GreylockWorks mill and events center in North Adams – BTW Berkshires

Karla Rothstein and Salvatore Perry have renovated a 240,000 cotton mill on Route 2 near the North Adams / Williamstown line into a center for local food and events. They hold community dance parties and an annual Halloween masquerade — DJ BFG mixes the music, and lighting artist McZawa (Brian McCreary) collaborates with him to make the room pulse.

GreylockWorks has worked with Bright Idea Brewery, Storey publishers, local musicians and spoken word poets. And twice a year the wide central hall, with its wood floors and tall windows, becomes an open market for local food and craft, artisans and artists.

GreylockWorks hosts Heirloom in the summer and Festive in November before the winter holidays. They draw in artists and artisanal food producers from the Berkshires to Cape Cod to Brooklyn and Hudson, N.Y. They offer ceramics and jewelry, locally made chocolates and roasted coffee.

The inaugural market in 2017 drew more than 2,000 visitors, Karla says, and since then the festival has brought new artisans into the region: a rum distiller, Ski Bum Rum, is moving from Colorado to North Adams into GreylockWorks and planning to open a tasting room.

“We ask people who apply to tell some about their stories,” she told me, “and it’s been captivating.” She wants this space to grow roots as a place to meet makers, and a place for makers to meet each other.