Beloved Board Shop in Western Massachusetts Is For Sale

Originally posted on SNOWBOARDER | By Josh Sullivan | Last updated Apr 30, 2025 10:44 AM ET

The Garden, a board shop in western Massachusetts that’s been a vital part of the area’s snowboard and skateboard scene for years, is up for sale.

If a buyer is not found, the 24-year staple of the Berkshire County boarding community will close. The Garden posted a letter on its website, and made note of an “inventory reduction sale.”

“Time stops for no one, and that includes us. A lot has changed for us, and we all have a lot left to accomplish, both personally and professionally. This is the main reason we are choosing to step away,” a letter penned by Bill Whitaker and Luke Kessler says. “There is an amazing community here, and that means there is an incredible opportunity for someone else to take the helm here at the shop.

The decision was made back in March, and announced in a Facebook post. Several potential buyers have come forward, but if the sale is not completed by the end of May, The Garden will close.

In its 24-year existence, it has become a “safe-haven” for local skaters and snowboarders, eventually adding BMX to its shop in 2009. The shop has supported local skaters through rail jams and other events.

“You could walk through the door there and you’re part of a community,” pro BMX rider Jake Seeley told The Berkshire Eagle. “Now they have an open door to a new world of interest … where they feel included and not like a reject.”

While Berkshire County has a number of local ski and snowboard shops including Kenver in Egremont and Berkshire Bike and Board, The Garden is the only boardsports-specific shop in the region. Skaters will be forced to travel nearly an hour to Theory Skate Shop in Holyoke if they The Garden does not find a new buyer.

In 2021, The Garden took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic forcing many people to get new hobbies, and opened up a seasonal shop in nearby North Adams.

This article first appeared on SNOWBOARDER and was syndicated with permission.

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