To the Bulletin: I was very pleased, and not totally surprised, to learn that there is an effort being mounted to save The Amherst Typewriter Store. Wonderful. I was very distressed to learn of Robert Green's troubles, wished to do something, and now I can by making a donation.
- Green has changed our watch batteries.
- When we moved here three years ago, Green had just the right typewriter ribbon for my grandfather, Otto Furth's, manual typewriter left to me in his will. (My grandfather was an Austrian poet and dramatist. He encouraged my writing, the typewriter is full of meaning.)
- The first letter I wrote from Amherst was on that typewriter using that new ribbon.
- The "old cash register" mentioned in the initial article about Green's shop closing came from The House of Walsh, the men's clothing store founded by my husband Jim Holdsworth's grandfather, Thomas Walsh. (The store is now Clay's.)
I hope that Amherst can keep this part of its living history. Many authors in the area use manual typewriters and life will be more difficult for them if Green's shop is forced to close. After so many decades of faithful service, Robert Green surely deserves town support.
It's sad to hear of Mr Green's plight, and I hope he can re-establish his business. I have been by his shop on many occassions and it is a place that has a very exclusive clientele. The problem there is how is Mr. Green going to stay open further down the road? He will not be able to afford that spot much longer even if he can get back in there. I would look for a place that might not be quite so expensive so it maybe easier to conduct business financially. It is great to see there is still someone around that can do this kind of work, but Remember he only has but a handful of customers that requier these skills and products. Of the letters you posted how many of those people go their on a regular basis? If the rent it only $1500.00 and he only sees 15 people that are spending money that means each one of the those people has to spend $100.00 per visit each month. So we need to think of what the long term solution is going to be not just getting him back in the shop.
Russelville road, just after auction house. (The road Mapleline Milk and Keiras Oil are on). There are actually 2 barns there collapsed. The one on Hartman Rd. has been stabilized, and can be rebuilt. The structure did not fail, only the roof and part of the front wall.
does anyone know when/if there is another meeting to discuss the Lincoln Ave. situation? Or has it been resolved and I've been working to much to notice LOL!
Lincoln Avenue will be resolved when there is a four-lane divided highway that leads straight from UMass to Boston. Personally, I would like to see the Trans-Quabbin Expressway -- built like the old Southeast Expressway *over* downtown Amherst and then due east to Worcester and the Mass Pike.
Or when UMass relocates much of its stuff to places closer to a road heading east, i.e. Springfield, Chicopee -- both cities with lots of land that they would love to see UMass doing things on...
Lincoln Ave: The formal public hearing will be held March 1, and Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford B. Mooring said people can send comments to the department. The proposal can be viewed here: http://amherstma.gov/index.aspx?nid=1464.
Yeah, the 2/8 hearing was supposed to be the formal public hearing, postponed from the week before because of the ubiquitous snow, but somebody forgot to add/change it on the routine agenda posted on the town website and as a result we have a "do over".
That pesky updated version of Open Meeting Law requires 48 hours public notice on published agendas disclosing items to be discussed.
Larry may think there's no story but others do:
ReplyDeleteAmherst Bulletin
Published on February 18, 2011
Happy to help Robert Green
To the Bulletin: I was very pleased, and not totally surprised, to learn that there is an effort being mounted to save The Amherst Typewriter Store. Wonderful. I was very distressed to learn of Robert Green's troubles, wished to do something, and now I can by making a donation.
- Green has changed our watch batteries.
- When we moved here three years ago, Green had just the right typewriter ribbon for my grandfather, Otto Furth's, manual typewriter left to me in his will. (My grandfather was an Austrian poet and dramatist. He encouraged my writing, the typewriter is full of meaning.)
- The first letter I wrote from Amherst was on that typewriter using that new ribbon.
- The "old cash register" mentioned in the initial article about Green's shop closing came from The House of Walsh, the men's clothing store founded by my husband Jim Holdsworth's grandfather, Thomas Walsh. (The store is now Clay's.)
I hope that Amherst can keep this part of its living history. Many authors in the area use manual typewriters and life will be more difficult for them if Green's shop is forced to close. After so many decades of faithful service, Robert Green surely deserves town support.
Diana Holdsworth
Amherst
It's sad to hear of Mr Green's plight, and I hope he can re-establish his business. I have been by his shop on many occassions and it is a place that has a very exclusive clientele. The problem there is how is Mr. Green going to stay open further down the road? He will not be able to afford that spot much longer even if he can get back in there. I would look for a place that might not be quite so expensive so it maybe easier to conduct business financially. It is great to see there is still someone around that can do this kind of work, but Remember he only has but a handful of customers that requier these skills and products. Of the letters you posted how many of those people go their on a regular basis? If the rent it only $1500.00 and he only sees 15 people that are spending money that means each one of the those people has to spend $100.00 per visit each month. So we need to think of what the long term solution is going to be not just getting him back in the shop.
ReplyDeleteApparently, some people think Larry's blog is now a public utility.
ReplyDeleteWell, I care more about Bob Greene than about some dumb barn that's been falling down for two decades.
ReplyDeletewhich road is that on Larry?
ReplyDeleteThe one just off Meadow Street (near the bridge at Rt 116 intersection) that takes you over to Rt 47.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the home on Hartman?
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the rest of it came down in todays winds. That looks like some beautiful barn board, hope it doesn't go to waste.
ReplyDeleteA close representation of psychological state of many Amherst residents.
ReplyDeleteThrow in a bunch of floating plastic grocery bags and you absolutely nail it.
Russelville road, just after auction house. (The road Mapleline Milk and Keiras Oil are on). There are actually 2 barns there collapsed.
ReplyDeleteThe one on Hartman Rd. has been stabilized, and can be rebuilt. The structure did not fail, only the roof and part of the front wall.
does anyone know when/if there is another meeting to discuss the Lincoln Ave. situation? Or has it been resolved and I've been working to much to notice LOL!
ReplyDeleteLincoln Avenue will be resolved when there is a four-lane divided highway that leads straight from UMass to Boston. Personally, I would like to see the Trans-Quabbin Expressway -- built like the old Southeast Expressway *over* downtown Amherst and then due east to Worcester and the Mass Pike.
ReplyDeleteOr when UMass relocates much of its stuff to places closer to a road heading east, i.e. Springfield, Chicopee -- both cities with lots of land that they would love to see UMass doing things on...
Lincoln Ave:
ReplyDeleteThe formal public hearing will be held March 1, and Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford B. Mooring said people can send comments to the department. The proposal can be viewed here: http://amherstma.gov/index.aspx?nid=1464.
Yeah, the 2/8 hearing was supposed to be the formal public hearing, postponed from the week before because of the ubiquitous snow, but somebody forgot to add/change it on the routine agenda posted on the town website and as a result we have a "do over".
ReplyDeleteThat pesky updated version of Open Meeting Law requires 48 hours public notice on published agendas disclosing items to be discussed.