Member Spotlight

You Are Here:  Robin's Finds from the Berkshires and Beyond

Robin Helfand, owner of Robin’s Candy Shop on Main Street in Great Barrington, opened her newest venture on April 1st.  Located on Railroad Street in Great Barrington, her new Robin Helfandstore, aptly named You Are Here, is a souvenir shop filled with items made and supplied by local artisans.  When people began asking for locally made products in the candy store, Robin realized there was an absence of local souvenir items in downtown Great Barrington.  Seeing the opportunity, she decided to open a shop that would give people the opportunity to feel connected to the Berkshires whether they were local, visiting, or part-time residents.   

Robin’s grandparenLicoricets had a candy shop in the upper west side of Manhattan and thus Robin grew up in a house where sweets were a part of life.  She received her MBA from Cornell University in marketing and afterwards worked for Proctor and Gamble as a marketing associate. She then met the owner of Dean and Deluca, a specialty food retailer, and began working in their cheese department.  She describes her time there as retail boot camp and credits her mentors at Dean and Deluca with teaching her everything she knows about retail marketing and even her eventual success.

In 2005, she opened Millerton Market selling baked goods, goat cheese, prepared foods, and eventually candy, which was a huge success.  But she quickly found out that chocolate does not hold up well near hot ovens and thus began looking for a retail location for a candy shop.  After opening Card and Candy across the street, Robin began looking for a larger location for the candy store.  During her search within a twenty five mile radius of Lakeville, Robin discovered Great Barrington.  Upon observation of the foot traffic, she decided it would be the perfect location to open the candy store.  

After two months of renovation, Robin opened Robin's Candy Shop--a store Robin Helfand and daughter filled with old fashioned candy as well as the latest cutting edge confections.  The store's motto is "keep that sweet tooth healthy" the importance of which can be seen in the toothbrushes that each customer receives with his or her purchase. 

Robin's idea for the candy shop was to provide old fashioned candy that parents could share with their own children making it a multigenerational experience.  The connection between the generations can be seen in her products: hand-made ice cream, geGelatolato, Italian ices, and other artisanal items.   Robin's success is also attributed to the fact that she stays open late seven days a week with seasonally extended hours.  Staying open past normal business hours allows her to partner with the restaurants, the Mahaiwe, and the Triplex.

People coming into the candy store began asking about locally produced products beyond confections and sweets.  She had no cards, postcards, or t-shirts because there was not enough room.  Robin soon realized that there was an absence of these items in downtown Great Barrington and thus her idea for a souvenir shop was born.

She began her hunt once again for a retail space in downtown Great Barrington.  The winter months were spent bringing the building up to code and on April 1st, 2010 Robin opened You Are Here, Robin's Finds from the Berkshires and Beyond.

Robin mapThe idea for the souvenir shop can immediately be seen in the yellow arrow that points to the door, the same arrow found on tourist maps marking the spot You Are Here.  Her store reflects a connection to the Berkshires for locals, visitors, and part-time residents.  A visit to Robin's new store is the only way to fully experience the brilliance of her choice in products and design for the store.  One of the most popular items that Robin says are "flying out the door" are the puzzles (she has the largest selection in the area) which include themes like Historic Massachusetts, the Founding Fathers, Cats, the Fifties, Hollywood, and For the Love of Barns.  Greeting cards made by local artists display the beautiful Berkshires through pictures or paintings of the Appalachian Trail, the Scottish Highland cattle, historic Great Barrington, and many more themes.  Over 60 regional producers provide Robin with her merchandise and she is always looking for more.  She is interested in artisans that make small souvenir items as her store is not big enough to accommodate large items.  She also does not accept jewelry, furniture, knitted or fabric goods at this time.  She is interested in small handcrafts such as wooden bowls and walking sticks and non-perishable goods such as honey, maple syrup, and confections. 

