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Group Looks to Turn Back Clock at Wilbraham’s Lakeside

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From left: Joe Sullivan, Jordan Healy, Marc Murphy, Mike Rogers, and John Sullivan.
Features Special Coverage

Landmark Decision

From left: Joe Sullivan, Jordan Healy, Marc Murphy, Mike Rogers, and John Sullivan.

From left: Joe Sullivan, Jordan Healy, Marc Murphy, Mike Rogers, and John Sullivan.

Joe Sullivan says he and business partner John Sullivan (no relation) were “looking to hedge our bets and diversify.”

It was the height of the pandemic; the restaurant they co-owned, Nathan Bill’s, was forced to close; and, like most all business owners navigating those difficult and unprecedented times, they didn’t know what was to come next.

“We were looking for real estate purchases and maybe another business opportunity,” said Joe Sullivan, adding that the two would buy a package store and then the plaza in which Nathan Bill’s was located, among other transactions. “And as we were doing all that, someone mentioned this spot to us and said it would be good for a restaurant.

“We already had three restaurants and said, ‘we don’t really want another restaurant, but it looks interesting,’” he went on. “We did our due diligence and realized that we could do something different and really special here.”

That was the genesis of one of the more intriguing development initiatives in the region — work to turn back the clock on the Wilbraham landmark known as the Lakeside.

Once a popular inn and restaurant, the property on Nine Mile Pond, most recently home to a transportation company, had fallen into disuse. John and Joe Sullivan have become partners with the principals at West Springfield-based Lock and Key Realty in an ambitious effort to revive the property and create a 15-room boutique hotel and restaurant, with outdoor dining and lake access.

“We already had three restaurants and said, ‘we don’t really want another restaurant, but it looks interesting.’ We did our due diligence and realized that we could do something different and really special here.”

The project has certainly captured the attention — and affection — of Wilbraham officials (members of the Planning Board are said to have cheered when the project was proposed), as well as the legions of fans of the Lakeside restaurant, often involving several generations of families.

“The community support has been overwhelming — social media has been huge, and we’ve gotten letters from people praising what we’re doing,” John Sullivan said. “Every time I’m out working on the yard, I’ve got people in kayaks thanking us and congratulating us.”

An early ad for the Lakeside Inn.

An early ad for the Lakeside Inn.

Such sentiments were repeated among the five main principals in this venture, who spoke with BusinessWest at the Lakeside recently. Collectively, they talked about how, while this is a solid real estate investment, the endeavor also blends history, tradition, and community, and these attributes bring ample amounts of pride and enthusiasm for what is being undertaken.

“It’s a property the community truly cares about, and with the right vision and redevelopment strategy, it has the ability to become a destination that drives economic activity and sustained local value,” said Jordan Healy, a partner at Lock and Key Realty. “For us, it’s more than a single project—it’s a chance to help reshape a landmark in a way that benefits the region for decades.”

Mike Rogers, another principal with Lock and Key Realty, agreed. “It seems that everyone who comes in has some family that had some experiences here, whether it was recently or decades ago,” he said. “So the appeal of renovating this property and trying to maintain some of that historic charm, like with the gazebo, while also modernizing it, is a huge draw for us and the community, and it’s really something that’s driving excitement in this project.”

As for the business aspects of this venture, the principals say that, while construction has not officially begun, they’re already hearing from people looking to book rooms — from couples planning to get married at the nearby GreatHorse country club to officials and participants involved with the Brimfield antique shows staged three times each year.

Meanwhile, the redevelopment of the former Eastfield Mall into a retail destination promises to bring more traffic to the Route 20 corridor and to businesses like the new Lakeside, said John Sullivan, adding that the new shopping center, coupled with the Lakeside project, is likely to spur new activity along that throughfare and activate currently idle real estate.

“There will be a ripple effect where there will be more investment opportunities and redevelopment along Boston Road,” he said, adding that there are several vacant or underutilized properties that could be reimagined.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked with the principals involved with the Lakeside project about the many aspects of this endeavor, from its history to the way it might well become a catalyst for more development on Boston Road.

On the Waterfront

For Joe Sullivan, the Lakeside project evokes a different time — for both Wilbraham and his family.

