Wall Street hits records despite tariff talk

By STAN CHOE

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks rose to records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect.The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to top the all-time...

Sweet spot opens: Small Oven Bakery launches dessert bar in Easthampton

By ALEXA LEWIS

EASTHAMPTON — A new member of the Small Oven Bakery family has opened its doors in Easthampton. Darlings Bar and Cafe offers an array of rich new desserts and savory snacks from the Small Oven staff alongside a selection of handcrafted cocktails.Small...

Learning the ropes: State labor chief touts apprenticeships in visit to woodworking company Metrica

By EMILEE KLEIN

NORTHAMPTON — Dozens of markings on an oval-shaped floor model represent each of Metrica’s meticulously crafted curved furniture pieces, with each piece of concave wood paneling, doors and shelving attempting to do the impossible: turn a...

Living a dream: Owner of Yellow Quilt Shop in Southampton finds success doing what she loves

By EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTHAMPTON — Excited chatter covers the hum of sewing machines as each woman scales, snips and stitches fabric into an individualized striped table runner.Despite this being the final project of the Yellow Quilt Shop’s Christmas gift series, the...

Area property deed transfers, Nov. 22

AMHERST Eason Chau and Siu Wong to Jeffrey D. Aliber and Alison A. Ernst, 75 Amity Place, Lot 75, $434,000 Rudy Toledo and George B. Davis Jr. to Ushokoledi Rt and Dominic Kirchner II, 145 Eames Place, $356,500 W D Cowls Inc. to Lyme...

Making News in Business, Nov. 22

UMass hires news and media relations leader AMHERST — Former journalist and public relations professional Emily Gest has been hired as associate vice chancellor for news and media relations in the Office of News and Media Relations at the University...

Valley Bounty: Puza’s Pure Food Market thrives on old-school commitment

By LISA GOODRICH

Upon walking in the door at Puza’s Pure Food Market in Southampton, a commitment to fresh, local produce is on display. Visually, produce appears to fill a substantial portion of the store. As the harvest season eases toward the holidays, bins and...

The power of straw: Easthampton’s Rare Forms rolls out Seed Panels designed to make a climate-positive impact in home construction

By ALEXA LEWIS

EASTHAMPTON — Walking into the Rare Forms workshop, you’ll find items typical of any design build company, such as tools, wooden planks and other construction materials. But the first thing that will catch your eye are dozens of bales of straw,...

Area property deed transfers, Nov. 15

AMHERSTJoseph M Wronka RET and Joseph M. Wronka to Li Hou and Yiyong Wu, 4 Chadwick Court, Lot 4, $315,000 Henry Whitlock to Marc B. Beroz and Karen A. Fiske, 176 Flat Hills Road, $718,400 EASTHAMPTON Patricia Crowley to...

Making News in Business, Nov. 15

Amherst Cinema names theater for founding leaderAMHERST — Amherst Cinema Arts Center has named its largest theater for founding Executive Director Carol M. Johnson. Johnson first served on the board of directors from 2001 to 2006, and then led the...

Popular jeweler signing off: Ted’s Creative Jewelers owner says it will be ‘heart-wrenching’ to close store after 27 years

By ALEXA LEWIS

SOUTHAMPTON — After 27 years as a beloved community staple, Ted’s Creative Jewelers Inc. is closing its doors. After decades of creating jewelry cherished by members of the Southampton community and beyond, the store’s owner, Ted Blais, is looking...

Customer becomes owner: New Orleans-inspired restaurant Gombo changes hands

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Since Gombo’s opening in May 2023, Cassidy Bowman has been a regular at the New Orleans-inspired cajun restaurant and bar on Northampton’s Main Street, frequently seen sitting outside together with his Siberian husky dog Lucy. Bowman...

Going strong: Visit to Northampton led Kanoujia family to open Indian House 40 years ago

By NAOMI SCULLY-BRISTOL

NORTHAMPTON — In 1984, Omprakash Kanoujia was living in Cambridge when he drove out to Northampton and fell in love with the city.He loved it so much that he bought a vacant storefront on State Street that August, and two months later opened India...

Making news in business, Nov. 8

Country Nissan’s Petricevich named service advisor of yearHADLEY — Country Nissan announces that Heather Petricevich has been honored as the Service Advisor of the Year for the Chris Collins Top Dog Award, recognized nationwide within the Asian...

Filling the java void: Amherst resident opens West Street Coffee & Tea

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Hearing a frequent lament from friends and neighbors that getting high-quality coffee between Atkins corner and downtown Amherst is nearly impossible, the proprietor of the recently opened West Street Coffee & Tea, at 450 West St., is hoping...

Area property deed transfers, Nov. 1

AMHERST Nicholas S. Diehl and Laura B. Balzer to Jasmine Syrotchen and Subhana Begum, 103 Larkspur Dr., $750,000 Howard C. Siddall and Mark H. Siddall to Jennifer E. Siddall, 129 Strong St., $290,000 David T. Washburn and Laura S. Washburn to...

Consumer Corner with Anita Wilson: Scams hit home as fraudsters use card skimmers, impersonate sheriff’s departments

Scammers have been making headlines this fall. Between skimming devices found at local stores to imposter telephone calls pretending to be from the local sheriff’s department, they’ve been busy trying to separate you from your money.Most people have...

Making News in Business, Nov. 1

New leadership at Community Foundation of WMass SPRINGFIELD — Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has appointed Karin George as its new chair of trustees, succeeding Paul Murphy who has served as chair for the last four years.Alongside this...

Easthampton treasure to close: Sonnet and Sparrow’s owner to retire at end of year

By ALEXA LEWIS

EASTHAMPTON — Sonnet and Sparrow, a familiar part of the Cottage Street Cultural District filled with handpicked selections of sweaters, jewelry, home furnishings and more, will soon close its doors. The store’s owner, Cynthia West, said that it is...

Building community: Cummington Supply celebrates 50th year

By SAMUEL GELINAS

CUMMINGTON — There aren’t any hardware stores for Hilltown residents for about a 20-mile radius — except for Cummington Supply, which offers construction resources “from the concrete foundation up till right before the cabinets go in,” according to a...