Northampton, MA May 2023

When Life Gets Legal SM

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Have you thought about the future of your business after retirement? Whether you own a small business, large business, or a family business, it is important to take the time to prepare a business succession plan. Having a succession plan in place helps business owners plan for the future and allows a smoother transition into retirement while promoting the company’s growth. A properly-prepared succession plan means a business owner can protect their legacy, and can often benefit from correcting or modifying tax structure. Even for businesses that have been operating for many years, it is never too late to start planning. Our attorneys can work with you through a step-by-step process to help you prepare for retirement and ensure the continued success of your business.

Tip from Attorney Dan McK

Tip from Attorney Dan McKellick

Chip Smith

Jonathan Breton

Daniel McKellick

Packard’s serves a variety of dishes with locally sourced fresh ingredients. A large selection of local and domestic beer on tap and in bottle. A full bar with seasonally changing cocktails and mocktails. Three floors of pool tables and more.

Tough As A Mother

All eyes on Mom this month! And we're not just talking about bio-moms and those with a bun in the oven. May is a month we can give a shoutout to all the influential ladies in our lives, including aunts, teachers, daughters, dog-moms, wives, women family members, and many more.

This month is the perfect excuse to shop local and support the businesses owned by women around town. That’s one of my favorite parts of this role - connecting with and cheering on Northampton and its surrounding communities.

In this issue, we feature Mindy Dow who is a pioneer in work-life balance and the founder of NatureMind Coaching. She can teach you methods of mindfulness to recenter yourself before setting out to make your impact.

Mineral Hills Winery makes wine rooted in family fortitude and delicious flavors with names like Le Tre Sorelle "Three Sisters" and Cayuga White. Plan a day tasting flights (and keep the glass!) while you savor a custom charCUPerie board.

One way to a woman's heart is through her stomach. So we're highlighting Fed by Foley - a charcuterie catering company that creates convenient, beautiful, and delicious spreads to share at your next event or local vineyard.

We are movers and shakers, builders, and memory-makers. We are both seen and unseen. Our services bless those who are under our care. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to acknowledge the women in your life who deserve recognition. It only takes a minute to brighten someone’s day and remind them how much you love them.

If it wasn't for the woman who read to me, leading me to be a voracious reader and inspirational writer, then I would not be scripting this letter for you today. Thanks, Mom (love you... more)!

May 2023

PUBLISHER

Candice Berube | candice.berube@citylifestyle.com

EDITOR

Virginia Maldonado

virginia.maldonado@citylifestyle.com

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Madeline LeBlanc | madeline.leblanc@citylifestyle.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Madeline LeBlanc, Virginia Maldonado, Maureen Sullivan

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kat Kattler Photography, Madeline LeBlanc, Hannah Josephine Photography, Waite Creative Photo & Design

Corporate Team

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt

CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA Mindy Hargesheimer

ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson

WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell

AD DESIGNER Josh Govero

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kirstan Lanier

WELCOMING WILD ROOTS EATERY!

SERVING DELICIOUS, QUALITY, CLEAN FOODS FOR BREAKFAST AND LUNCH.

city scene

Where neighbors can see and be seen.

1: Ana Banderia, a Brazilian Chocolate shop, opens up in downtown Northampton! 2: Cheers! Have you tried a New City Mule? A unique twist to taste this season. 3: Iconica is open to work & study by day but drink & play by night! 4: Amiga Negra in Thornes Marketplace brings energy and fashion fused in one! 5: Congrats to Jeanie on 150 rides! You can count on seeing her on Monday mornings. 6: Pick up your assortment of spring seeds from Cornucopia Natural Wellness Market. 7: Northampton says goodbye to one of its favorite Mexican restaurants, Mama Iguanas!

Want to be seen in the magazine?

Tag your Instagram photos with @Westfield_Northampton_CL

CITY SCENE

ANA BANDEIRA CHOCOLATES

NEW CITY BREWERY

CORNUCOPIA NATURAL WELLNESS MARKET

MAMA IGUANAS

ROOTS CYCLE

AMIGA NEGRA

ICONICA SOCIAL CLUB

business monthly

A round-up of exciting news from local businesses.