Indeed, his grandfather, Barton Sullivan, owned and operated the Auto Inn, an automobile-era lodging establishment, farther north on Route 20 and on the opposite side of Nine Mile Pond from where the Lakeside sits.

“It’s a property the community truly cares about, and with the right vision and redevelopment strategy, it has the ability to become a destination that drives economic activity and sustained local value.”

There were several establishments of that type on or near Route 20, he said, adding that, during the stagecoach era, there was one every 10 or 15 miles.

As for the Lakeside, it opened its doors in the early 1940s and quickly became a popular destination, with a restaurant, a club with bands, a banquet hall, and a few rooms for rent.

“There’s a lot of history here,” Sullivan said, noting an intriguing bit involving the name of the establishment and the body of water it fronts.

“This is called the Lakeside Inn, but this is Nine Mile Pond,” he said, noting that this name connotes how far the pond is from the center of Springfield. “At some point in the ’50s or ’60s, they changed the name of the body of water to Lake Machonish; the Lakeside owners just decided to do that because they wanted to advertise it as a lake. It didn’t catch on.

“We may try that again,” he said with a laugh, noting that it was partly out of a desire to turn back the clock, while making more business history on Boston Road, that prompted him to take a hard look at the Lakeside property. A serial entrepreneur, he and John Sullivan had become involved with several hospitality ventures, including Nathan Bill’s on Boston Road in Springfield, East Village Tavern in East Longmeadow, the Boulevard Bar on Page Boulevard in Springfield, and others.

The Auto Inn, owned and operated by Joe Sullivan’s grandfather, provided some inspiration for the Lakeside project.

The Auto Inn, owned and operated by Joe Sullivan’s grandfather, provided some inspiration for the Lakeside project.

As noted earlier, redevelopment of the property represented not merely a real estate investment, but a unique opportunity to revive what many would consider a landmark.

“Through talking to the architect and talking to the town, we figured out there was an opportunity to build a small boutique hotel and still have a restaurant on the first floor,” Joe Sullivan said. “Everything fit into place and worked out to look like a really successful plan.”

That plan was further solidified by the emergence of a partnership between John Sullivan, Joe Sullivan, and the principals of Lock and Key Realty — Healy, Rogers, and Marc Murphy — who, collectively and individually, have become involved with several business and real estate ventures in the 413, including Shaker Bowl in East Longmeadow and All American Masonry in Indian Orchard, as well as the redevelopment of several fire stations and other properties.

Healy said those at Lock and Key are always looking for real estate opportunities, and the Lakeside made sense on many levels.

“There’s so much history behind it … it just felt like a project where we could reutilize, revitalize, and restore something, make it pretty again — and it’s right in line with what we do,” he noted. “If we can bring some redevelopment back to Wilbraham, it’s a home run for everyone.”

Elaborating, he said there is considerable synergy between the two partnership entities, with Joe and John Sullivan bringing experience in hospitality, and Lock and Key thriving in the redevelopment realm.

Murphy agreed. “Partnering with the Sullivan Group was a natural fit. They have deep experience in hospitality, creating successful restaurant and bar concepts that consistently serve the community at a high level. Together, we blend hospitality vision with market insight to ensure the Lakeside project becomes both a vibrant destination and a strong, long-term asset for the region.”

Joe and John Sullivan officially acquired the Lakeside last August, but talks about the property and the creation of a plan for its redevelopment had been ongoing for a few years prior, Joe said.

“The timing is right because the community is ready for this property to be brought back to life.”

“I wanted to make sure the town approved of what we wanted to do before we bought the property,” he explained, adding that the partners obtained a special permit to create an inn there.

Shore Thing

As for the reimagining of the property, the partners said this will be a major undertaking, with projections for the overall cost to approach or exceed $3 million.

Indeed, while the work falls into the categories of renovation and restoration, it will be much more like new construction, said Joe, adding that, while the property still has good bones, it is no longer suited for either a restaurant or an inn.

“It’s going to be a major construction project — raising the roof, literally,” he told BusinessWest. “The major appeal is that this is waterfront property — they don’t make any more of that. It’s a beautiful spot; even the gazebo needs a little fixing up, but it adds to that picturesque appeal.”

