Greenagers Gala Celebrates Youth Work, Community Impact

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EGREMONT, Mass. — Greenagers' Aug. 14 Summer Gala at April Hill marks another year of impact on the region's youth, with outdoor jobs for teens, education for middle-schoolers and trades training throughout the Berkshires and nearby Litchfield and Columbia counties. 
 
Last year's special events, including the 2025 summer gala, raised nearly $250,000, nearly 11 percent of the nonprofit's revenue. Tickets are available at greenagers.org.
 
Annually, Greenagers' programs serve about 1,200 young adults and children. This year nearly 70 young people have been hired for paid outdoor summer jobs in farming, trail work, and trades education. Another 50 middle-schoolers attend Greenagers' free summer camp; more programs during the school year reach hundreds more. 
 
"Our summer gala brings essential funds to Greenagers, and more importantly, it brings together donors and friends who can meet our teens and see the impressive results of their hands-on work," said Will Conklin, Greenager's executive director. "We invite our friends and neighbors to join us again this year to celebrate our impact on area youth and our community at large."
 
Last year's summer farm crews grew and harvested 10,000 lbs of produce for area food pantries and trail crews constructed or improved 22.5 miles of hiking trails in the region. Trades crew members learned building and millwork techniques, applying these skills to help other area nonprofits, including construction of a new food storage shed at the Community Health Programs' food pantry. These youth contributed thousands of hours to the community and earned nearly $500,000 in these paid summer jobs and other work throughout the year.
 
This summer, teen summer trail crews are tackling projects in the Berkshires, Litchfield County and Columbia County. Farm Crews will grow nutritious produce for regional distribution to food pantry programs and for the new April Hill farm stand. The trades team will build trail kiosks for Berkshire Natural Resources Council and outdoor museum displays for Sheffield Historical Society. Now with programs in South, Central and Northern Berkshire, Greenagers' free summer camps operate at Greenagers in South Egremont and at Many Forks Farm in North Adams. 
 
This year's gala features teen presentations of their work and projects, a fundraising auction, and a dinner catered by Ray Stalker and Sarita Orobio-Wolff of Core Kitchen. The evening's fare features "Dinner in the Field" with food grown at April Hill by young farm crew employees.
 
The Aug. 14 "Dinner in the Field" will be catered by Ray Stalker and Sarita Orobio-Wolff of Core Kitchen, and their gala dinner fare will include produce from Greenagers' teen-grown farm at April Hill. 
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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. 

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