Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide Released

Print Story | Email Story
LEE, Mass. — A collaboration between the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative, Families Like Ours Inc., and the Tri-Town Health Department has resulted in the release of the Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide.
 
The Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide is designed to connect individuals and families with essential services. It helps to navigate services such as food access, housing support, mental health support, special needs services, and transportation options. 
 
Additional sections are being developed for future printings of the guide, and the Resource Guide will be regularly updated online throughout the year.    
 
The Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide is available in both print and digital formats. The printed version will be distributed in March 2025 to first responders, town clerks, libraries, boards of health, and council on aging offices.
 
 
Suggested changes or additions or requests for printed copies can be directed to Rania Markham at Rania@familieslikeoursinc.com. This resource is free of charge.    
 
Jayne Smith of SBPHC stated that the guide was initially developed for first responders, public health officials, and service providers, but is a valuable tool for everyone.    
 
The Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative is a shared services arrangement providing support to the local boards of health in its 12 member towns, including Alford, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, and Tyringham.  Services provided by SBPHC to member towns include public health nursing, inspectional and health agent services, car seat fittings, sharps disposal, and community collaboration.    
 
Families Like Ours is a non-profit organization that supports families of individuals with special needs in Berkshire County.    
 
Tri-Town Health Department is a regional health department providing public health services to Lee, Lenox, and Stockbridge.  Tri-Town, through the Town of Lee, is the fiscal host for the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.   
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories