Mary Merselis opened a crafters and artisan gallery on Water Street.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mary Merselis does not figure to get rich operating her new store on Water Street.

 

But she does want to provide a venue to promote the rich variety of local artisans and crafters producing unique works throughout Williamstown and beyond.

 

"Our point in running this business was not to make it profitable to us but to make it profitable for people to sell things," she explained during a break from setup earlier this month.

 

"If we can cover our costs ... that would be fine. Right now, the people who sell here get a lot of their profit back. We'll see how that works. Maybe it doesn't, but I think it will. The vendors here seem to be happy, so far.

 

"We'd like to make it stable."

 

Merselis opened the Mountain Goat Artisan Gallery at 130 Water St. at the end of August, but the grand opening will be on Saturday, Sept. 27, a celebration that will include food provided by the Goat's neighbor, Water Street Grill.

 

For shoppers who have not yet discovered the gallery, it will be the perfect time to check out the furniture, stained glass, woven goods, pottery, quilts and more that have issued from studios throughout Northern Berkshire County, Pownal, Vt., and nearby New York.

 

"I think an awful lot of what Mary is trying to do down there," Williamstown potter Tim Duncan said. "It's the only place in town that operates the way it does — giving smaller artisans and part-time artisans an outlet, a place to display their work and possibly sell their work. I would say there probably isn't any other place like this in Berkshire County.

 

"There are other galleries ... but the model is different. If my item sells in a gallery, the gallery might get 50 percent. [At the Mountain Goat], the artisan gets 95 percent of the selling price."

 

Merselis charges artisans a flat monthly rate — currently $25 per month, though she'll re-evaluate that after the first of the year. After that, she just takes out 5 percent of the purchase price to cover credit card fees and other overhead.

 

Duncan said the arrangement is ideal for someone like himself.

 

"I'm a full-time teacher," he said. "I don't have all day to make art, but I love to make art, and I love that there's a way for it to get some exposure in town for a reasonable fee.

 

"I can't say enough about what she's trying to do. ... I don't know how she's going to make any money at the present rate, but I'm glad to have my stuff ina  storefront at a beautiful space."

 

Right now, Merselis, a retired nurse, is the store's only employee. And it helps that she and her husband own the building, which generates income from an apartment rental upstairs.

 

"At one time, we were thinking of selling it, but now that we've had it painted and fixed up, we want to keep it, and we wanted to find something to put downstairs that would be interesting and useful," she said. "We came up with the idea of a gallery for upscale crafts."

 

In addition to selling their goods, the crafters will be sharing their skills.

 

"Several of the vendors would like to do classes for people," Merselis said. "We have space downstairs where they could do classes, or they could do it up here in nice weather. They could do classes in weaving, knitting, basket making. ... We're thinking about doing that after the holiday rush."

 

Prior to the advent of the gallery, Merselis' son and his partner operated the Mountain Goat Outdoor Specialty Store at the site. Mary Merselis had a simple reason for keeping part of the name.

 

"They've got a nice sign out front," she said.

 

People still come to the shop looking for outdoor gear — especially hikers on the Appalachian Trail, who have used the back yard of the property as an overnight campsite for years and continue to do so, Merselis said.

 

Sitting on the deck overlooking that yard and the Green River, Merselis said it was daunting to open a new business with no retail experience, but she benefited from those who do.

 

"I've received a great deal of help," she said. "Many of the people who are selling int he store have online sites or have had stores before. Amy Bryan up the way at The Cottage has been helpful. My son, who has retail experience, has been helpful."

 

Merselis said the Water Street merchants are all supportive of one another as they look to build a business district that often is overshadowed by its better known neighbor to the west.

 

"Jeff Hudson, who has the Hudson Gallery, has just petitioned the town to put a sign at the bottom of Spring Street saying there are more stores over here," she said. "We have The Cottage, which is very successful. Then we have the two spas, Molly's [Molly Kerns' Tsubo Massage] and Marc Freedman's [InTouch Massage], who have been very helpful to me. We have, of course, three eating places — Water Street Grill, Hobson's Choice and Hot Tomatoes.

 

"There are several places over here, but you have to walk 'all the way' down from Spring Street. We do have parking, though, lots of parking.

 

"If the Cable Mills project goes through, we expect there will be more people here."