Page 8 - BusinessWest March 2, 2026

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Lenox Keeps Building Its Brand as a Destination
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
Lenox at
a Glance
Year Incorporated: 1767
Population: 5,095
Area: 21.7 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $9.85
Commercial Tax Rate: $14.37
Median Household Income: $85,581
Median Family Income: $111,413
Type of Government: Select Board,
Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Canyon Ranch,
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Kimball
Farms
* Latest information available
When it comes to the arts, hospitality, history, and
architecture, Sara Goodberlet says, Lenox has an
extremely strong brand.
It’s been built over time and is fortified by institutional
landmarks such as Tanglewood, Shakespeare & Company,
the Mount (Edith Wharton’s home), Ventfort Hall (home
to the Gilded Age Museum), spas, inns, restaurants, retail
shops, nature trails, and much more.
And as the relatively new director of the Lenox Chamber
of Commerce, she said one of her primary directives is to
protect, nurture, and enhance that brand.
“I want to keep building Lenox as a brand, as a destina-
tion,” she said. “It’s a strong brand, but I want to freshen it
up a little bit. We’re in a unique position ... we have some
older, mature, historical roots, but then we also have this
fresher, modern vitality that’s also in the mix.”
Elaborating, Goodberlet said one of her goals is to edu-
cate and inform the public about not only the pillars of
Lenox’s strong arts and hospitality sector — like Tanglewood,
which has two Paul Simon concerts featured in a packed
2026 schedule, or Shakespeare & Company, which also a
full slate of shows starting in June — but the many small
businesses and nonprofits that help make this brand as
strong as it is, and the people behind them.
People like Molly Lyon-Joseph, who owns two restaurants
in town — Frankie’s, an Italian-American eatery, and Pizzeria
Boema — and is set to open a third, Bea’s House, in a histor-
ic property, the former Café Lucia on Church Street.
Or Scott Shortt, a former financial services veteran
turned serial entrepreneur whose latest venture is a unique
event space, called the Belvedere, carved out of a former
retail space in downtown Lenox.
“I want to keep building Lenox as a brand, as
a destination. It’s a strong brand, but I want
to freshen it up a little bit. We’re in a unique
position ... we have some older, mature,
historical roots, but then we also have this
fresher, modern vitality that’s also in the
mix.”
Or Marion Hayden, a long-time employee at the former
Annie Selke store in downtown Lenox, who, after the store
closed, decided to keep that destination alive with a venture
she calls Home on Main.
Individually and collectively, these businesses (much more
on them later) contribute to the vibrancy that defines Lenox
for at least three seasons each year — winter is considerably
slower and a challenge for many businesses — and also to a
highly supportive environment.
8 << COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
MARCH 2, 2026
Business W est