CHARLEMONT — The building at 97 Main St. has been transformed into a space meant to nurture creativity and imagination. And who better to run such an establishment than a pair of nurses?
Barbara McKenna and Simonne Westort opened Treasures on the Trail, a gift shop and spa at 97 Main St., on Dec. 1 as a way for area craftspeople to gain exposure and sell their items. The two carry products from 33 consignors, and have a backroom with a Himalayan salt generator and a foot care spa.
“We have everything from hand-knit items to artwork to jewelry to hand-turned wood bowls and all kinds of stuff,” McKenna said.
“We like nursing, but just being at a facility is a lot of stress, and we just kind of want to do our own thing to help people in our community,” Westort mentioned.
Westort and McKenna also sell all-natural salves and balms they create in that backroom to assist with people’s pain and skin issues. The custom-made Himalayan salt generator, which resembles a one-person sauna booth, was built in Ukraine and delivered in November. It helps with skin and respiratory issues.
“It’s like being on the beach for three days when you’re in there for, like, a half an hour,” Westort explained. “Just breathing it in — it’s just good for you.”
Partitioned off from the salt generator is a space Westort uses for foot care and massages with AromaTouch essential oils.
McKenna and Westort, who met while working at the former Farren Care Center in Montague, said they have wanted to open this type of business together for 10 to 15 years. They had their eyes on 97 Main St. when Overwatch Outpost — a seller of firearms, ammunition, tackle and live bait, outdoor recreational clothing and archery equipment — moved to Tea Street in Charlemont and rebranded in the fall of last year. Westort said the building, which looks like a residence, was a restaurant years ago and then a different craft and sewing shop.
The two nurses, who live in Charlemont, started renting the building around October and spent a couple of months turning it into a space for craftspeople. They recruit consignors through social media and word of mouth, and also started an online store. The pair said the Christmas shopping season was very busy but it has since slowed.
“Hopefully it will pick back up,” Westort said.
She and McKenna are the shop’s only employees and will run the business during the off-hours of their nursing jobs. Westort works at Buckley HealthCare Center in Greenfield and McKenna is a nurse at Charlene Manor Extended Care, also in Greenfield.
Treasures on the Trail is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. It is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The business has a Facebook page at bit.ly/3Kf1xwQ and two working phone lines, 413-336-4518 and 413-772-9775.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.