‘A great little spot’

B y H eat H er B ellow clude live music but will keep an eye on the noise levels so people aren’t overwhelmed or drowned out when the visit.

Several seats feature outlets for patrons to charge their phones or sit and send off a couple emails if they’re stopping in for a midday drink.

Community is a deep part of Real’s brewing process as well. Hot Plate sources its malt locally from Turner Hill Malting Co. in South Egremont, Valley Malt in Hadley and Hudson Valley Malt in New York.

During the harvest months, Real turns to a local CSA for fruits and vegetables that serve as the backbone of new recipes and experimental brews.

Grains spent from the brewing process are given to local farmers to use as feed for their stock. Real said one farmer has already shown their gratitude with the gift of a couple of steaks.

The couple said they realize the dream they’ve been carrying from Brooklyn hasn’t become a reality off of their hard work alone. They credit Mayor Linda Tyer, Business Development Manager Michael Coakley and the team they put together as well.

“We would not be here without their emotional support as well as their financial support,” Real said, referencing the funding assistance from the Allegrone Cos., their landlord, MassDevelopment and the city’s economic development fund.

“We just want to build a place for people to come in, and we hope that knowing that a brewery can be here that other businesses will be willing to take a chance as well,” Real said.

The Berkshire Eagle

GREAT BARRINGTON — Before they ever met, Sara Brown and Leland Kent both worked at the same Pittsfield flower shop owned by Brown’s late sister.

Now the couple’s love of flowers, herbs and their handmade creations like tinctures and salves has led them to open their own shop on Main Street next to the town’s Housatonic River Walk.

“It’s a great little spot,” Brown said.

It’s also a love story in more ways than one.

The couple first opened Green Branch Urban Farm Apothecary & Provisions on Valentine’s Day last year, then closed to continue renovations until Mother’s Day. They have been growing and making various herbal products for Green Branch since 2016 and selling them from their home in Housatonic.

“We grow our own herbs or we forage,” Kent said. Some customers still pick up products from the couple’s Housatonic home.

Brown and Kent are both Berkshire County natives who say gardening runs in their blood.

Bridget Brown, the owner of Pittsfield’s Berkshire Flower Co. — who died in 2018 — was Sara’s sister. Sara and Leland learned after they had met that they both had once worked at Bridget’s Pittsfield shop.

Fast forward, and the couple “stumbled across” this Main Street Victorian, Sara said.

They gutted part of the lower level, restored the wood floors and installed the cabinets that harken to a 19th century apothecary.

They sell their homemade herbal tinctures and oils as well as products for digestion and skin care. They also offer some from other small companies near and far.

They are continuing to expand their offerings and those include fresh flowers, potted plants, Mexican-made planters — “The Original PotHead” — as well as sage bundles and palo santo wood for uses that include smudging out evil spirits.

Soon the large glass jars behind the counter will be filled with bulk herbs and teas, Brown noted. They also sell antique glassware and vintage ceramics.

“We’re building it all out,” she said. “We’re continuing to evolve.”

The couple buys fresh-cut flowers and plants from nearby growers like Anna Mack at Wild and Cultivated in Sheffield and Great Barrington-based Naomi Blumenthal.