North Adams social and arts hub Heart's Pace will shut down tea service at end of the month, but remain open for massage and body work - The Berkshire

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Heart’s Pace is closing the tea lounge portion of its business and will be expanding healing and bodywork offerings from its Eagle Street location in North Adams.

STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

NORTH ADAMS — Tea time is over.

Heart’s Pace in downtown North Adams will stop its tea service at the end of the month. But the business will remain open, focusing exclusively on massage and body work.



Heart’s Pace owner Beau Barela is closing the tea lounge portion of his business in North Adams and will be expanding the healing and bodywork offerings available at the Eagle Street business.

STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

Founder Beau Barela is moving to Brooklyn with his partner, where they lived before arriving in the Berkshires in 2020. He will split his time between Massachusetts and New York.

Barela and the establishment’s loyal customers have been mourning the loss of the tea room, as it was a haven for many, whether to socialize or work quietly, for almost three years. That was by design, according to Barela, with the first iteration of Heart’s Pace starting at the Burning Man music festival as an island of calm in a sea of chaos.

“One of the greatest joys is hearing people share who they’ve met through the space, and how it’s impacted their social lives in North Adams," Barela said. "I think that’s been one of the most fulfilling aspects of the tea shop.”



Heart’s Pace owner Beau Barela is closing the tea lounge portion of his business in North Adams and will be expanding the healing and bodywork offerings available at the Eagle Street business.

STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

As Barela told The Eagle when he first opened the shop in 2022, not only did it represent a fusion of his personal interests, but it was in answer to a personal problem.

“I really wanted a space for people to be able to come and hang out. And not necessarily a place where people need to go to drink,” Barela said at the time. “Coming to North Adams, I really didn’t feel like there was any place for me to go to write or read a book or just to get out of the house and decompress and chill without having to go to a restaurant that might expect me to order food.”

This tea spot became an example of “third places” — areas outside of a workplace or home that foster social connection. Research shows third places are dwindling nationwide.

Heart’s Pace has been offering massage and body work since a few months into its tenure, and it's built a steady clientele, with 15-20 clients a week. Barela said it’s possible the business will add another room to its current set up to increase availability.



Heart’s Pace is closing the tea lounge portion of its business and will be expanding healing and bodywork offerings from its Eagle Street location in North Adams.

STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

The immediate welcoming of Heart’s Pace into the community surprised Barela. As he put it in a social media post announcing the closing: “When I first opened the shop, I hoped just to cover the rent.”

Thanks to the support of friends, regulars and artists who made the place home, as well as tea servers Merritt Becknell and Téa Caravello, Reiki practitioner Michael Storm, and massage therapists Jenny Odegard and John Deloatch, “Heart’s Pace has become much more than I could’ve hoped for,” Barela said.



Heart’s Pace is closing the tea lounge portion of its business and will be expanding healing and bodywork offerings from its Eagle Street location in North Adams.

STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

The social element of the tea shop, with the goal of creating a gathering place for people following the pandemic, will be missed, as well live music and mocktails, creative workshops and Queer Connections events. But Barela said this move is a pivot for Heart’s Pace, not the end. Barela, who us well-involved in the arts and business world in North County, is a board member at Images Cinema. He also worked with Yina Moore during the design of her inn, The Trail in Adams.

The inviting nature of Heart’s Pace, the deliberate presentation of and remarkable knowledge about tea, have impressed patrons. That in turn led to a number of creative partnerships for Barela, who, when he lived in New York, was a creative director for a women’s wear brand.



Heart’s Pace is closing the tea lounge portion of its business and will be expanding healing and bodywork offerings from its Eagle Street location in North Adams.

STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

Despite the departure of tea service, Barela hopes the now healing-arts-focused business “continues to be a place for folks to enjoy a moment of calm in a crazy world.”