Our beloved downtown continues its slow but steady decline with yet another shop that is not a bar or restaurant calling it quits.
And yes the stores on either side -- All Things Local and The Mercantile -- are also dead or closing by March 1st.
That end of downtown is turning into a crypt.
Carriage Shops have been closed and abandoned for over a year now
Meanwhile, Kimballs Auction Barn -- a fixture in North Amherst -- is moving to 299 Russell Street (Rt9) next to Rocky's Hardware. Cinda Jones, "the Donald Trump of North Amherst", confirms she is selling the building and 47 acres of land to farmer Joe Czajikowski.
Rt 9 certainly has more traffic than Meadow Street
Previous business was an Art Gallery
Furthermore, Should you be running out of gas on the east side of Amherst you're out of luck, as the Cumberland Farms store -- perhaps the busiest convenience store in Amherst -- is closed for at least another week due to renovations.
And the shuttered Sunoco -- Barney's -- directly across the street, still has yet to find a new tenant.
Barney's (left) Cumbys (right)
28 comments:
But build baby build? Still?
Soon.
Amherst = business friendly /sarcasm
Maybe the Carriage Shops could be renovated to provide space for small start up businesses?
Lots of parking already there that tax payers don't have to pay for.
Sunocos are also closed in Sunderland and Hadley. It has nothing to do with Amherst, and everything to do with a bad business arrangement.
A lot of people in Amherst talk the buy local talk but don't walk the walk ...You see them (from both ends of town ) at Home Depot Lowes Walmart etc They still like to save a buck. Sundri owns the 3 empty Sunoco stations Rt 9 RT 116 and Barneys the have some pretty tough rental leases making it hard to make a profit but that's their business to do what they want.....
College Street Motors has gas.
Didn't the Sunoco on 116 in Deerfield close a few years back?
There are larger issues here, Larry.
1: The Circa-1970 college kids who came to Amherst and never left are now in their 60's & 70's -- retiring and now heading toward nursing homes.
2: The anti-student attitude the town has taken. In the 1970's, students used to sing "Power to the People" and march en-masse back to campus when the bars closed.
Bluntly, that isn't happening today.
3: Neither students nor faculty identify with town anymore -- lots of faculty live in a different AREA CODE, many increasingly telecommute. Amherst is stuck in a circa-1971 time warp, appealing now to the GRANDPARENTS of current students.
Breaks my heart a little to lose The Mercantile. All of my town haunts circa 1992 seem to be gone... Al Bum's, anyone?
Didn't they hire a guy for business in Amherst not long ago. Seems since they did, the town is shutting down.
Amherst was hip in 1969. Today, it merely thinks it is.
In Sunderland yes
Mercantile is just a victim of changing tastes. Its Northampton store is closing too. Artefact Galley didn't have a long lifespan because it barely had anything to sell. Let's not jump off the deep end. Businesses come and go, and the weak ones get weeded out. Look at Zanna, it has been around for decades.
Have seen the "Donald" at Home Depot and Lowes
Too bad Amherst doesn't have much to draw people downtown anymore .. pretty hard to compete with the Hadley strip. Parking sucks what is left except for a couple stores ?
People in their 60s and 70s heading to nursing homes? Really? Such a fool you are Ed. I am 63 and still working. I don't plan to head to a nursing home any time soon. My mother didn't enter assisted living until she was 90. I plan to follow in her foot steps. I am sure all my friends plan to do the same. None of us are thinking about nursing homes at our age.
I would love to see an indoor play space for families with young children open up in Amherst. A large space with plenty of gross motor activities (ride-on toys, trampoline, climbing structures, etc) and fine motor toys (puzzles, blocks, arts and crafts, Legos, books, instruments, etc.), a cafe with healthy kid-friendly and adult-friendly snacks, drinks and lunch foods. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
They've tried these places in the area. Problem is they don't make any money. A new trampoline park opened in Springfield and its quite fun http://www.bouncespringfield.com/
2016, 10 kids at the playground 23 parents. Let kids be kids!
Too bad there's nothing to come downtown for but the parking sucks? Huh? That's because there's lots of people coming to downtown! There's lots to come downtown for, and they do.
It is very disconcerting to see the high turnover of businesses downtown. I've heard many people offer opinions as to why, but little that can gain enough of consensus or support to revitalize the local businesses. Retail is struggling nationally and the reality of combatting that trend is something beyond the scope of snitty commentariat repartee. However, with the post of a few days ago regarding the state of local dining establishments and this current one, there should be genuine concern regarding the economic health of Amherst. Real estate taxes are amongst the highest in the commonwealth and our population demographics show fewer and fewer families buying in our town. The perception that the towns on our borders offer more house for less or less taxes for a similar situation. Compounding this is a body politic that is reactionary as opposed proactive. I've spoken with enough entrepreneurs who feel the risk/reward is no longer worth it. Will individuals still attempt to create a successful business, absolutely, but the fail rate will begin to weigh on any analytical business mind. Our community loses a tremendous amount of tax revenue because of the nature of our anchor businesses (the university and colleges) and while admirable, the penchant to protect every piece of land from development only exacerbates the problem. The new development in town is necessarily high end, as the cost of the land and construction is very high relative to comparable towns. Restrictive zoning, which serves to protect the interest of a few at the expense of many is a real problem. I recognize that there are a handful of individuals that control much of the town's commercial and developable land, and there is a struggle to ensure that they don't overwhelm our little town with their big plans but the truth is...our major economic resources (students) are being corralled in a tax free haven where the money they spend never adds to the town coffers.
Strategic rezoning would draw that population back into town. We live in a college town. The reality of which is that there will about 8-10 weekends a year that will be an incredible pain in the ass to the full timers. But the tax revenue and added cash for local business will only help the town.
http://gawker.com/how-zoning-laws-fuel-economic-segregation-1752709739
I'm really surprised you have time to take care of personal issues of your own.
Building a successful business in Downtown Amherst is the luck of the draw depending on flexible landlords, a viable business model, and the creativity and ability of the business owner. For every White Hut that shuts at 6:30 pm (really?) there is an Antonio's or Glazed Donut or High Horse that has figured it out. The trifecta of closing businesses featured in the picture the Gallery, Mercantile, and All Things Local, you have to ask if the owners had realistic business models. All Things Local offered frozen organic goat meat at $18 a pound and had a chance at striking something with a deli, but it wasn't well promoted or consistently staffed. Artifact was a lovely showcase but Amherst isn't the Hamptons. The Mercantile, under new ownership, offered affordable and eclectic items perhaps targeting too much the UMASS student of the past who wasn't compelled to shelter in place and/or had a bit of money in the pocket rather than being in debt.
Your post suggests that Amherst is in decline, but you show a Carriage Shops that is awaiting demolition to build millions of dollars in new housing and retail. You also show a space next to Rocky's Hardware that's in Hadley and not even near downtown Amherst.
As for Cumberland Farms, it's not closed, but merely renovating, and renovation is a sign that businesses believe in Amherst.
On a personal note, I went to Johnny's Tavern last night and there was an hour and a half wait. I then decided to go to High Horse which was also packed. Thankfully, I only had to wait 20 minutes for a table.
It's true that Amherst has increasingly become a restaurant town, but those that know how to do it right are thriving.
63 and still working. What a drain on the workforce you must be. Retire already!
As for Amherst's parking problems:
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." - Yogi Berra
Barry Roberts and Curt Shumway, two very savvy downtown property owners, want to build a new building downtown. I guess no one told them Amherst is in decline.
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