Work is expected to start within the next few months, said John Sullivan, adding that the goal is be finished in perhaps a year to 18 months. The partners are planning a 15-room hotel and a 100-seat restaurant (to be managed by a third party), and they’re already seeing great anticipation for both.

Indeed, John said that, between parents of students at nearby Wilbraham & Monson Academy, wedding parties at GreatHorse, and visitors to the Brimfield shows, there will be strong demand for the inn’s rooms.

“A family from Scotland has asked to rent out the whole place for two weeks for a wedding, and the organizers of the Brimfield fair wanted it block it off for a whole month,” he told BusinessWest, adding that there have been many inquiries about both the inn and restaurant.

And the surge in traffic from the new retail center taking shape a few down the road at the former Eastfield Mall is expected to bring more people to the property, said the partners, noting that, given all they’ve seen and heard, from the Planning Board and kayakers alike, this certainly seems like a sound business investment.

But it has always been more than that, they stressed, noting the attachment the community has to this property and the memories it has created for generations of area residents.

“It’s a good investment opportunity, but it’s a community-focused project as well,” Healy said. “And for a lot of us, that brings a level of excitement that we normally wouldn’t have. You can build 20 houses, and you never get any notoriety from those 20 houses; you do a project like this, and the community gets excited.”

Rogers agreed. “The Lakeside project represents a turning point. It shows what’s possible when investment, vision, and community pride come together,” he said. “Projects like this attract new interest, encourage surrounding revitalization, and help establish the region as a place where people want to live, invest, and build.

“The timing is right because the community is ready for this property to be brought back to life, and market conditions support redevelopment that adds both lifestyle and economic value,” he went on, adding, as others did, that this project will being rewards — for the partners involved and the community as a whole — on many levels.

Wilbraham Looks to Build on Recent Momentum

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Developers are planning to transform the former Lakeside Inn into a boutique hotel and restaurant.
Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

Developers are planning to transform the former Lakeside Inn into a boutique hotel and restaurant.

Developers are planning to transform the former Lakeside Inn into a boutique hotel and restaurant.

 

Christal Russo acknowledged that Wilbraham hasn’t historically enjoyed a reputation for being ‘open for business,’ as communities like to say.

And that’s understandable given its rural nature and status as one of the more desirable of Springfield’s bedroom communities.

But it has always welcomed businesses that enhance the quality of life there and meet the needs of its residents, said Russo, the recently named chair of the town’s resuscitated Economic Development Committee. And now, it is even more so, she noted, adding that the community has many strong selling points, ranging from a single tax rate to some developable parcels along busy Boston Road, to a recent vote to squelch a proposed meals tax.

And there’s two developments to either side of the town — new development on the site of the former Eastfield Mall and a planned rail station in nearby Palmer as part of planned east-west rail — that can be added to that list.

Meanwhile, the town has seen some real momentum when it comes to new business in recent years, from a Delaney’s restaurant and Domino’s Pizza to a new development in the center of town featuring a pizza restaurant, brewery, and several apartments, to the recent announcement by developers of plans to transform the former Lakeside Inn (which was home to several other restaurants in recent years and is now used as office space for a transportation company) into a boutique hotel that will include a high-end restaurant (more on this later).

“And we want to keep that momentum going,” said Russo, a project manager at MassMutual, adding that the Economic Development Committee, resurrected a few years ago, is committed to promoting the town’s assets and growing its business community.

“What we want to do as a committee is let the public know is that Wilbraham is open for business and we support our businesses,” she said, adding that the community is poised for additional growth. “We’re looking to better understand what we can do and what our businesses need so we can support them.”

Jim Rooney, chair of the town’s Planning Board, agreed, noting that the single tax rate and other measures taken recently — or not taken, in the case of the meals tax — should help efforts to sell the town to business owners.

“We have a few open storefronts and some land available for additional development. We’d love to be able to fill those spaces and bring some businesses here to develop some of our open parcels.”

As for redevelopment of the Eastfield Mall, a project called Springfield Crossing, a planned mix of retail, service businesses, and, eventually, housing, should create more traffic on Boston Road, which will not only benefit existing businesses there and elsewhere in town, but inspire more business owners and entrepreneurs to give Wilbraham a hard look, Rooney said.

“We would definitely think that, with the increased traffic, someone will be driving down and thinking, ‘this would be a great place for my business.’”

For this latest installment in its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Wilbraham and the many forms of momentum being seen in the community.

 

Delivering Results

Paul Robbins remembers driving past the site of Post Office Park on Boston Road while it was under construction a quarter-century or so ago. “I was thinking to myself, ‘who’s going to want to move in there?’”

Well … he did.

Indeed, not long after the facility opened, Robbins, a principal with the marketing firm Paul Robbins Associates, left his offices in downtown Springfield after 20 years there and relocated to the park. It was a move of convenience, he told BusinessWest, adding that he had moved his family to Wilbraham a few years earlier, and it just made sense to put his business there as well, especially since there was a new business park in town. (He recently relocated his business to the Brewer-Young mansion in Longmeadow.)

Getting back to his original commentary and skepticism about the park, it was grounded in the notion that Wilbraham was somewhat of a remote outpost, business-wise, hard to get to from Springfield — and many other parts of the 413.

And it still is.

But Wilbraham and, more specifically, the Boston Road corridor have become home to a growing number of businesses across several sectors, including hospitality, retail, and the broad realm of health and wellness, bringing people from several nearby communities into town.

A redeveloped Eastfield Mall is expected to boost existing businesses in Wilbraham and perhaps inspire more entrepreneurs to want to call it home.

Indeed, the park has made the community more of a destination, as it now hosts a post office (hence the name), the Scantic Valley YMCA, Monson Savings Bank corporate offices, a few medical offices, a hair salon, a shredding company, and other ventures. Looking at what’s happened, Robbins said the park has helped the community shed that ‘outpost’ label, and there have been many new developments along that stretch since.

And there’s land at the site for additional development, said Russo, adding that new businesses along that corridor, and the prospects for more, are one of the main forms of momentum in the community.

Perhaps the biggest are the announced plans for redeveloping the former Lakeside Inn. Built on Nine Mile Pond in the 1940s as an inn and restaurant, it was always a popular destination, drawing diners and guests from neighboring communities and well beyond.

Wilbraham at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1763
Population: 14,613
Area: 22.4 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $17.88
Commercial Tax Rate: $17.88
Median Household Income: $65,014
Median Family Income: $73,825
Type of government: Board of Selectmen, Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Baystate Wing Wilbraham Medical Center; Friendly Ice Cream Corp.; Big Y; Home Depot; Wilbraham & Monson Academy
*Latest information available

The hope is that the planned boutique hotel and restaurant — conceived by unrelated business owners Joe Sullivan and John Sullivan, owners of several ventures in the area, including Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant and Boulevard Tavern and Grill in Springfield and East Village Tavern in East Longmeadow — will do the same.

“This is a really exciting development for the community,” Russo said. “It’s going to bring new life to a true landmark.”

Rooney agreed. “We’re extremely excited to see this come back as a restaurant — they’re looking to have lakeside dining — and a boutique hotel, small rooms to support activities like when parents come in for events at Wilbraham Monson Academy,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to this happening; it will be a great addition to the landscape.”

Plans call for a restaurant on the main floor, with eight guest rooms on the second floor and another six on the basement level. If all goes as planned, both components of the business should be completed by the fall of 2026.

 

You Can Get Here from There

Overall, Wilbraham, its officials, and its town meeting voters have taken several steps that are making the community more business-friendly, said Rooney, listing everything from that vote to reject a meals tax, which will provide a boost for the town’s growing roster of restaurants, to a measure allowing used car sales (something not allowed in town previously) as an accessory to an existing business.

The latter is a nod to changes in that business, Rooney noted, adding that most of the business involving the sale of used cars is done online, reducing the need for large lots full of cars.

“This measure will allow that kind of business to flourish in Wilbraham,” he noted, adding that it is indicative of efforts to facilitate business growth in the community.

And while such growth will largely be limited to the Boston Road corridor and the center of town, as it has been historically, there is room for more, said those we spoke with.

“We have a few open storefronts and some land available for additional development,” Russo explained. “We’d love to be able to fill those spaces and bring some businesses here to develop some of our open parcels.

There is already ample motivation for doing so, said Russo and Rooney, but those twin developments mentioned earlier — the reimagined Eastfield Mall, known as Springfield Crossing (just a few hundred yards from the Wilbraham line), and the planned rail stop in Palmer — might provide additional incentives.

