Tracy and Sam Haupt inside their new shop, Sugar & Thyme, on Church Street in Lenox.( Gregory Cherin)
Sugar & Thyme 65 Church Street • 413-496-1858
A Church Street boutique with a“ Berkshires vibe” might sound like a pitch, but Sugar & Thyme embodies it— naturally. Although it may be new to Lenox, the place is already thick with local DNA, thanks to owners Tracy and Sam Haupt. Sam is a Lenox native who, with Tracy, made the cross-country retreat in 2020.“ We call ourselves COVID refugees,” they say— only half joking.
Pre-pandemic, the couple spent their days as directors of a mini empire in Denver: 14 restaurants with 623 employees in a city with round-the-clock buzz. Then, as the story went for many businesses, suddenly, the doors closed. Enter Sam’ s mother, Lynda Strauch, of Lenox’ s WIT Gallery, who announced she was ready to retire— and to shutter Concepts of Art, her shop revered for its eclectic Judaica curation.
Cue reinvention. Tracy and Sam pounced, determined to keep a cherished storefront alive and adding their spin along the way. They traded urban grind for the small-town thrum of the Berkshires and swapped big-city logistics for Church Street’ s main-character energy. Was it daunting?“ Best. Decision. Ever,” they say.
Sugar & Thyme is less shop, more modern mercantile: Local artists on the walls, shelves stacked with clever finds, and the kind of host gifts you’ ll want to keep for yourself. There’ s a rack of witty Lenox and Berkshires-inspired hoodies, tees, and hats— designed by the couple, just for creative extra credit. The vibe? A wink of edge and urban cool with a dose of Berkshire’ s charm and hospitality.
Insider tip: grab a business card while in store. That QR code on the back unlocks the couple’ s perpetually updated cheat sheet of to-dos and must-sees around the Berkshires. Whether you’ re a local or just passing through, consider it your golden ticket.
— Heather Dunhill
Holiday 2025 2023 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 81