Creating Community

Cinda Jones, architect of the Mill District

Amy McDonough was working in the renewable energy business when, in her words, she “picked up pinball again” after putting it down following graduate school at the University of Vermont.

“I couldn’t get pinball off my brain, and I started picking up pinball machines here and there,” she told BusinessWest, adding that she would eventually amass a collection of nearly 70 machines. “And then, I was thinking about pinball much more than I was renewable energy.”

This thinking soon became serious in nature, and it led to an entrepreneurial venture called the Tilted Orbit Arcade, with that name borrowing two terms from the pinball world — orbit, which refers to the path for the ball along the outer rim of the game, and tilt, of course is when the machine is tilted or shaken beyond an acceptable level and the game ends.

Amy McDonough with one of the more than 70 pinball machines she’s collected.

Due to open in the fall, the arcade will feature many machines from McDonough’s collection, as well as a golf simulator, a few vintage ’80s video games, a kitchen, and bar. It is being designed to attract many different constituencies, including families, area college students, teens, and the Boomers who discovered pinball in the ’60s and ‘70s, and then put it down.

And it is part of the ongoing evolution of the Mill District in North Amherst, a mixed-use facility that features housing, retail, art, and hospitality — a canvas that Cinda Jones, its architect owner, has been filling in over the past 15 years or so.

“We’ll still occasionally hear that people don’t know that the Mill District is here and how shocked they are when they find it.”

Indeed, Tilted Orbit will occupy what’s known as the Cow Barn, which was once home to Provisions, the wine and cheese emporium, which was moved to another building on the property (more on that later), and before that, Atkins, said Jones, adding that other additions and improvements include everything from a new pavilion taking shape on the site of another former barn, a new Herrell’s ice cream parlor (the company has been operating a small, pop-up facility the past few years); from recent additions such as Three Amigos, a restaurant that fuses the flavors of Chile, Mexico, and Puerto Rico and Carefree Cakery, and even some demolition  — of another former barn and a seven-car garage — that will improve visibility and allow travelers on Route 63 to see all that the site has to offer.

“We’ll still occasionally hear that people don’t know that the Mill District is here and how shocked they are when they find it,” said Jones, adding that the broad goal, as it has been from the beginning, has been to create what she called a ‘downtown’ in North Amherst, a mix of shops and amenities that deliver food, fashion, and fun — a true destination, attracting people from across Amherst and nearby Franklin County, but also a much wider circle.

Elaborating, she said current work involves creation of public open space, a ‘town common,’ leading from the highway to the shops. It will include the pavilion, which doesn’t have a formal name yet, although Jones calls it the ‘Manta Ray,’ because the architect has given it something approximating that shape.

It will include a catering kitchen and host a wide array of events, she said, adding that a tent has been erected on the site to hold gatherings such as a recent wine tasting staged by Provisions, with construction of the pavilion set to begin this spring, and due to be completed in time to host events this fall.

Judy Herrell stands in the almost-finished new location for Herrell’s in the Mill District.

The Tilted Orbit Arcade is one of many new developments at the Mill District, which has been in a seemingly constant state of change since it opened, and

Meanwhile, the location of the Mill District, and the diverse mix of tenants, eventually drew the attention of Judy Herrell, president of Herrell’s, who said the iconic, Northampton-based brand has been searching for a site for a second location, and zeroed in on North Amherst village.

“What we found out is that people didn’t want to venture over the bridge,” she said, referring to the Calvin Coolidge Bridge, which many in the Amherst/Hadley area simply don’t want to cross, even after significant infrastructure changes made it easier to do so. The new location, due to open in several weeks, will make Herrell’s more accessible, she said.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked with Jones and many doing business in the Mill District, or soon to do so, about this evolving concept and the diverse mix of ventures that are drawing visitors from across town and well beyond.

Flipping the Script

McDonough joked that her affection for pinball, developed while she was working toward her master’s degree at the UVM, probably put off her thesis by a year.

“I did a lot of procrastinating playing pinball,” she said, noting that one game in particular, The Addams Family, became especially addictive.

Just some of the local art to be found at the General Store.

It was among the first machines she acquired when she started building her collection, and it will be one of those on the floor at Tilted Orbit Arcade when it opens its doors, she said, adding that, before settling on the Mill District as home for her venture, she considered several other sites, including the Canal Lanes bowling alley in Southampton when it briefly came on the market.

The Mill District site offers what she was looking for, she said, meaning visibility and an opportunity to attract a diverse customer base, and also take advantage of a resurgence for pinball.

“It’s making a comeback; it started during COVID,” she noted. “Right now, pinball is serving mostly the male population, ages 40 to 65, but women are up and coming, and there’s a whole tournament world out there as well as leagues.”

McDonough said she’s looking to attract a wide audience that crosses all age groups, “families, seniors, teen-agers, college students, and adults.” And not just for pinball, but also the golf simulator, some arcade games, and other attractions she will offer, although the overriding goal is to inspire all those groups is to get them introduced to pinball and make them regulars.

“You can’t count on the weather in New England, and this will make it much easier to plan things.”

The Tilted Orbit Arcade is one of many new developments at the Mill District, which has been in a seemingly constant state of change since it opened, and the Cow Barn is where Jones began a detailed tour of the property.

Other stops included the town common area and spot for the new pavilion, which will provide larger, better space for the many types of events held there, and, especially, a roof, which will cut down on the rainouts and other weather problems that occurred with frequency last year or moving events to cramped indoor quarters.