Valley Voices Stories Slam: Season 8

The Best of the Valley Voices Story Slam celebrated it’s 8th season. Produced by Academy of Music Theatre and New England Public Media, audience members chose the top stories shared by local storytellers throughout the season. The 3 finalists performed to a sell out crowd at AOMT on April 8th. Valley Voices proudly brings inspiring, comedic, and heartwarming true stories from members of our local community to the state. For more information, please visit nepm.org

Springtime in Paradise with Paradise City Arts Festival

It’s Springtime in Paradise! The Paradise City Arts Festival (literally) rolls out the carpet for this season’s splendidly curated collection of hundreds of artists and fine craft makers. It’s three great days of visual arts, design, and food of 200+ top-notch artists. Paradise City Arts Festival | May 27, 28 & 29 | 3 County Fairgrounds | 54 Fair St, Northampton | paradisecityarts.com

bankESB to Host Shred Day

Local residents can reduce their risk of identity theft by bringing old mail, receipts, statements or bills, canceled checks, pay stubs, medical records, and shredding them safely and securely for free. Valley Green Shredding, a professional document destruction company, will be on-site and can accept up to two boxes of documents per person. Saturday, May 13: Home Depot Parking Lot, 350 Russell St, Hadley.

Want to be featured?

Get in touch by heading over to our landing page to connect: CityLifestyle.com/Northampton

Monumental ceramic vessel by Stephen Procter

local experiences

The best places and things to do in our area.

Girls just want to have fun! We’ve made a list, now take your pick. Whether you’re looking to eat, laugh, relax, or learn something new - we’re sharing local hotspots and hidden gems with you.

Our Picks for The Gal Pals

PITA POCKETS: Pita Pockets has two locations: Northampton and Easthampton! Try either (or both) for your fill on fresh, delicious Mediterranean food. 193 Main Street, Northampton

LUTHIER'S CO-OP & BACKSTAGE BAR: Live music here comes from a range of musicians entertaining listeners who have a taste for something from behind the bar or Lovebird Kitchen! 108 Cottage Street, Easthampton

FAMILIARS COFFEE & TEA: Enjoy your next morning or brunch at Familiars. This cozy setting is outfitted in an old train that has been remodeled into a wooden cafe. 6 Strong Avenue, Northampton

THE PARLOR ROOM: Looking for an intimate music venue you can BYOB?

The Parlor Room is your hidden gem to get close to live music & friends. 32 Masonic Street, Northampton

EUPHORIA FLOAT SPA: Plan a spa day for moms-to-be at Euphoria Float Spa. Give her the rest she needs with a floating session and massage. 241 King Street, Northampton

Scan for more photos and the full list.

Want to recommend a local experience?

Scan the QR code and message us on Instagram.

Luthier’s Co-Op

Mineral Hills Winery

Wines Designed to Please All Palates

ARTICLE BY MAUREEN SULLIVAN PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

HANNAH

JOSEPHINE PHOTOGRAPHY AND WAITE CREATIVE PHOTO & DESIGN

Tucked away on a winding road in Florence, MA, not far from Northampton and Easthampton, is a family-owned winery that produces “wines to please all palates,” from traditional estate grape varieties to fruit wine and mead.

Mineral Hills Winery at Godard’s Red Hen Farm is owned by mother and daughter Susan Godard and Anna Pearlman. Husband and dad Larry Godard is the founder and winemaker.

The origins of the winery go back to 1982, when Larry and Susan moved from the Hudson Valley in New York to Florence, where they built a house on part of 60 acres of land owned by Susan’s mother, and where Susan had grown up.

Larry was working in IT at MassMutual and Susan was a stay-at-home mom. They started planting apple trees and began beekeeping, which led to creating what Larry calls “a little farmstead.” They grew blueberries,

made honey, sweet apple cider - and set up a roadside stand.

