Hawley has very little shopping or industry. Yet its residents find things to do and eat! The listing below details some of the closest places to shop and experience culture—as well as several of Hawley’s resident business people, artists, and writers. (Our town may have more published authors as a percentage of population than any other!)
If you’d like to suggest an addition to this list, please email the Town Office at info@townofhawley.com.
Community Building
Our historical society, the Sons & Daughters of Hawley, not only documents the town’s history but helps enrich Hawley’s present and future with numerous publications. The Sons & Daughters host a number of regular events, including Hawley Day (the town’s annual reunion), an apple fest, a September nature dinner, and a mud party in the spring.
Groceries
Avery’s in Charlemont has been the local general store since the 1860s.
Cold River Package Store and Market started out as a liquor store (it still is one, of course) but has evolved into a small grocery store as well.
Meadowsweet Farm is the only store in Hawley! It sells organic raw milk, grass-fed meat, and local products at its small farm store.
Wells Provisions is not open all the time but is worth a visit when it is, especially if you’re a fan of New Orleans cuisine … or coffee.
Eating Out
This list only includes Charlemont restaurants. You’ll find many more nearby in Shelburne Falls or Ashfield.
Berkshire East’s Crazy Horse Restaurant is open to the public as well as skiers.
The deck overlooking the Deerfield River at Berkshire Pizzeria is worth a visit.
The Heritage Diner dishes up hearty breakfast and lunch fare.
Museums
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has offerings for both adults and children, as well as strong Hawley connections: the late author Eric Carle and his wife Bobbie lived in Hawley for many years, and it was designed by Hawley architect Earl Pope.
The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown is a gem of a museum.
Crane’s Museum of Papermaking pays tribute to a longstanding craft/business in Dalton.
Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls explores the natural, cultural, and industrial history of the Connecticut River Watershed.
Historic Deerfield is a restored 18th century village in Deerfield.
MASS MoCA showcases contemporary art in an old mill complex in North Adams.
The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is a small but charming facility dedicated to the history of trolleys in Shelburne Falls.
Art and Theater
The Art Garden in Shelburne Falls is dedicated to public art.
Double Edge Theatre in Ashfield is an innovative, immersive group in Ashfield.
The Piti Theatre Company is a small troupe based in Shelburne Falls that specializes in improvisational work and frequently collaborates with local schools.
There is also a lot of theater a little farther afield, mostly in Berkshire County, like the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Music
Founded in 1970 by summer residents of Hawley, Mohawk Trail Concerts is a summer chamber-music series in Charlemont.
The Brick Church Music Series in Deerfield offers Chamber music in a historic church.
Concerts at 7 in Plainfield presents weekly chamber-music concerts in August.
The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Deerfield. Chamber offers summer music in a museum.
Sports and Recreation
The Ashfield Rod and Gun Club promotes hunting and fishing and offers opportunities for get-togethers.
Berkshire East Mountain Resort in Charlemont offers year-round recreation: skiing, mountain biking, ziplining, and more.
Crabapple Whitewater in Charlemont offers white-water rafting.
Stump Sprouts in Hawley hosts cross-country skiing, hiking, retreats, workshops, reunions, and weddings.
The Vintager Gunners, helmed in Hawley, offer opportunities for fans of antique firearms.
Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont can help with whitewater rafting, kayaking, zipline, and more.
In summer and fall, we have LOTS of local fairs and celebrations, among them Hawley Day, our town’s annual reunion in August hosted by the Sons & Daughters of Hawley, and the ever popular Heath Agricultural Fair a little later in August.
Places to Stay
Flight’s End is a cozy weekend/vacation home in East Hawley.
Singing Brook Farm in West Hawley has several summer-rental cabins as well as a couple of year-round vacation houses.
Stump Sprouts in West Hawley hosts retreats, workshops, reunions, and weddings.
The Warfield House in Charlemont hosts overnight guests as well as weddings and events.
Farmstands and Farmers Markets
The Ashfield Farmers Market has vegetables, fruits, flowers, and bread.
The Atherton Farm in Buckland offers plants, vegetables, and fruits and is the probably closest farmstand to Hawley.
The Clark Brothers Orchards in Ashfield have an outpost for their late summer and fall fruit on Upper Street in Buckland.
Good Bunch Farm in Charlemont offers sustainably grown vegetables.
Hicks Family Farm in Charlemont sells seasonal produce and constructs a corn maze every autumn.
The seasonal Shelburne Falls Farmers Market features everything from mushrooms to apples to crafts.
Hawley Agricultural Products
Billings Brook Farm in East Hawley sells eggs, jams, and baked goods.
Clark Maple Syrup makes syrup from Hawley trees.
Headwater Cider is a small, hard, New England-style cidery in Hawley that often hosts Cider Days in early November.
Meadowsweet Farm and Dairy sells organic raw milk, grass-fed meat, and local products at its small farm store.
Sidehill Farm makes yogurt, cheese, and sour cream from Hawley cows.
Windy Ridge Organics in East Hawley sells organic plants for vegetables, flowers, herbs, and small fruits.
Hawley Authors, Artists, and Artisans
Ryan Brownell crafts architectural millwork, casework, custom cabinetry, and furniture.
Guild, Stewart, and Brady, helmed by Ed Brady, offers custom building; contact Ed at 413 339-8523.
Constance Emmett has published two novels set in Northern Ireland; she is working on novel three in that series and on one set in New York during the Revolutionary War.
Suzy Q Groden is a retired educator who paints many Hawley scenes.
At Himalaya Stonecraft, Thinely Dhargay is a custom stone mason.
Marian Ives is a metalsmith whose creations range from ornaments to weathervanes.
The late Alice Parker was our resident composer, known around the world for her music.
Beth Thwing is the author of the children’s book Amazing Emus.
John Sears is a historian, author, and editor.
Trina Sears Sternstein is a painter who believes that her work should speak for itself.
Pamela Stewart (a.k.a. Jody Cothey), is a poet and lover of poetry.
Tinky Weisblat is a food writer, chanteuse, and historian known as the Diva of Deliciousness.
Other Hawley Business Owners
A member of the Massachusetts and Franklin County Bar Associations, Hussain A. Hamdan is a Hawley native and licensed attorney with experience in the areas of civil litigation, small-business law, municipal law, family law, traffic violations and RMV hearings, real-estate conveyance, and elder law/estate planning; he may be reached at 413 339-5320.
Scott Purinton is a financial advisor based in Hawley.