“You can’t count on the weather in New England, and this will make it much easier to plan things,” said Jones, noting that the facility is being designed and built by Hardwick Post and Beam, and she is excited by the possibilities it presents.

“It will be a wonderful place where high school groups could perform, or you could have birthday parties,” she said, adding that performances could include seating in the pavilion and the lawn space outside, much like Tanglewood in Lenox.

And the pavilion is one of many steps being taken to attract more visitors and make the Mill District more of a destination.

“There are roughly 25,000 vehicle trips a day, including buses, that go within a block of the Mill District.”

Jones described the location as the ‘gateway to Franklin County,’ and on the route that many employees and students take to get from homes in communities like Greenfield, Montague, Conway, and Sunderland to jobs at UMass Amherst, nearby Northampton or points to the south. From the beginning, the goal has been to create a community, a village where people can shop, eat, see and buy art, and take in the many cultural events staged by tenants.

“There are roughly 25,000 vehicle trips a day, including buses, that go within a block of the Mill District,” she noted, adding that the goal is provide reasons to pull over and explore, while also creating a tenant mix and calendar of events that would prompt planned visits from across the region.

“My goal is to make this a place where community members, full-time, long-term community members, enjoy connecting with friends and enjoy the spaces and shops we’ve brought together,” she said.

The mix of tenants has changed over the years, said Jones, adding that she has always been looking to improve that mix and provide more to see and do. Most of the space is occupied, or soon to be occupied, she noted, adding that there is roughly 4,500 square feet — with high ceilings — available in the building currently home to Provisions.

“We’re listening to people, hearing what they like, and responding to what they’re saying,” she said, adding that this strategy applies to tenants and visitors alike.

Meanwhile, there are concerted efforts to make the Mill District more visible, literally and figuratively, said Jones, adding these include the creation of the common that will improve sight lines to the shops as well as new signage currently winding its way through the permitting process. 

Food for Thought

As they talked with BusinessWest, Jose Diaz and Matias Martinez, owners of Three Amigos, the next stop on the tour, were gearing up for Cinco de Mayo.

They were putting together a special menu for the occasion and were expecting a strong turnout for what has become a day of celebration for many in the region.

But most days have produced good crowds at this unique eatery, which, as noted earlier, blends dishes from Puerto Rico, Chile, and Mexico, with many offerings inspired by meals prepared by the owners’ mothers.

Matias Martinez, left, and Jose Diaz, co-owners of Three Amigos, share a moment with Cinda Jones and Shauna Wallace, project manager of Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery.

“My mom has some really good recipes, and Jose’s mom has really good recipes from Puerto Rico; we take both and we put together a good menu,” said Martinez, a native of Chile, adding that Diaz also brings knowledge of Mexican cuisine to the table — literally and figuratively.

This knowledge and deep menus will have even more local flavor, said Diaz, adding that the partners are now committed to buying more locally produced vegetables, meats, eggs and more, and are further committed to bringing different kinds of experiences to the venue, such as karaoke nights.

“My mom has some really good recipes, and Jose’s mom has really good recipes from Puerto Rico; we take both and we put together a good menu.”

And, like other business owners in the Mill District, the two partners (there was a third, hence the name, but he is no longer involved) said the location brings a diverse mix of patrons across all age groups.

As Jones’ tour of the Mill District left Three Amigos, it made a quick stop in the vacant space adjacent to Provisions and below housing units. As noted earlier, it has high ceilings and what she considers enormous potential as home to a small grocery store, an indoor play space for kids, or similar that will be compatible with and complementary to everything else that exists on the property.

From there, the tour would continue to several existing and emerging businesses, such as Provisions, Futura Coffee Roasters, Carefree Cakery, Everbloom Salon, the Balanced Birch Studio, the Mill District General Store and the art gallery inside its walls, and the Herrell’s now taking shape.

Not on the tour, but technically part of the Mill District are businesses in a mall on Route 63, including Amherst House of Pizza, Big Guys Liquors, Mindy’s Barber Shop, and the Harp Irish Pub.

Collectively, these businesses provide ample reasons to get off the highway, whether one is heading home from work or planning a day trip, said Jones, adding that the Mill District comes as advertised, with that mix of food, fashion, and fun, including several play areas for children and families.

Herrell’s will make an intriguing addition to the mix, she said, adding that the pop-up facility has attracted solid numbers of visitors, and the larger, permanent space is expected to bring more.

Herrell told BusinessWest that the new location needs to be open by summer, for obvious reasons, and it is on track to do so.

She said the location in the Mill District brings the brand closer to other markets, such as Franklin County, and also closer to UMass Amherst, where she teaches a course — a lab on how to make ice cream “from a chemistry point of view” — and partners with the university on an ice cream competition, which is the final exam, if you will, for the that class, with Herrell’s featuring the winner’s flavors in its stores.

“We try to make all of them if we can, but we definitely make the four top finishers,” she said. “We’ve had some incredibly great, creative ideas from that group, and their lab is one mile from here.”

Beyond that partnership, Herrell’s is looking to tap into a broad base of loyal customers that know the Northampton store and now have something that for many will be more convenient.

And then, there’s the Tilted Orbit Arcade, which will present a novel new use for the Cow Barn, and an interesting addition to the mix.

For McDonough, it’s her first real entrepreneurial venture, which means there’s a mix of excitement and trepidation.

Overall, she’s optimistic that she can make something a little different work out in a big way. And in many respects, that’s been the goal at the Mill District from the very beginning.