Larry, who grew up in a big Italian family with a grandfather who made wine, decided to try his own hand at winemaking by making apple and blueberry wines for friends. The wines were a hit, and in 2008, the Godards built the building to house the wine-making operation and Mineral Hills’ tasting room.

Larry left his job to concentrate on making wine in 2009 from grapes he planted in 2004. In 2010, Mineral Hills Winery, named for the Mineral Hills that are the backdrop of the property, opened. Soon Mineral Hills expanded their wine offerings to include dry whites and sophisticated reds. In 2023, they offer eight white wines and seven reds on their tasting list. Guests can opt for a tasting or a wine-tasting flight.

With a tasting, guests can try five, oneounce pours, and keep the glass for $10. A wine flight is also $10. Guests can choose five wines from the flight list and take home a mini stemless glass. Wines can also be bought by the glass or bottle. Bottles can also be shipped to Massachusetts and states without licensing requirements.

The wine labels, which show the Mineral Hills in the background, convey “a sense of place” says Larry, and are designed by Anna, a graphic designer and photographer. She is also the winery’s operations

manager and winemaker. Anna will take the reins at Mineral Hills in 2024. She plans to double the winery’s production space and build a larger event space.

The atmosphere at Mineral Hills is friendly. Says Anna, “Not everyone needs to be a wine connoisseur to enjoy wine.” Larry adds, “It’s an easygoing place, we’re unpretentious.”

In warm weather, people gather outdoors under the pavilion to enjoy wine, along with cheeses, crackers, and salami available at Mineral Hills, or they can bring their own picnics. There is live music a few times a month, including on Mother’s Day. There are even yoga classes on Sunday mornings once a month, followed by, of course, wine.

With so many wines to taste, are there favorites? Anna says the Cayuga White, a sweet wine, is a crowd favorite. She likes Le Tre Sorelle (Italian for three sisters). Each of the three Godard sisters is honored on the label by her favorite flower. The wine is an American Red blend. In a nod to the Godard’s son, there is Grande Fratello (Italian for big brother), a dry red blend.

What will your favorite wine be? Visit the Godards at Mineral Hills and find out.

MINERAL HILLS WINERY AT GODARD’S RED HEN FARM

592 Sylvester Rd, Florence (413) 586-2575 | mineralhillswinery.com

“Not everyone needs to be a wine connoisseur to enjoy wine. It’s an easygoing place, we’re unpretentious.”

– Larry Godard

FED by FOLEY

ARTICLE

AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADELINE LEBLANC

Fed by Foley is the perfect addition to any event! I was lucky enough to try the charCUPeries (charcuterie in a cup) at an event last month, as well as meet owner Jill Foley! These cups opened up my tastebuds to a whole new combination of cheeses, meats, and fruits that I didn’t know I needed. The way the bite-sized brie cheese paired with the meat and cracker was so delicious, I now have a fridge stocked full of bite-sized mini brie cheeses!

Fed by Foley offers custom charcuterie with standard boards and different sizes, charCUPeries with traditional and kids options, and build-a-board workshop events. As a lifelong lover of snack time, Jill has made it her mission to eat all the cheese and is excited to share her love of snacking!  With 30+ years of experience with snacking, Fed by Foley was born in January 2022 to serve the board needs of the Pioneer Valley.  Reach out today to see how she can customize your order. All Fed by Foley Charcuterie boards are designed to be pretty on the eyes and enjoyable for the taste buds. Leveraging local products and the highest quality of meats and cheese allow for constant variety and rotation of flavors!

Contact Jill today at  fedbyfoley@gmail.com or through her website fedbyfoley.com

Founder Jill Foley

We have your catering needs for graduation, commencement and spring events! Including hot homemade dishes and platters. No order is too BIG or too small!

