I promised to tell you about Thorne’s Marketplace many months ago, this quirky shopping attraction in the heart of our quirky town of Northampton, before I got sidetracked by summer and visitors and illness. Now that the cold weather’s upon us, it’s time to move indoors and make that long-delayed visit.
First of all, what is it exactly? It isn’t really a department store — if anyone remembers what that is, they seemed to dwindle and die away somewhere around 1980 — because there are many different individual small stores under the one roof behind the green awning. And it isn’t really a mall by my definition — because malls are either nonedescript strip malls of rather dreary stores huddled in a featureless parking lot — or they are multi-story structures with food courts and both vast and tiny stores, many of them chains, the whole huddled in a huge agglomeration of parking lots and garages.
No, no, this is Northampton! And Thornes is different from either of those. It’s situated on a steep hall, so that shoppers at the back enter on subbasement 2 —Cornucopia organic food market is the star here:
while shoppers on Main Street enter at street level, called Level 1, which turns out actually to be level three of the building. Drivers have yet another option: Thornes is connected to the equally quirky parking garage by a glassed-in walkway from the garage’s third level to Thornes ditto.
The spiffy new website for this veteran shopping emporium tells us that “150 Main Street has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of shoppers’ row for more than a century. Pressed tin ceilings, hardwood floors and staircases, and a host of period details give this contemporary shopping center an old world charm that belies its 55,000 square foot size.”
And charming is just the word! Rickety is not the word, although the wooden staircases and banisters and alcoves are exceedingly well worn. But that’s part of its charm. There is an elevator — but I find the stairs more appealing (although it’s tempting to stop off at Booklink for a minute, or a half hour, first):
There’s no food court at Thornes, but you can snack on ice cream (Herrells, basement) and chocolates (Heavenly Chocolates):
or have a full meal at vegetarian-very-friendly-although-not-exclusively Paul & Elizabeth’s. Not to mention Rao’s great coffee, pastries and sandwiches at any time..
And we haven’t even begun to shop yet! Are you tempted by fancy European style women’s boutiques? Try Monella’s:
Prefer something Nordic? There’s Scandihoovians — (And can you spot the window shoppers?)There’s lots more clothes, including clothes for guys, there’s jewelry, there are several shoe stores, there’s a florist, a computer place, Pride and Joy gifts, you can see the whole munificent array on the website. For writers and wannabes, the shop called Noteworthy is a wicked temptation:
And then there’s the Cedar Chest, which is sui generis. I’ve never seen a store quite like it. It sells negligees and pajamas, every scent of fancy soap known to man or woman, pop-up greeting cards of incredible intricacy, rubber duckies ranging from an inch or so to a good six inches, adorned with yachting caps and Statue of Liberty tiaras and anything else that you might dream of — and that’s the teensiest tip of the iceberg. There’s an upstairs, at which point Cedar Chest changes personality and becomes a kitchen store and something else I’ve never explored because I always get lost among the kitchen gadgets until I run out of time.
I don’t know about you, but I can find shopping tense and wearisome and boring. It never is, though, at Thornes, just a delight from beginning to end.
(If you want to refresh yourselves on past posts about the glories of Northampton, try here , and maybe wander back up to the Castle on the Hill, Mr. Forbes’ Library, here and here.)
Lovely photos! You really capture it.
Carl and.I used to take our kids here for part of a day excursion.
So nice to see you!
Maybe us four can do a day excursion like in the Shuster olden days (as our kids used to call those times).
Claudia
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That sounds like a perfectly splendid idea! Let’s do it —
Now what fits in the compass of a November day?????
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Just leave me where those chocolates are!
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They don’t call them heavenly for nothing, Gilly!
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It sounds very interesting market. 🙂
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I think you would like it very much.
And your daughters would like it, too. Especially the rubber ducks for the bathtub, perhaps!
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This looks like a place where I’d love to shop! This post also reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to write about ..the City Market here in SJ.
Good to see the shoppers in the Scandinavian window 🙂
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Just two more Scandihoovians, I guess!
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This looks like a great place to wile away a few pleasurable hours. My husband would say that mannequin in Morella’s is trying to look like me ;-). But then again, his birthday is just around the corner.
Great, enticing shots.
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Thanks, Gemma. Hope you have some neat ideas to celebrate that upcoming birthday — There are always heavenly chocolates!
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I love going to Thornes. Fortunately so does Cass so we go often when I’m there. Maybe you and I should do a munchie tour sometime, though we better hit the bookstore and Noteworthy first so our sticky fingers don’t leave the wrong impression 😉
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Nothing like thinking subtly ahead!
Let’s do it, P —
(Mustn’t leave out the rubber duckies, though. Just to visit.)
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I love those chocolates!!! they look super delicious! ^^
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WYSIWYG — what you see is what you get, they TASTE delicious!
Thanks for visiting —
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“Can you spot the window shoppers?” Why, yes, I can! Hi there! And I ♥ Thorne’s Marketplace, too. Followed by a trip to La Fiorentina for chocolate-shelled cannoli! AHM NOM NOM NOM!
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Didn’t know you traveled this far north for cannoli! 😉
And a Hi right back atcha, Katty!
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The sign of a true local…knowing where the ‘real’ shops are! Looks great.
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It truly is a fun place to shop. (And eat —)
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I just want to ask if you live in Massachusetts?
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Indeed, yes. MA is one of four U.S. states that hold the status of commonwealth. So I live in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts —
Which is pretty classy sounding!
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Charming describes it perfectly! In my opinion, this beats one of those cookie cutter mega malls anytime!
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Yes, indeed.
However I’ll be writing about a cookie cutter mega mall soon — with a curious twist!
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE Thorne’s! The bookstore is a treasure, for sure. I also love the Tibetan store for funky clothes (and an occasional mixed media art accessory). But that chocolate store? One of the most divine pieces of candy I ever had I ate from their decadent display! Thank you for all the good memories!
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Thorne’s is easy to love!
But would you ever (she said timidly) be adventurous enough to lunch at the Tibetan restaurant across the street? I long to do so, but no one, that is NO ONE including Frank) is open to this. We could get a divinely decadent chocolate at Thorne’s for dessert!
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It sounds like we have a date for Tibetan food (and chocolate dessert), my dear!
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December is coming soon. Let me know ASAP so I can
(wait for it ——————)
put it on the calendar on my new iPhone!
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I remember when it used to be McCallum’s department store. I’d upload an old postcard if your site would allow it.
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Alas, it won’t. And I’m absent from my own site as well, due to protracted family illness. But who knows when in the future???? Thank you, Ann.
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