy....another step back in time. Our store is the Masterpiece Theatre of retail shopping. It's a joy for the senses and easy on your pocketbook!
Warmly,
Teresa O'Brient, owner and "Past Time Traveler"
Many years ago, I wandered into the most amazing vintage clothing store in Pittsfield, Mass. Oh sure, I'd been buying vintage clothing since high school and had been in and out of vintage stores in major metro areas like Boston, LA, and San Francisco.. But when I wandered into Greystone Gardens on North Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it was not just vintage shopping....it was a time-travelling EXPERIENCE.. The owner, Carla, who referred to herself as a "Past-Time Traveler", had transformed this long thin retail space into an intimate, magical Victorian world.
Greystone Gardens in Pittsfield was a ladies boudoir, a secret garden, a fantasy come true....It was Jane Austen and Audrey Hepburn.....like walking into the best novel I've ever read. When I walked in the door, I just HAD to try on a hat. It was the kind of place that made me feel like I simply MUST buy those tickets to the Opera. And, I don't even like opera!
Several years go by....
I'm now married, have two wonderful sons and own two charming country stores. I'm still in love with vintage, but there isn't much time in my typical day for past-time travelling. About the most I can manage is falling asleep watching Keira Knightly in Pride and Prejudice at 9:30 at night. Low and behold, my husband tells me Carla is selling Greystone Gardens. After over 30 years of creating and care-taking the lovely world of Greystone, Carla would like to enjoy some well-earned retirement.
At first I was immediately sad. I wanted Greystone to last forever....hoped it would always be there with the velvet capes and absurdly beautiful hats. Then it struck me.... I had retail space to fill. Why not fill it with beautiful Greystone inventory....Of course, it wouldn't be the same as Carla's incomparable creation, but it would be alive, revamped....It would have a new home to be visited over and over again by past-time travelers like myself. The Jane Austen book clubs, the stylish, the artistic, the people who understand quality and how buying something from the days when fabrics were made to endure the test of time is better value than the "disposable" clothing found in the present day malls.
Two years later, Greystone is securely nestled.....preserved upstairs at The Berkshire Mountain Country Store at 151 Main Street in Lee, Mass. It's right across from St. Mary's beautiful white church. Park right out front. And, after you've finished browsing through four magical rooms of Greystone vintage, come downstairs to the country store and enjoy the "five and dime" feel of kitchen gadgets, toys without batteries and "penny" candy....another step back in time. Our store is the Masterpiece Theatre of retail shopping. It's a joy for the senses and easy on your pocketbook!
Warmly,
Teresa O'Brient, owner and "Past Time Traveler"
