N. •

Travel

Antiques And A Getaway
In Great Barrington

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Abrams Antiques in Great Barrington, Mass.

BARBARA KINGSTONE
Special to The Jewish News

ust let me loose in the
Berkshire Mountains in
Massachusetts for one week-
end, and I'd be a very happy
camper. Actually, more likely that I'd
become a very poor but more
informed antique collector.
Great Barrington seems to be the
center of the universe for great
antiques, and not too far away is
Lenox and another great shop. There
are three incredibly terrif-
ic antique stores dealing
with seriously major col-
lections of silver, crystal,
glass, china and, of
course, furniture which
happen to be owned by
three very savvy and suc-
cessful Jewish women.
My first stop was at
the eight-year-old, Elise
Abrams Antiques — fine
antiques for dining, the
sign says. "Our specialty is every-
thing and anything related to fine
dining," the salesperson tells me.
They have the reputation of having
the most complete sets of antique
porcelain and stemware in first-rate
condition in the United States. The
oldest piece just happens to be an
antique Chinese vase from the 1700s
but it's the English and French din-
ner and dessert sets that just about

take your breath away plus the art
glass.
Some of the rare dinner sets
ranked into the $7,000 price range
while sideboards were in the $15,000
(Canadian) area. Located at 11
Stockbridge Road on Route 7, this is*
a very large and well stocked store.
The prices may seem out of sight but
the quality is exceptional.
Just down the road is the Country
Dining Room, 178 Main Street
where Sheila Chefetz presides over
the classiest selection of everything
for the dining room but
with a different eye. At
her shop, over eight-
years-old, her salespeople
tell me that she was really
here before Elise.
Competition reigns
supreme. Chefetz, author
of Antiques for the Table,
with another book on the
subject of tableware just
about to be published, has
integrated an amazing cor-
ner filled with extraordinary table
clothes, napkins, place mats, napkin
rings which she his made up in the
various countries she visits. "It's hard
to find outlets for good linens any-
more," Tom tells me. He's the type of
employee that everyone wants —
friendly, personable and knowledge-
able. He pulls out Thai silk that has
been rolled and woven into beautiful
placemats. Other eyecatchers are the

It's an
ant ique
shop per's
Para dise.