In the little town of Great Barrington, we have some great choices when it comes to shopping for groceries. Let’s see — there is the Price Chopper and the Big Y and Guido’s and the Co-op. Then there are a whole lot of smaller places. Each of these places has a different character and what we might call a separate sociology. Each option, including some of the smaller venues like Taft Farms and Gorham & Norton, offers something special. What is it about each of these places that attracts a specific clientele? Why does a famous television star travel up from northern Connecticut to buy cucumbers at Guido’s?
In fact, let’s start with Guido’s. It’s a terrific place that offers wonderful and select choices. I speak with all kinds of people who swear to me the stuff they get from Guido’s is the best, highest-quality food that money can buy. It’s hard to figure how much of that is in their heads as opposed to objective reality. Personally, I love the place. You walk up to the meat counter and it all looks mouthwatering. Whether it’s true or not, the people one sees there seem to be well heeled but certainly, some folks who do not have a lot of money also shop there.
Some of them are there because of the perceived quality of the food, some are there because they want to belong to the right club. There will always be a number of Americans who want to keep up with the Joneses. In New York, there will always be Zabars as well as all those regular grocery stores. But with the coming reconstruction of Guido’s, which I just toured, even more people will want to shop with those they perceive of as the very best of folks.
In the middle of Great Barrington is the Co-op. It’s an amazing place which offers convenience and brings in its own specific crowd. Some people shop there exclusively, and the Co-op has its own “clubby” attractions. While it is hard to describe what the people in the place look like, I find myself admiring the wholesome, well-dressed young mothers, fathers, and babies walking the aisles. While the meat and fish are terrific, there seem to be fewer choices than at Guido’s. That makes for easier shopping. We’re lucky to have it.
Next door to Guido’s is Big Y. You can get stuff there that up to now, you couldn’t get at Guido’s. Sometimes I shop there before I go over to the tonier Guido’s. With the expansion, that may change. I find myself shopping at Big Y a lot. If I want paper goods, I may just stick around to buy my meat and produce there. Make no mistake about it — a LOT of people shop at Big Y and also at the Price Chopper on the other side of town. They offer many of the same kind of products you can find at Guido’s.
Many of us choose the smaller Taft Farms for the fresh produce and flowers that we love. When the Division Street bridge closed, a lot of people counted Taft Farms out. That was a mistake. Many of us have made Taft Farms a destination, so disgusted were we with the town for letting that bridge close. I love to shop there.
Then there are places like Gorham & Norton in the middle of Great Barrington, which make shopping so convenient and personal. It’s really fun to know the owners. Clearly, I don’t have space here for all our wonderful choices.
One thing is for sure — we have a lot of very good options and while we all have favorites, we are very lucky to have so many choices. It’s one of the things that makes Great Barrington the best small town in America.
