BUSINESS MONDAY: Spotlight on Purple Plume—Closing while still at the top of its game – The Berkshire Edge

Purple Plume, a popular anchor store at 35 Church Street in the center of Lenox, will be closing at the end of September.

The store, which has been in business for over four decades, sells women’s fashions, jewelry, and other accessories as well as cards and gift items. Its motto is “Where art meets fashion.”

Owner Judie Culver said she made the decision to close for purely personal reasons.

“As a business the store is totally viable and successful,” she said. “We have a huge customer base, and it is profitable. I could have continued to operate it indefinitely. But I’ve been in business for 43 years, and I simply decided that the time has come to retire, while I’m still healthy. The store is my baby and I love my customers and hate to leave it. But I see this as a positive step, and I’m moving on to a new chapter.”

Culver, who lives in West Stockbridge, said she has many plans for her retirement.  “There is a lot I want to do,” she said. “I’m going to spend time with my family. I have a yard that I love, and I’ll be working on that. I also enjoy activities like hiking and biking and ballroom dancing. There are a lot of books I want to read. My husband and I also intend to travel and are planning a trip to New Zealand.”

Culver has placed the business on the market and is hoping to find a buyer before closing. “I’d prefer to find someone who will take it over,” she said. “But whether or not that happens, we will close at the end of September.”

She added that if someone does purchase it, the new owner will likely close the store for the winter and put their own stamp on it.

In the meantime, Purple Plume is holding a clearance sale through September.

Culver grew up in Worcester, and moved to the Berkshires in 1975, when she got a teaching job here.

“I wanted to live in western Massachusetts, and applied for teaching jobs west of Springfield,” she recalled. “I fell in love with the Berkshires.”

She married John Culver, who is now a retired teacher.

She made the transition to retailing after she lost her job during layoffs that occurred as a result of the passage of Proposition 2 ½, which reduced education budgets.

She was a crafter with an interest in both sewing and jewelry. “I had been selling my work at a weekly market in West Stockbridge,” she said.

That led her to arrange with the Gifted Child, a store in downtown Lenox to share a space in a section of the current site of Brava, a restaurant on Church St.

She named her business Purple Plume due to her original specialty, which was jewelry with attached bird feathers. “Plume is the French word for feather, and purple has a personal meaning for me,” she said. “So I combined them.”

The business subsequently grew, and she moved into successively larger quarters at a couple of locations before settling into her current 2000 square foot storefront on the corner of Church and Housatonic streets in 1988.

She also expanded her inventory and suppliers to include women’s clothing, fashion accessories, and a variety of gift items, including games and cards.

She has experienced many changes in retailing in Lenox over the years.

“When I started the business in 1981, it was the beginning of the retail boom in Lenox,” she said. “There were only a small number of shops and restaurants, and the season of sales was limited. Since then it has grown substantially as the Berkshires has become an important destination for culture and other activities.”

She added that it has also increased seasonally. “Back then there was very little business outside of the summer,” she said. “Now, while it is still slower in certain months, Lenox is more of a year-round shopping destination. The cultural venues have extended their seasons, and with skiers and second homeowners, and an increase of local customers, there is more of a market throughout the year. “

The store has a staff of six full- and part-time people, depending on the season.

Nevertheless, said Culver, there have been many challenges for Lenox businesses. “We’ve outlasted many businesses,” she said. “I’d estimate that about 60 stores have come and gone since we started.”

Despite the overall growth trend, she said, there have also been difficult periods often depending on the fluctuations of the national economy. “We’ve survived through several eras, including a stock market crash, and other national financial crises. And we’ve seen competition from malls that have opened and closed. And most recently, COVID was a significant problem for all businesses.”

She attributed the longevity of Purple Plume to several factors.

“People appreciate our selection and value,” she said. “My goal has always been to make it possible to buy beautiful clothing and jewelry and accessories at a reasonable price. There is also a good variety and it’s fun to shop here. We have some of the funniest cards around, for example.”

She also said the store emphasizes personal customer service. “We’re friendly and we treat everyone the same,” she said. “We also give honest opinions to customers about the items they are considering. Customers appreciate that. People tell us that coming to the store is a relaxing and refreshing experience.  Those who come to Lenox regularly from out of town say that they always plan a stop here on their visits.”

She added that they are also oriented to local residents. “People who live nearby stop in regularly,’ she said. “We also support local charities and organizations.”

Culver also said flexibility is important. “When there are difficult times, such as an economic downturn you have to tighten your belt and make adjustments to get through it,” she said.

For example, she noted, during the peak of the COVID pandemic, she made changes to her mix of inventory. “More people were working from home and having Zoom meetings rather than meeting in person,’ she said. “Customers told us that they had to look good on camera from the waist up. So I placed more emphasis on clothing tops.”

While she will no longer be a fixture in downtown Lenox, Culver emphasized that she will continue to be an active member of the community. “I’m not moving anywhere else,” she said. “Berkshire County is home.”