News & Updates

Issue 8: September 17, 2025

This month: Hexagon Bagels Prepares for its Launch; Mass Cultural Council Awards $5K to support Hatchlings; MassDevelopment wants to hear from small businesses, and more!

From Market to Main: Hexagon’s Next Chapter

The future home of Hexagon Bagels, on Main Street in North Adams, still has kraft paper on the windows, but the reimagining of the space proceeds steadily toward a planned opening in October!

What’s the latest?

Patrick here, co-owner with Nicholas of Hexagon. We are excited to be the new stewards of the fascinating, long and narrow downtown space that we hope will soon be a bustling cafe and bagel shop. Hexagon is currently awaiting bakery equipment, notably ovens and a walk-in cooler, with opening roughly scheduled for the middle of October. With our opening, we hope to celebrate community support of our business and to enjoy even greater energy bringing folks together in downtown North Adams.

What are you most excited about?

While we have utterly enjoyed bringing our business to the farmers market and meeting countless bagel fans, there is more we can do with a brick-and-mortar location. We look forward to welcoming many more folks to enjoy food in our shop and/or to take home bagels, bread, or baked goods made with care (and with regionally grown grains!). Having production and the cafe located in one spot allows us to walk to work every day! We are beyond ready to transform the time currently spent on preparing and transporting equipment/supplies (minimum 8 hours each week) into time spent in our community.

What do you wish you’d known when you started?

Thinking about our evolution from home bakers to bagel makers now producing 3,000+ bagels per month, we are glad to have been patient with imperfect but practical rented kitchens and to improve our products and our business practices. Nonetheless, we would have benefited from focusing more on raising capital for this project. Relying on personal and business finances has slowed the buildout process and limited the equipment Hexagon is able to access for opening.

That said, we hope for a strong start and continued support of what we do (which will be more than at the farmers market!). Community support has fueled us entirely, up to this point, and it will allow us to stay in business on Main Street, to feed more sourdough, sandwiches, etc. to neighbors and visitors, and to bring on more local folks to be part of a fun and productive team. 

Mass Cultural Council Awards $5k Grant to Support Hatchlings

The North Adams Partnership is excited to announce that Hatchlings, a solar-powered public art installation by artist Vanessa Till Hooper and Studio HHH, has been awarded a $5,000 Creative Experiences grant from the Mass Cultural Council.

First installed on the Eagle Street Parklet in May 2025, the nine glowing pavilions—each shimmering with programmable lights—have quickly become a downtown landmark. With this new support, Hatchlings will feature additional creative programming, giving residents and visitors even more opportunities to gather, explore, and enjoy this unique installation.

Originally commissioned for Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway, Hatchlings reimagines the iconic Hatch Memorial Shell as nine “baby shells.” Each structure is solar or hybrid-powered, self-supporting, weather-resistant, and ADA-accessible, designed to welcome all community members into playful, safe, and inspiring spaces.

The next activation will take place during First Fridays on October 3, with performances by MCLA students beginning at 7pm.

Small & Smart ADU Design Challenge Accepting Submissions

The North Adams Partnership invites residents, students, and designers to submit creative, cost-effective, and accessible ADU designs for the Small & Smart ADU Design Challenge. Winning submissions will be shared publicly to help homeowners envision, plan, and build housing that meets their needs.

Entries are due October 15—submit your vision to help shape North Adams’s housing future!

Questions?
Visit our FAQ page or contact adu@northadamspartnership.org.

Celebrate with us!

The new North Adams Partnership turns one next month, and we want to celebrate with you!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 9 from 5–7.
Enjoy great company, light snacks, a glimpse into what we’ve been up to this year, and a look ahead at what’s next for the Partnership. See you at 90 Main!

MassDevelopment wants to hear from you!

Are you a small business in Massachusetts? Mass Development wants to hear from you! Share your voice in this quick survey—help shape better support programs and enter to win one of ten $500 gift cards!

Help a small business right now!

Have you had a good experience with a small business in North Adams? Write them a ★★★★★ Google review! Here’s how to get the most out of your review:

1. Be specific. What did you order? What did you love about the experience you had? The more specific your feedback, the more relatable and helpful it will be to others.

2. Add photos. Google prioritizes reviews with photos, so adding a photo of your meal or cappuccino will ensure more people see it.

3. Name names if you can! Calling out someone by name highlights their effort and makes them feel valued.

Leaving a positive Google review takes five minutes but can have a huge collective impact on the small business community.

Share your updates!

If you have an update about a development project in North Adams or you are involved with an initiative helping to grow North Adams, we’d love to share it in our next monthly newsletter! Submit by clicking on the button below.