Photo by Henry Amistadi
February 15, 2019 will mark the start of my fourth year in my office in the Business Office Suites at Thornes Marketplace on Main Street in Northampton. Some call Thornes, “the center of town,” and for me these past three years, it certainly has been the center of my world.
In 2016, my colleagues in The Creative, Janice Beetle and Maureen Scanlon, were very supportive of moving my office from my home to this light-filled space with high ceilings and marvelously creaky solid wood floors on the third floor of Thornes. It has also served as the “sales office” for The Creative. Maureen didn’t even need see the place before I signed the lease. “Sounds perfect, nope don’t need to see it.” Boy was she right.
I have loved this office. Right in the center of downtown, all the services you’d ever want. The Business Offices Suites sport a full kitchen, large bathroom with a mural custom-painted by Donna Estabrooks, super-friendly office neighbors, and the Thornes staff: the BEST. They are there to help you with whatever you need whenever you need it.
Countless meetings of The Creative were held here, as were client meetings—both in the office and the Thornes Office conference room. Heck, Janice, Maureen, and I even threw an open house and exhibit opening of Paul Shoul’s United Way photos when I first moved in!
Three years later, and my life is taking a turn off this creative highway onto a new blue highway. About the same time I mark the end of my third year at Thornes, I will be marking an even bigger milestone: I will become a grandmother to my son and daughter-in-law’s baby to be born in Maryland in February. I will also be celebrating a rather significant birthday of my own this spring. Both of these life changes are beckoning me to put more family and travel time into my life and less work and office time.
So, I am giving up my beloved office at Thornes and moving back to my home office. More free time and less work time leans on my Scottish side, “If you aren’t going to be working in this office five days a week, Ruth, then you can’t justify paying for it.”
Okay, okay. I’ll leave, but don’t be surprised if you see me downstairs some morning at Share coffee, chatting it up with one of my Thornes buds.
So my space is available. Give it a look. Or, follow Maureen’s cue, and scoop it up sight unseen!
