Page 33 - BusinessWest March 2, 2026

PICTURE THIS >> Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]
413 Entrepreneur Spotlight
In celebration of Black History Month, the 413 Entrepreneur
Spotlight — Living Local 413 and Common Capital’s monthly series
highlighting local business owners — featured the Black Economic
Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) as this month’s partner.
The event spotlighted Black entrepreneurs driving innovation,
advocacy, and enterprise across the region. Three standout BECMA
entrepreneurs were highlighted: Jon Dyer of Jon Dyer Electrician,
Dr. Katrina Banks of Neurologic Optimal Wellness, and Ray Berry
of White Lion Brewing Co. Pictured, from left: BECMA’s Charles
Mackenson talks with Dyer, Banks, and Berry at the event.
Back to Square One
Attorneys Ryan Alekman and Rob DiTusa, principals of
Alekman DiTusa, LLC, recently gifted $25,000 to Square
One’s capital campaign. In November, Square One opened
a new early learning center in Springfield’s South End
neighborhood. Phase 2 of the $19 million campaign
involves the renovation of an adjacent building, which was
donated by the Balise family and will become home to a
family resource center, providing workforce development
programming, family support services, and emergency
supplies. The capital gift comes in addition to the law firm’s
annual $5,000 classroom sponsorship and $5,000 Derby
Party sponsorship. Pictured, from left: Kristine Allard and
Dawn DiStefano of Square One, DiTusa, and Alekman.
Lenox >>Continued from page 11
Designs on Growth
Hayden brings a diverse background to her new
role as shop owner and entrepreneur.
Indeed, she worked in publishing for many years,
and later as an assistant to Doug Trumbull, Academy
Award-winning film director and visual effects pro-
ducer, before studying interior design at the New York
School of Interior Design and then working for local
designers.
She became the on-site manager of the Anne
Selke store on Main Street in Lenox, named after the
interior designer who created, and later sold, the Pine
Cone Hill and Dash & Albert brands of home décor.
When the store that was created to showcase
those brands closed in October 2024, Hayden sensed
the disappointment among customers and those
in the community and decided to take an entrepre-
neurial plunge and open a similar outlet at that loca-
tion, taking her career in a different and rewarding
direction.
“I have always had a love for color, design, and
merchandising,” she told BusinessWest. “Opening
Home on Main gave me the opportunity to stretch
those creative inspirations and knowledge. I can
merge this creative side with my administrative skills
— because a retail business heavily relies on both
when you are the sole owner.”
Home on Main opened in January 2025 and
recorded a solid first year thanks to a a wide range of
brands, including Pine Cone Hill and Dash & Albert,
and products ranging from rugs — there’s a ‘rug
library’ that affords individuals the opportunity to take
out samples and see how they look in their homes —
to candles, diffusers, and pillows.
Hayden said she attracts a broad base of custom-
ers that include local residents, those with second
homes in and around Lenox, and those vising the
community and taking in all it has to offer.
“Once Tanglewood opens, the population swells —
it’s a big draw,” she explained, adding that, like other
businesses in town, she struggles during ‘shoulder
season,’ but understands the year-long pattern of busi-
ness and plans accordingly.
Shortt, as noted earlier, worked in finance for
many years before moving to Lenox in 2010, when he
purchased an inn and spent seven years renovating it
and then operating it before selling it in 2022.
He then put his focus on renovating the former
retail space at 21 Housatonic St. into something he
said was lacking in Lenox, a versatile event space
that could host everything from weddings to company
retreats to nonprofit events.
Opened just over a year ago after an extensive,
two-year renovation that included construction of a
commercial kitchen, the Belvedere has become a pop-
ular alternative for all types of gatherings.
“We’ve done birthday parties, weddings, rehearsal
parties, corporate meetings, product launches, baby
showers, bridal showers, a little bit of everything,”
Shortt said, adding that the facility’s first year was
solid, and the business now has a firm foundation on
which to build.
“We got our legs under us, and we had a large
number of various events,” he noted. “The thing that
was great was ... you always put together a plan, you
make assumptions, and you work through the details
and consider a lot of scenarios and how things will
work. But it’s all theory until you actually start putting
it into practice and have all those different types of
events to make sure it comes together.
“And it did — we’ve proven it out in various sce-
narios and ways, and we’re very pleased,” he went on,
adding that, for year two, the goal is to continue add-
ing events, especially meetings and other corporate
uses.
“Those typically happen outside the summer sea-
son and usually happen in the middle of the week,”
Shortt explained. “So those events are additive — they
don’t take away from weekend social events.”
The Belvedere is just one of dozens of businesses
contributing to the Lenox ‘brand,’ one that has stood
the test of time and continues to grow, evolve, and
make this community a truly unique destination. BW
Business W est << PICTURE THIS >>
MARCH 2, 2026
33