Coming soon to a former cow barn near you: Atkins Farms Country Market
After years of negotiations, and rumors, and a recent Internet petition that garnered over 350 signatures, the dream of bringing an iconic century old Amherst business anchored in the deep south part of town has now come true:
Atkins Farms Country Market will open a 4,000 square foot bookend operation in the North Amherst Mill District -- twice as big as the Internet petition proposed operation would have been in the Trolley Barn.
Pauline Lannon (left) Cinda Jones (right) ink the deal
Atkins will be occupying the former cow barn (after extensive renovations of course) at 113 Cowls Road, and is expected to open in August of 2015.
The store will certainly act as an anchor magnet to draw consumers to the sprawling North Amherst location that by then will be populated with many more service oriented businesses.
12,000 square foot Trolley Barn, opening this September
14,400 square foot former sawmill, ready to rock once again
The Mill District from above
41 comments:
Mobarak!
This is great news and I am encouraged by Cinda's unflappable dedication to nudging this town forward.
Sounds great. Too bad a few losers tore down parts of the signs Cowls put up advertising the parcels. Can't stop progress.
Be nice to see Atkins bring a little South Amherst class to the neighborhood!
Time to make the cider donuts
Can't wait!!
Right Graff, someone "tore down the signs" just like the homeless guy behaving erratically in the h.s. was a "parent having a disagreement". You've got zero credibility when it comes to stating facts on this blog.
Cinda is a doer, not just a talker. That's why you don't see her posting negative stuff on this blog every 5 minutes. She's got a dozen projects and what's more she helps out with all kinds of town projects. She's the first one to lend a hand, offer a truck, or jump in with ideas and volunteer energy. Cinda makes things happen.
Didn't the owner of Atkins explain what an increased minimum wage would do to her one store?
You kinda know it is gonna go up, at least statewide, and she then will be able to swing TWO stores?
Sorta reminds me of what happened to Spag's.
But it's certainly not going to go up to $15/hour like some kid wanted to happen in Amherst.
It's going up over 3 years.
But not to $15/hour.
As long as it goes up for all businesses equally, and not just for those in Amherst, it should be no problem.
Hey 12:23 anonym-ass:
You'd have to talk to principle Mark Jackson because according to him a guardian or parent was the person involved in the so-called outburst at the school. Guess you didn't read his letter to parents. As for Cowls, go take a look on 116 or across from Cowls lumber to see that half of the signage advertizing the sale was torn off the wood paneling it was installed on.
"You'd have to talk to principle Mark Jackson because according to him a guardian or parent was the person involved in the so-called outburst at the school."
You've got reading comprehension problems, the letter said that "a person we believed to be a parent or guardian entered the office..." that's why he was buzzed in, not that they believed he was a parent once he started interacting and started acting erratically, or when they sent the letter out... moron.
Here's an article about the guy who was escorted out (not a parent like ɟɟɐɹb assumed after misreading the letter):
http://www.gazettenet.com/home/12177062-95/more-than-a-dozen-complaints-of-odd-behavior-in-downtown-amherst-result-in-arrest#
Sorta ironic that Pat Onanibaku called the cops on him for "demanding" things, I thought that was her gig!
And can you prove the signs were "tore down", ʍɐןʇǝɹ? Or are you just assuming, once again.
Again, zero credibility when it comes to stating facts on this blog...
I think the worst thing is that Team Maria presumed it was a "parent or guardian" in the first place.
This either means (a) incredibly poor judgment skills and/or (b) that they have so little respect for parents that they make no distinction between them and crazy homeless guys.
Checkmate.
Maybe it was his first stop of the day so he was not yet foaming at the mouth.
Thank you Anon 9:59 for posting that link. The article is informative.
Given the behavior, I might have assumed this visitor was a School Committee member. Or a potential future SC member.
If he is arraigned in court tomorrow I'll post his photo so school employees can be reminded not to let him in.
Or he can use it for a SC campaign next year.
bzzzzzzzzzzz "I'm here to get information about school choice."
Secretary Ed: "Mmmmm, sorry, you don't look right."
Shouldn't inquiries about school choice go to Maria G's Office?
oh yeah, okay, bzzzzzzzzzzz "I'm here to get information about summer school" or any other legitimate reason for entering the schools. The secretaries aren't cops, you know!
And the reason why there isn't a school resource officer IS????
I guess because they have a buzz-in system and cops who arrive within about 90 seconds when called? Having said that I'd totally be OK with a cop in the school, especially in these strange times, I think that makes sense.
My point was: don't blame the secretaries for being fooled by a clearly disturbed man, and praise them for taking the necessary steps to make sure the situation was taken care of within a few minutes.
It's funny to think back a few years, there were parents and staff and faculty criticizing the locked door/buzz-in policy Team Maria instituted, it seems so obvious now.
Frustrated With All The Negativity said...
How did a post about two savvy business women in town inking a deal that will bring a grocery store to an FDA designated "food desert", boost our commercial tax base and MAYBE begin a trend of fulfilling some of the goals of our Master Plan, particularly those related to encouraging denser, mixed use development in our Village Centers, turn into ANOTHER opportunity to bash the schools?
