Let’s visit Walker Street Market in Lenox, MA
Madeline and I took a quick trip to the Berkshires last weekend, staying at The Porches in North Adams, just across the street from MassMoCA. Mornings started with coffee by the pool, an afternoon at the museum, followed by great food and the best ice cream! We’d planned to visit The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home, but it closed early for a special event — so we redirected to Walker Street Market in Lenox instead. The shop had opened just three weeks before our visit, and already it seemed like everyone had something to say about it.
From the street, Walker Street Market gives little away. If visiting after hours, the beautiful storefront windows will have you wanting to come back. Step inside, and the shop unfolds like a house with something new around every corner.
The first surprise is a long, curved bench just as you walk into the space, its shape softening the transition from sidewalk to shop and setting the tone for everything that follows: nothing here is arranged on a grid. Instead, the space breaks into a series of smaller rooms, each very distictly different, but still all part of the bigger picture. Walking around feels more like exploring a home than browsing a store.
Light does a lot of the work. It’s a bright space from all the natural light flooding in, and then there are the lamps, pendants, and sconces throughout, catching the curves of glass vessels filled with Queen Anne’s Lace and other wildflowers — a recurring, understated touch that softens every room and space.
I could not help but notice the bathroom with the door ajar. The dramatic all-black paint on the walls and ceiling, the lighting, brass fixtures- so pretty!
Waker Street Market rewards patience. Go slowly, room by room, until the whole layout starts to make sense as a single, quietly composed experience. This is a shop that will no doubt change with the seasons. I cannot wait to return in the fall when the bundles of green tree branches in large vases become fall colors!
More Sunday Favorites
TKEES Shoes
Are you familiar with TKEES ballet flats and flip-flops? If you’re looking for a pair of buttery-smooth flats that are comfortable right out of the box, check out the Reese Ballet flats. I wore mine without socks, but I’ll definitely pair them with socks like these come winter. They’re so comfortable and lightweight — great for travel!
I’ll also tuck the flip-flops into my suitcase to wear in hotels. Better than slippers! You can wear them to the pool, to breakfast, to grab a coffee…
Outfit of the Week
Left to right: White Light-weight Oxford // Warby Parker Sunglasses // TKEES Ballet Flats // Chanel #99 Red Lipstick // Red Suede Bag // Neil Harringbone Pant in Chocolate Brown // Roxanne Assouline Cord Charm Necklace // Alex Mill Weekday Tote
On the right, I am wearing the Neil harringbone pant in gray. I have three pairs of this style, and I love them year-round. I am a huge fan of Warby Parker glasses in general, and just ordered a new pair of sunglasses. The quality for progressive lenses is amazing!
What I read this week
The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza
If you love Paris books as much as I do, this one delivers. It’s a dual-timeline novel weaving together a struggling American artist pulled into a wealthy Paris family’s web of secrets, and — a century earlier — Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law, fighting to prove his genius after inheriting his “worthless” paintings. The two stories collide over a lost painting and a heist at the Musée d’Orsay. Twisty, atmospheric, and very Paris.
Lemon Blondies
This week I joined my friend Elizabeth (Pinceones & Acorns) to share a recipe for a summer bar. I made brown butter peach shortbread bars, but it was Elizabeth’s lemon blondies you all gushed about on Instagram. Get the recipe here!
That store is amazing!! Everything is exquisite.
PS. Love red on you. I’ve been into it too lately.
Mary Ann, you look so good in red. I keep thinking of that red linen 2 piece outfit you have! xx
Gorgeous store Annie, I keep looking at that quilt on the rack and wondering if I should try and make it! Beautiful things I would go back often….
Love the outfit and the red shoes! Happy summer!
Francesca! Are you a quilter? I’m so jealous if you are!! Hope you are enjoying summer in beautiful california! I miss sopending our summers there! xx
Annie! What a fun mother daughter trip. You had me at coffee by the pool. I’d be tempted to stay poolside, but the Walker Street Market is a strong pull. What a charming shopping spot, impossible to leave empty handed. The Tkees ballet flats look great on you … bright pop of red. The flip flops are really fun too. Smart to travel with flip flops in lieu of slippers … I’m going to try that. Happy Sunday! xo
We love a little pool time! It’s how we determined where to stay! It was lovely! xx
That store is fabulous. I could move right in and be extremely happy. About the TKEES, several years ago I had a pair of shoes that were similar but they came rolled up on themselves and had a pouch. I think they were also called TKEES. Do you know if they are the same company?
Hi Kathy, I’m not sure if those are the same. These shoes are flexibe, but not like that. They still have structure like a regualr shoe. The ones you are talking about kind of reminds me of the shoes you could carry in your bag as a back up for when your heels were uncomfortable.