PITTSFIELD — Fenn Street is becoming a hub of activity thanks to a local co-op working to meet the needs of the neighborhood.
Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc. now owns a series of storefronts that run from 117 to 129 Fenn St. and is filling the block with community spaces, classrooms and a food pantry. They also plan to reopen the beloved ice cream spot King Kone at 133 Fenn St., which they purchased in September 2023.
The most recent change has been the opening of Mercado de Vida, a community space and food pantry at 119 Fenn St.
The space is the first in a series of the newly purchased Fenn Street properties to open, as organizers work to transform it into a community-owned ecosystem.
Michael Hitchcock and Nicole Fecteau, board directors of Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds, said the co-op purchased the building for $230,000. It is currently the only part of the building that is in working order for the co-op’s operations, but the organizers have big plans for the rest of the space.
The mission is to increase working class participation and ownership of the land, natural resources, economy and culture, Fecteau said. Which is a huge mission, really.
Its operation is much the same as it was before at its previous location at 5 Melville St.: providing a place for people to share a meal and spend time. It is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday; and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
The space is a classroom by design, where modern dance and Spanish lessons are taught by co-ops members and community partners. But shelves along the walls are lined with canned goods and nonperishable food, and community fridges and freezers stand ready for those who need them.
It comes down to meeting the community’s immediate needs, Hitchcock said.
The reason we have a food pantry here is because that’s what the community needs, and the community cannot appreciate our more abstract, intellectual, cultural offerings if they’re just plain hungry, Hitchcock said.
The space is especially meant to offer refuge to the most vulnerable populations in Berkshire County, Hitchcock said, and offer resources to help.
There is desperate poverty here on uncounted people, Hitchcock said. A lot of Latino migrants and homeless people.
The ultimate goal is to string together several community spaces and services in the Fenn Street corridor. Next door to Mercado de Vida, the co-op hopes to open a community kitchen with commercial-grade equipment that chefs can rent out.
Fecteau said La Cocineras Latinas, a producer co-op that is part of Roots Dreams and Mustard Seeds, has about 24 displaced chefs that need a place to cook. She’s working on a state grant to furnish the space with commercial kitchen equipment.
The chefs, they just need to plug in somewhere, Fecteau said. And kitchens are really expensive; the shared kitchen, I think, would help more people than we know right now.
Beside that, a people’s art gallery will give local talents a place to showcase their work. The gallery will also function as a maker’s space that community members can use.
The co-op also owns the building that houses Rem Roc’s Fried Chicken and Soul Food at 117 Fenn St., but has no plans of displacing the business. Hitchcock and Fecteau said an apartment above the restaurant may be used for affordable housing in the future, but it is currently occupied.
With the help of $200,000 in Community Preservation Act grants, the team is working to fix the roof, foundation and electrical in some parts of the building, Fecteau said.
The co-op also recently bought King Kone, the storied ice cream business at 133 Fenn St., and plans to continue serving up ice cream cones under a co-op model that gives equitable ownership to employees.
The soft-serve spot will function almost identically, with only a few changes: they want to bring back the small statue of King Kong holding an ice cream cone and put a fresh coat of paint on it. The King Kong statue is a passion of Hitchcock’s — he said it was emblematic of his childhood.
The co-op also wants to add more outdoor seating and plans to reopen when spring rolls around.
We are keeping King Kone open, and it is substantially the same as it has been since I was a kid, Hitchcock said. It’s going to have big ice cream cones with low prices, window service. We don’t want to change almost anything about it.