Checkmate.
Boom! Ed scores his long-awaited victory and is now dancing in the end zone. Watch the entire "Team Maria" being escorted away in handcuffs tomorrow, while Ed becomes the toast of every news outlet and is finally besieged with plum job offers.
Or not. Your choice.
At this point it's simply waiting on when this woman will move on and rid the school system of a very poor superintendent. That will be a first step. I'll make sure to pass on all the info on her to her next adventure so they won't be fooled like Amherst.
So when the roundabouts were installed in South Amherst, all we heard from Atkins was how much it hurt business and how they had to reduce many employees to part time status and so forth. Yet during and immediately after the roundabout construction, Atkins embarked on an expensive makeover of the forward part of the store and the addition of the new front parking lot (of which the design is absurd). This after the construction of the storage wing at the rear of the store and other improvements. Usually when businesses are being hurt by construction or a less than stellar economy they forego major investments and strike a balance between treating employees the best they can and making low cost, high-impact investments to keep the customer experience positive. Atkins can NEVER cry poor and is far from the trusted, wholesome entity it used to be.
"I'll make sure to pass on all the info on her to her next adventure so they won't be fooled like Amherst."
Walter don't forget, without Capn'
Dick Hood, there would be no
Capn' Geryk.
All of ~this~, is his fault.
His
and Ponziville's finger pointing,
do nothing
masturbatory chimp-a-zoid
enablers.
Aren't they all
~spec-tac-u-lar~?
Man.
-Squeaky Squeaks
Or as Squeaky Squaked, Team Maria and the New Atkins are both what the Amherst Establishment wants.
Falter "Good For A Laff" Gaffe: just a small town sad clown.
It's not Team Maria that I expect to see led away in handcuffs -- it's the schmucks in Cousin Phil's Abode that I anticipate being frogmarched out of the building.
Team Maria is just going to crash & burn, I suspect rather spectacularly.
And for the record, I don't intend to be within a hundred miles of Amherst this week or weekend because I'm starting to have some fairly unsettling premonitions as to something not good happening at or related to the ARSH Graduation.
Just sayin....
And as to Atkins South -- I love how they got a liquor license while the nearby gas station couldn't. Do we anticipate that the north Amherst location will get one too?
Do I hear "yes"?
Is Amherst corrupt?
Do I hear "damn right"?
And we wonder why the students riot...
Ed, I'll make a wager with you:
If "something not good happen(s) at or related to the ARSH Graduation" I will not post on Larry's blog for one year; if the graduation ceremony goes off without incident you have to refrain from posting on here for one year.
Is it a bet?
ARSH?
Was the name of the high school recently changed- or do we have two dyslexic posters?
BTW- Who hosted the party in Hadley?
Rumors indicate it was for Amherst seniors
Is it a bet?
Come on now, Anon 5:35. You must be kidding. That would be fascist!
And it would violate the gambling laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts!
And it would be just like what the Soviets did with psychiatry!
And it would prevent Ed from saving the maidenly honor of seven young ladies!
And he never actually meant to write about a premonition -- it was just his keyboard acting like a Ouija Board -- so you can't hold him to it!
And he needs to consult his six-foot-tall rabbit-shaped invisible lawyer named Harvey, who might just advise him to sue your ass!
And he's way too busy being just about to secretly do secret important things for secret important people to entertain silly bets!
And refraining from writing on this blog would jeopardize his book deal!
And he would never start a sentence with "And", because he knows Pig Latin!
And... and... and...
Amherst Regional Senior High, I said "unsettling premonitions" and not "predict", and even if I *did* engage in "games of chance", I'd not engage in them with anonymous cowardly nitwits.
As to "secretly important things", who the hell do you think STARTED THIS? Yes, it was several years ago, such things take time but whom do you think started it>?
There is even a video of me explaining why this needs to be done -- on the web. No, I won't say where, find it on your own.
And I gotta add -- even the high school kids have to go to Hadley for a celebration? Amherst, what a town....
"And he would never start a sentence with "And", because he knows Pig Latin!"
It being a conjunction not being relevant, of course.
And when writing for an audience deserving a scintilla of respect, one shouldn't start sentences with conjunctions because, well, .....
Now I know he's full of Bud Light: overhauling the state's public housing program was MY idea.
Well now, who was it who was formally recognized for the proposal?
Who presented the idea to "important people"?
Just sayin....
Seriously, what is wrong with you people?? Anon 11:18 "Atkins can NEVER cry poor and is far from the trusted, wholesome entity it used to be." And anon 4:47, "corrupt."
So let me get this straight. Because a business is successful, and expanding to an area which DESPERATELY needs redevelopment (i.e. North Amherst center), they can't be trusted?
Atkins and Cowls are two of Amherst's greatest success stories. They are among the few (along with Archipelago) that are making progress in Amherst despite the NIMBY's. All reasonable people should support their efforts - by patronizing their establishments at every opportunity. I will be among the first in the door when Atkins North opens.
BTW, kudos to LK for excellent coverage, including signing pictures. And thumbs down to thread hijackers.
Atkins and Cowls are two of Amherst's greatest success stories.
Helps to inherit, doesn't it?
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