Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Amherstworks Gets To Work

The main open space is big enough to fly a drone

The new shared co-worker space where entrepreneurs will huddle opened for business today in the former First National Bank building, a downtown icon for almost 100 years.

Back in the day bricks and mortar banks like First National were drivers of the economy.

These days it's the Internet, and with one gigabit WiFi at Amherstworks and coffee from Amherst Coffee, building a better mousetrap has never been easier.

The vault conference room
 Meetings will certainly be secure

10 comments:

Dr. Ed said...

At least they didn't destroy the building, the way that UMass has destroyed both the Old Chapel and South College.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to Barry and Jerry.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Ed:
The architects who destroyed the Old Chapel, as you say, (I haven't seen it finished)as they same folks who want to destroy the 1928 interior of the Jones Library!!

Anonymous said...

Of course you haven't seen it finished. You aren't even in Massachusetts.

Anonymous said...

I cherished and was so fond of that century old trolley stop destroyed by some classical ignoramus contractor at UMass .. as a kid I thought that song " Bus stop- under my umbrella" was Soooooooo apropos to this landmark ...

Anonymous said...

How old are you? 90?

Anonymous said...

Up to 8 o's in 'so.' So it's so the most so, like overused word in the English language. So much so that-well, just listen as people start every sentence with 'so...'

Dr. Ed said...

Why can't we ever have any legacies of bygone eras?

Anonymous said...

Cool idea for the paper pushers, but I think it is important to remember that eventually someone has to do some work to actually be productive. Is there anyone focused on the constant need for 1000-3000 sf workshops so people can start real businesses? I know we were hard pressed to find such locations, properly zoned, at any price.

Work is defined as Force x Distance.

Hopefully we can get the regulatory tyrants to back off so we can do more manufacturing in Mass, where the best labor resides. As someone who started a manufacturing business in the area, I would love to see a regulatory climate that encouraged us to bring it back vs. stay away. The same policies may influence others to help us get back to actual work vs. virtual work and paper pushing.

We, as a society, cannot survive on a few paper pushers overseeing automated systems and then going and buying imports made under immoral conditions.

People should back off of Ed. Remember, this is a community highly funded by outside entities, both public and private. Many individuals are heavily vested in Amherst, even when they do not live there, and in many cases, far more so than those that do. You live in a world where most people cannot put together sentences, let alone care. The guy clearly cares and my sense is that he would not if he did not have a serious tie to the community, even if historic.

Anonymous said...

This is a building in the center of town. It was never going to be a site for manufacturing. Amherst has an industry. It's higher education. This use of the building is perfect for spin-offs from UMass, etc.