OTIS, Mass. — Sunday is the last day to purchase products from Otis Poultry Farm.
The farm is closing at 5 p.m. after 121 years of operation.
Owner Andy Pyenson and his wife, Lynn, had announced the farm's closure on its Facebook page April 1, saying the family-owned business had proudly served the community and "from our family to yours, thank you for your unwavering support over the generations."
The property has been for sale for about 12 years, and was almost bought in 2022 to become a cannabis store but the deal fell through.
Pyenson still hopes a buyer will come forward.
"A lot of people come in and look but nobody signs and we're just waiting. I'm hoping within the last couple weeks I am going to sign some paperwork," he said on Friday.
But he says, it's time for him to let it go.
"It's just time. The heyday of what it used to be is gone. It basically used to be a farm and then we got rid of the chickens and basically made it less work but it's still a lot of work going on and I am at the time of my life that I need to move on," he said, of the mainly retail operation.
Pyenson said the economy has harmed his business, including the effects of the pandemic. He is thankful for everyone who has stopped by and supported the farm since his grandparents founded it.
"I would like to thank all the people for their patronage over the last 100 years and hopefully things will work out where someone else can come in and they can continue," he said.
His grandparents, David and Rebecca Pyenson, started the farm in 1904 and he worked on it after his father, Maxwell, took over. Pyenson and his brother took over in turn about 25 years ago and he became the sole operator in 2010.
He now plans to retire to Ohio, but is still hoping someone will come in and buy the property.
"My wife is already out in Ohio so I'm hoping I'm going to square some things here and go out and enjoy whatever you call retirement," he said.
The 25 acres is listed on Sotheby's International Realty for $500,000. The listing states it includes the 12,000 square-foot main building used as general store and cafe, plus several outbuildings.
The store carries grocery items, knickknacks, candy, the farm's famous chicken pot pies, wine, and more. Once the home of nearly 24,000 chickens, Pyenson said the farm hasn't had any in almost 20 years and started carrying eggs from neighboring farms instead.
The store is offering 50 percent off a majority store items; the doors will close at 5 pm. Sunday.
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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.
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