I first came across this place a few years ago when my wife and I visited the Berkshires. While…read morewalking by, we noticed several prints in the window that we thought would look great in our home. We decided to step inside and found even more things that caught our interest. They had a variety of items--jewelry, souvenirs, framed prints of artwork, comics, maps, and something I found particularly unique: framed book spines. As we browsed, the employee working there was incredibly friendly and helpful. Although we were initially on the fence about purchasing an art print, we ended up getting that along with some of the framed book spines. We recently returned to the area and decided to stop by again. This time, the owner was there, and he was just as friendly and helpful. A few years back, some coworkers had given me a gift certificate for the store after I told them about it. I had completely lost track of it, but the owner called his wife to see if she could locate any record of it--and within 10 minutes, they found it! We left the store with another large framed print, another book spine, and an enlarged, framed vintage train ticket from the Northeast Corridor. If you're ever in Pittsfield and looking for wall art or unique souvenirs at good prices, definitely stop by this cute store.

Don't mistake Museum Facsimiles as the Berkshire Museum's gift shop just because of its name or…read morethat it's literally right next door to the actual museum. This is separate and apart from the museum. So forget the oversized pencils and postcards racks- what you'll find are unexpected gifts, stylish homeware items, metal jewelry, garden stuff, leather goods, Can-Can French posters and more in this shop. We got our hands on an $18 metal hanging bird bath, ornamental metal hooks for about $6 ea. and a few other things. In a nutshell, Facsimiles has it all with banging prices.

I've been hunting for the perfect piece of art for my Manhattan apartment -- you know, something…read morechic, sophisticated, worthy. I was walking along Church St. in Lenox, and decided to check out this so-called "gallery" -- Sohn Fine Art. I stroll in with high hopes, and honey... big mistake. Stay FAR away from this sad little wannabe "gallery." The owner, Cassandra Sohn, is out here acting like she's Norman Rockwell's long-lost twin -- please. She's not visionary; she's just delusional. Her attitude? Rude. Her so-called "art"? Tired. Dated. Like, if dust could be pretentious, this would be it. In my opinion, you're better off buying in the art section of Five Below.....

***** WARNING ARTISTS *****…read more I entered a fee-based competition for possible inclusion in a Soon Gallery exhibition. Instead of adhering to the acceptance/denial notification date she originally stated in the specifications, the gallery director switched to a Hollywood style maneuver and told me I was, "shortlisted", with a NEW notification date a month away, thus rendering my artworks in limbo and unavailable for exhibition elsewhere. I contacted Ms. Soon and demanded a refund. After her sad attempt at convincing me that by having shortlisted several of my pieces she had indeed fulfilled her obligation of timely notification, I contacted my credit card company. Bank of America has no tolerance for this type of manipulation of terms and upon their investigation granted my full refund.

I am sorry to be writing this letter but feel I have no choice. The repair work that was done on my…read moreRuth Duckworth sculpture is extremely disappointing and frankly unacceptable. I went into this with realistic expectations. I did not expect to see a completely invisible restoration, but when I finally had the opportunity to inspect the "restored" piece I was shocked by how crude the work was. The section that was reattached does not align properly with the section it had been broken off from, at the joint line they are two different heights. The wide and boldly visible bond line between the two sections is very distracting and its surface is irregular and unsightly At the edge where the two pieces connect there is an open area that's missing material. I have shown images to two longtime museum restoration experts I know and asked for their opinion. They were reluctant to critique another restorer's work but in spite of their professional reticence one said, "That this could look much better." The other restorer noted "it should have been possible to achieve a far less visible (though not invisible) joint." I came to the Williamstown Art Conservation Center after speaking with other restorers who said the size and weight of the sculpture put the job beyond their comfort zones. The poor quality of repair work displayed on the Duckworth seems to indicate that the Williamstown team should have said the same. It would have saved me a great deal of time and money as well as avoiding WACC having a very unhappy customer. Now I need to find a more knowledgeable person who will first have to undo the work the Williamstown team has done before they can improve and bring the sculpture to a presentable condition. The Williamstown Art Conservation Center has an excellent reputation, but this very disappointing repair certainly does not live up to it. Douglas Heller Heller Gallery NYC

From the owner: Williamstown Art Conservation Center is a nonprofit institution for the conservation and…read morepreservation of artworks and objects of cultural heritage. WACC provides the highest standards of professional service in all areas of treatment and consultation for museums and other nonprofit organizations as well as private institutions, businesses, and individuals throughout New England and the Northeast. WACC also co-founded and operates the Atlanta Art Conservation Center to serve institutions and individuals in the South.