Lexi Walters Wright News Today

NORTHAMPTON – Three entrepreneurs/business owners in Florence are making waves in the community with a project that showcases the resiliency, leadership, and strength of female entrepreneurs in Florence and Northampton.

‘A magical kid emporium’: Art Always and High Five Books find a dream location "> Charlie MacCallum works on a art project during a art camp offered at Art Always Summer Program, run by Lindsay Fogg-Willits, owner and teacher at Art Always, which shares a space with High Five Books. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS "> Minghan Levine tries to decide which Crooked Stick Pop to buy during break at an art camp offered at Art Always Summer Program. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS "> Lindsay Fogg-Willits, owner...

Published: 4/29/2021 12:24:22 PM Back before the plague, I used to volunteer in my son’s first-grade class at Leeds Elementary School on Fridays. This was a strenuous proposition — a roomful of high-spirited 6- and 7-year-olds bursting with end-of-the-week energy meant that I often went home and had to lie down for a while in a dark room. The very best Fridays, however, were the ones when the Grow Food Kids program arrived with its cooking lesson cart, complete with kale and apples and kniv...

March 17, 2021 After 20 years in the fast-paced publishing industry, Lexi Walters Wright was looking for a change of pace and a job that connected her more with her community. She left her editor position in the spring of 2019 and took 30 days to figure out her path forward. But one thing she knew for certain was that she wanted to connect children and families with books they can see their own story in. “I’ve always been in parenting or children’s publishing, so this was a natural extens...