Robin's success can be seen in her choice of items such as the unisex body products which come in three lines: GBR (Berkshire wildflowers), BRK (Berkshire Northeastern Lavender), and You Are Here (Berkshire woodlands, pine sage, and green tea extract) all of which are exclusive formulas designed by Robin.  She is proud to carry the full line of extracts made by BaldwinRobin globe & Sons of West Stockbridge, MA.  Upon entering the store, you cannot help but notice the large globe that sits in the center of the shop and allows visitors to see where they have been, where they are, and where they are going.  Dan Shaw commented that Robin, in addition to being a retailer, is also a curator as her store contains aspects of a hands-on museum.  At the back of the store is a large aquarium filled with Japanese Coy.  It is an enhancement to the space as it is both visually appealing and calming.  The fish themselves also provide a unique experience in that they are incredibly intelligent creatures with the capacity to recognize someone who visits on a regular basis.  Rorbin quail eggsPerhaps one of the most creative aspects that children are sure to find wondrous is the quail eggs she has displayed in a cabinet that will eventually hatch in the store.  Sidewalk permits allow Robin to do demonstrations for her customers, one of which is to produce huge bubbles using a bubble wand kit sold in the store and produced by Asia Luna of Philmont, NY.  For those who wish to become experts on the Berkshires, she carries a Love the Berkshires quiz book made by Phil Smith of Lee.  Some of her future projects include a regular series of tastings provided by Laura from Your Spice of Life in Hillsdale, NY.  

Some of Robin's other merchandise include Lloyd Spears Honey, small batch tomato sauce,Honey and BBQ man mitts and trivets made from denim, a great father's day or birthday gift.  Cards and postcards, BRK hats, GB and Berkshire t-shirts, magnets, and flat spice packets that can T-shirtsbe mailed inside a card from Your Spice of Life are a just a few of the unique souvenir items that Robin sells.  In the refrigerator, you can find Harney & Sons iced tea from Millerton, NY.  In the chachka corner are thimbles, bells, and BRK bottle openers, key chains, and money clips.  At the counter are the World's Tinniest Cactuses and the World's Largest Gumballs.  A map of the world covers one whole wall with a red arrow pointing to Great Barrington. 

One of the most successful and unique aspects of the store is the bumper sticker machine designed by Robin and able to make custom bumper stickers ranging from initials to entire poems instantly.  Special orders are available for businesses, weddings, or any other occasions.  Contact Robin for special pricing.

Robin says it is important to point out that some of the materials that the items are made out of are not produced locally because they are not available, for example the sugar in Cactusthe Fruit Crisp mixes.  Robin wants to be clear that she is not apologizing for this, but does not want to misrepresent her products.  She would like customers to understand that she uses regionally produced items whenever possible.  She is happy to comment that her store adds to the community without duplicating an existing set of products.  She believes it is more important to form partnerships with other businesses and work together to promote one another than to focus on the competitive side of retail. 

Robin has three grown children who have each contributed to her businesses.  Her daughter Allye is responsible for the design and graphics for both stores, her other daughter Jesse was central in sourcing many regional products and coming up with promotional ideas as well as the being the current inspiration behind Robin's next business, and her son Drew managed and designed the computer systems in both stores as well as the system to stream live, local music into the new store.  Robin loves to hike the Berkshire part of the Appalachian Trail and dine in the local restaurants.  Yankee Magazine

You Are Here and Robin's Candy Shop have been featured in Yankee Magazine and will be featured in the upcoming 2010 edition of Explorer's Guide to the Berkshires.  Both stores are currently featured in Rural Intelligence and The Chronicle, a TV magazine on channel 5, ran a feature on the candy store which can be seen on YouTube.  You Are Here definitely warrants a visit to Great Barrington or a stop on the way back from lunch for the locals to experience the regional products that make the store such a unique and wondrous place to enter.

Both stores are open daily from 11am until late. 

 

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UPCOMING EVENTS

CONGRATULATIONS to JOHN O'CONNOR from Canaan, CT, the winner of our chamber raffle for Sept. 1! He has won a gift certificate to Frames on Wheels! Thanks for your participation, John!