NATUREMIND COACHING

ARTICLE BY VIRGINIA MALDONADO PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAT KATTLER PHOTOGRAPHY

You can find her where the wild things are - often near water, an untroubled meadow, or a mountainside trail. This is where she carves a safe space to coach (never coddle) clients through special sessions that teach how to reach inner peace. Mindy Dow, founder of NatureMind Coaching, is an Eco Coach who uses the power of nature to transform mind, body, and spirit.

Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with, and there’s no better place to recenter than out in the elements. Mindy Dow is not a therapist who digs up past trauma. Her coaching sessions are held outside, in a place to breathe and reflect. Many who depend on self-help books struggle to heal and continue the cycle. The same habits do not work and it’s easy to feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected. Mindy guides a perspective change, to foster mindfulness and engagement.

Unlike mainstream alternative healthcare focusing on a singular modality, NatureMind Coaching approaches somatic healing to capture the trinity of mind, body, and spirit. These practices help correlate how stress affects the body, troubles the mind, and keeps the spirit low. Mindy is equipped with a background in advising, teaching, and guiding. Her accomplishments are as playfully philanthropic as they

are professional. Grab a glimpse of her paddle boarding as an Outdoor Guide or adding to her 27+ years of teaching experience.  She is currently polishing her accreditation with the International Coaching Federation specializing in Mindfulness. Mindy is a self-master at work-life balanceand NatureMind Coaching shows you how to cultivate a flex-life mindset.

“The environment you choose becomes your learning canvas,” she shares. Take a moment and imagine. . .

A Charlotte’s web of sun-rays slice through Eastern Hemlocks and the needles beneath your feet feel like a magic carpet. You float, equally as effortlessly, on its glassy waters while docked on a mossy embankment. Perhaps you reflect on the landscape of the current moment while perched atop a mountain peak.

These are the settings for Mindy’s sessions. They seem to be marked with serendipitous signs. Her coachees recall when animals act as messengers: deer or birds appearing at quintessential times to arrange themselves in special formations. An Aesop’s fable unfolds and coachees see the veil can be lifted to reveal a truer meaning to their story and how they can proactively participate as author.

We reminisce on time spent outdoors as kids and the character it cultivates: unbridled curiosity, gritty

confidence, and moxy. We can all agree on the teeming angst that builds when cooped up inside physically or trapped within our heads.

NatureMind Coaching finds thought-provoking ways for younger generations to get in touch with themselves through the outdoors instead of touch screens and technology. They step outside their comfort zone and become Player Number One in their own Game of Life taking a lead stake in their well-being and development. Mother Nature is bountiful but unyielding - a neutral master of many life lessons who not only teaches us but tends to us, too.

Mindy carefully reads the cadence of each coaching session and can pair it with the perfect place to care for each individual’s mental, physical, and spiritual state. For mentees who feel anxious and overcrowded, she strays away from settings with added chaos like thundering waterfalls, where onlookers compete to be heard against the roar.

In an era where modern society is overstimulated and attached to more, Mindy formulates essential 52-week curriculums personalized to the rhythm of the seasons. The point is to change perspective. She redirects the inner compass to align with authenticity to first build a solid foundation before setting out to make an imprint on the world. The results are witnessed in ‘aha’ moments that progress to a paradigm shift.

Mindfulness and coaching within nature inspire curiosity, clarity, and compassion. Life bursts open with vibrancy when there’s awareness. This results in a feeling of control and balance, which opens the door for abundant opportunities to flow. On the right track, everyday pressures bear less weight. The frequency elevates, and good vibes result. The cycle is no longer a downward spiral! Instead, each day is a living testimony to the ever-evolving attraction of what’s authentic alignment.

NatureMind Coaching is rooted in principles akin to inquiry, cohesiveness, and love. It’s for those who aren’t afraid to explore Where The Sidewalk Ends or for those who seek to reignite the Light in the Attic. So if you feel like you’re Falling Up or you’re on the last limb of your Giving Tree - reach for Mindy.

