GREENFIELD — After the COVID-19 pandemic prompted her to take a look at the long-term sustainability of her business, Goose Exquisite Thrift owner Astranada Gamsey decided to move in a new direction as an art gallery and “plant magic boutique,” now called Goose Divine Energy.
When Gamsey and her mother, Ve Amorites, opened the thrift store at 223 Main St. — the former site of Mimosa’s Thrift Shop — in 2017, they hoped to be part of a larger effort to bring a market for affordable, gently used items to downtown Greenfield.
As a thrift store, the business sold gently used clothing for men, women and children, as well as books, kitchenware, local artwork and more. The store was named for Amorites, whose son calls her “Mother Goose.”
When Gamsey first started the business, she said she was simply focused on getting a business going and her inventory was predominantly used clothing and shoes, which she took joy in due to her belief in upcycling and recycling. Since the opening of Goose Exquisite Thrift, a lot of similar stores have popped up around Greenfield, which Gamsey believes has benefited the city as a whole.
However, as the years passed, Gamsey found that owning a thrift store was getting physically demanding, as she had to restock the entire store four times a year. According to Gamsey, the COVID-19 pandemic was a big eye-opener, as business owners were forced to look at the sustainability of their inventory. The experience of the prolonged shutdown prompted her to realize that the thrift store wasn’t something that she felt secure in moving forward, and she began to look toward making a change.
Gamsey applied for an Empower Digital Grant through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation. Empower Digital Grants pair applicants with a local digital-savvy professional. She used her grant to redesign and rebrand Goose Exquisite Thrift into Goose Divine Energy.
The opening artist with work now on display is Emily Gaimari. Born in Greenfield, Gaimari is the assistant to Leslie Parke, a veteran artist based in upstate New York, and has returned to her hometown to hone her artistic ability. Gaimari’s work will be displayed through June.
Future artists include Aldo Pizzi, an abstract artist from Charlemont who Gamsey described as creating “very large-scale” art pieces. Pizzi’s work will be displayed from July to August. From September to October, Goose Divine Energy will show the work of Donna Estabrooks.
Gamsey has a history with Estabrooks, who designed the thrift store’s first sign.
“I saw her show next door and thought, ‘This was exactly what I was looking for for my sign,’” Gamsey recalled.
In addition to being an art gallery, Goose Divine Energy also serves as a “plant magic boutique.” Gamsey said she uses the term plant magic instead of plant medicine because “plants are magical. They’ve been used to benefit human well-being throughout the ages.” She feels they can also function as tools to help with the psychological pressures of modern society.
All of the items sold at Goose Divine Energy are local, Gamsey said, with the intent of “supporting all the local creativity and amazing things being made right here.”
Goose Divine Energy is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit gooseexquisitethrift.com.