History

Ben Slaminsky told that to his daughters, Jane and Marcia, many years ago.  He knew better than to have customers walk out of their Main Street store with something they wouldn’t like.  The women have continued their father’s insistence on personalized service, that has kept Ben’s going since 1932. 

The store opened as an Army/Navy Store in 1932, the year of FDR’s election, a year lodged between the stock market crash of 1929 and the impending war in Europe. 

When the store opened, older brother, George was the owner and Benny was his employee. After the war, Ben who had enlisted in the Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge married Ruth from New Jersey and bought out his brother…George opened another Army/Navy Store in Great Barrington.

In 1970, Ben doubled the size of the store and changed the name to “Ben’s”. He came to the store everyday until his death in 1985. Daughters, Jane and Marcia continued the family tradition until 2016.

In 2016, the store was bought by Sean and Tracy Stephen of Stockbridge, MA. They have kept the small town feel and connection with locals and have enlisted the help of their daughters to keep the store in the family.