MINDY DOW

mindy@naturemindcoaching.com

(413) 464-1362 | naturemindcoaching.com

Make an Impact for Mom

Memorable ways to celebrate the mother figure in your life

The moms and the mother figures in our lives mean everything to us. They deserve the best every day, of course. But at least one day out of the year, we get to shower them with the same love and thoughtfulness they give to us so selflessly.

This year, we hope you’ll consider some memorable ways to make lasting memories with the mom or mother figure in your life. If you haven’t already planned something special, take a look at our list of ideas and circle your favorites. If you have kids, let them join in the fun too!

Whether you decide to spend a day at home or enjoy a day on the town, these innovative celebration ideas will include fun for the whole family and make Mom feel loved. Whatever activity or surprise you land on to show your mom, wife, sister or maternal figure your appreciation for all they do, the most important thing is that you all get to spend some quality time together.

Take a Flower Arranging Class Mother’s Day arrives just as spring is in full bloom. Take advantage of the season by going to a flower arranging class with mom.

Play a Family Board Game

If Mom likes strategizing, challenge her to a friendly board game competition. (And, no, you don’t have to let her win just because it’s Mother’s Day.)

Pick Your Own Fruit

This activity is especially fun if you have a lot of kids who want to get in on the action. Then, when you all get home, you can whip up a treat for Mom with your selections. (Maybe give her a strawberry in a Champagne glass while she waits.)

Book Her a Weekend Away

There’s no day like Mother’s Day to be impulsive! Book a weekend trip for the two of you at a cute B&B in a city Mom has always wanted to visit.

Complete a Jigsaw Puzzle

Find a puzzle with an image you know your mom will love (or make a custom one using a photo of the two of you) and put it together over wine and snacks. You’ll be amazed at how much chatting you can get done while puzzling.

Get Theater Tickets

Go to a play or a musical — lots of towns even host outdoor theater events.

Invite Her To High Tea

Whether you make the brews and treats yourself or head out to an official tea house, Mom will love sipping her beverage out of fancy china and snacking on tea sandwiches.

events

A curated selection of the most intriguing upcoming events in our area.

4th Annual Baby Goat Day

EASTHAMPTON FEED, 18 MECHANIC ST, EASTHAMPTON | 10:00AM

Bring the family and come join us for a bit of fun and frolicking with this spring’s baby goats brought by Sage Meadow Farm! There will be activities for the little ones and food trucks & baby goat snuggling for all. Free Event - accepting donations to the Easthampton Community Center. Get to know the fine folks at Easthampton Feed & Sage Meadow Farm!

Collider!Fest 2023

BOMBYX CENTER FOR ARTS & EQUITY, 130 PINE ST, NORTHAMPTON, MA | 5:30 PM

Afrobeat, rumba, merengue, joropo, Ethiopian groove, gqom. Call the fire department, because this one is going to be hot! The two-day event runs the full length of Bombyx with Neftali Duran’s Oaxacan cooking, hyperlocal beers, and ciders crafted by Florence-based brewers, Spin That! Records’ fair on Saturday, and workshops of all kinds. Full details online bombyx.live/collider-fest.

Spin ‘n Sip

ROOTS CYCLE, 181 ROOT RD, WESTFIELD | 6:30 PM

Join us for our annual Spin ‘n Sip event! Ride from 6:30-7:15 with beverage tasting from 7:15-8:00pm. Book your ride at rootscycle.com or call 413-568-2782.

9th Anniversary Party

ABANDONED BUILDING BREWERY, 142 PLEASANT ST, EASTHAMPTON | 12:00 PM

Come join us for an outdoor beer garden with live music, food trucks and special beer releases. Contact us at 413-203-2537 or visit abandonedbuildingbrewery.com for more info.

Paradise City Arts Festival

THREE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, 54 OLD FERRY RD, NORTHAMPTON | 10:00 AM

An amazing collection of 220 selectively curated artists and makers come to Northampton, Massachusetts for three days of astounding visual arts, eye-popping design, scrumptious food, and music under the Festival Dining Tent featuring special events and great fun. Full information at festivals.paradisecityarts.com