It takes a strong stomach—and an even stronger sense of perseverance—to run an animal sanctuary. Though the glossy brochures for well-known sanctuaries like Best Friends in Kenab, Utah, have helped popularize the concept and made these centers look like grass-and-woodland paradises (and have even helped make Best Friends a vacation destination), the day-to-day work that…
In 1533, when Francisco Pizzaro and his band of not-so-merry Spanish conquistadors captured Cuzco, Peru, they were so awestruck by the gold and silver masks, statues, and jewelry they uncovered that they failed to recognize the most treasured possessions of the Inca: fine textiles made from the soft, durable fiber of the alpaca. The Inca,…
Go back to school with the Hudson River Exchange’s signature series of marketing classes and business and creativity-recharging workshops, especially for small- and creative-business owners, artists, and artisans. This year, I’m gearing up to teach three info-packed classes on October 10 and 19: Take Your Business to the Next Level with a Vision & Mission…
The baking aisle of the grocery store has changed little since the post–World War II mass introduction of prepackaged cake mixes (the first handful of quick mixes actually appeared nearly 15 years earlier). Sarah Jones surveyed their dusty shelves and realized there had to be a better way. A hobby baker since childhood, Jones had…
For decades, Lenox has been known as the home of world-class concerts, theater, and historic houses. If Cassandra Sohn has anything to say about it, it will soon be known as the hub of visual arts in the Berkshires. Sohn, a photographer and the owner of Sohn Fine Art in heart of Lenox, as well…
Kathryn and Mike Pisco always wanted to take epic trips abroad before they started a family. They’d talked about it dozens of times, planned, talked some more, and had even been saving money. But between their busy corporate jobs and never seeming to find the perfect time, their goal felt like it was moving…
When most people want a challenge, they change their workout routine, take up a hobby, or ask for a work promotion. When Tom Nardacci wants a challenge, he gives a $1.5-million makeover to a derelict historical building and starts a brand-new company: the Troy Innovation Garage, a combination coworking space and business incubator in…
Confession time: I am spoiled. For the past 17 years, I’ve lived in the rural-est of rural neighborhoods, down a road-less-traveled, dead-end gravel street, on 7.5 acres, surrounded by white pine woods and hay fields, and expanses of sky so wide-open, it seems as if I can breathe in all the constellations on…
As a copywriter who has a decent digital presence, I get all manner of spammy offers through my website. Between the standard junk-mail pitches for attaining the elusive number 1 rank in Google search, growing my followers by the trillions in just thirty days, and boosting my income with Viagra sales, I’m seeing a…
In 2009, after reading Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, lifelong theatre artist and educator Kristen van Ginhoven had a lightbulb moment. What if she could apply the same concept of supporting women’s rights through economic opportunity to the theatre? She founded WAM Theatre that…