Construction is well underway at Springfield Crossing, a 360,000-square-foot strip mall that will include Target, BJ’s, Hobby Lobby, PetSmart, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, and other regional and national retailers. It expected to make that corner of Springfield a more popular destination, as it was decades ago when the mall was thriving, said Rooney, bringing traffic from all directions, including east, through Wilbraham.

As for the rail stop, it is expected to make the eastern portion of the 413 more accessible, and more attractive, to potential residents — and also to business owners looking to create ventures to support those residents.

These are just some of the reasons why Wilbraham is enjoying some momentum, and why leaders there believe it can generate more in the years to come.

Wilbraham Balances Growth, Small-town Feel

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Mike and Barbara Trombley returned to Wilbraham for its quality of life — and to be the succession plan for the financial-services firm started by Mike’s father.
Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

Mike and Barbara Trombley returned to Wilbraham for its quality of life — and to be the succession plan for the financial-services firm started by Mike’s father.

Mike and Barbara Trombley returned to Wilbraham for its quality of life — and to be the succession plan for the financial-services firm started by Mike’s father.

Like many young people who grow up in Western Mass., Mike Trombley left this region to start his professional career and then returned because of the quality of life it affords.

His story, and his career, have not been like most others, though.

Indeed, Trombley, who excelled on the baseball diamond at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, would go on to play to play at Duke and be drafted by the Minnesota Twins.

Mostly a relief pitcher — with a career record of 37-47 and a high of 24 saves in 1995 — he played for the Twins, Orioles, and, briefly, the Dodgers until 2002. Living in Florida with his wife, Barbara, and three children after his playing days were over, he dabbled in real estate and managed to survive relatively unscathed when the market collapsed.

By 2009, the Trombleys decided that Florida wasn’t really for them, so they relocated to Wilbraham to live and essentially become the succession plan for Mike’s father, Ray Trombley, who founded the financial-services firm Trombley Associates in 1965.

The Wilbraham Mike returned to was and is very much like the one he left, meaning it has maintained its small-town charm and rural character — there are more than 20 farms within the community.

But there have been some significant changes, including the mailing address for the Trombley firm — Post Office Park on Route 20, a business park that includes the Scantic Valley YMCA, a post office (hence the name), and dozens of businesses — as well as many new businesses along that thoroughfare. There have also been some changes on Main Street and just off it, including the town’s new senior center, which was a dozen years in the making, and a new mixed-use development that includes several apartments, a brewery, a restaurant, and a wine-and-cheese shop.

This combination of small-time charm and an eclectic business community makes Wilbraham an attractive community, one where residents sometimes take all they have for granted but shouldn’t, Mike said.

“This is the quintessential New England town; any time anyone would go down Main Street and see Wilbraham & Monson Academy and the Village Store … it’s just a picturesque postcard driving through town.”

“It’s very interesting seeing Wilbraham as an adult. I grew up in this town, then left to go to go to college and play baseball; we were away a long time and came back. To see it as an adult … Barbara said to me, and it’s true, ‘Wilbraham is a charming town.’

“I’m a big fan of New England,” he went on. “And this is the quintessential New England town; any time anyone would go down Main Street and see Wilbraham & Monson Academy and the Village Store … it’s just a picturesque postcard driving through town, especially at this time of year, and I appreciate it much more as an adult.”

This is the message the town’s Economic Development Committee is trying to put out — or, at least, part of the message.

Indeed, the commission has ramped up efforts to let it be known that this community of almost 15,000 people is open for business and has plenty to offer those who wish to set up shop here.

That list includes a single tax rate, one lower for businesses than neighboring Springfield (and some other communities, for that matter); busy Route 20, which is already home to dozens of businesses, with room for many more; access to other neighboring communities; proximity to what will be a totally reimagined Eastfield Mall; that aforementioned quality of life; and, coming sometime soon, a town-owned fiber network that will bring faster and more reliable service to residents and businesses alike.

“We have many attractive selling points here in Wilbraham,” said Mike Mazzuca, chair of the Economic Development Committee. “And we’re going to work harder to make sure businesses are aware of all that we have to offer.”

For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Wilbraham and its ongoing, and quite successful, efforts to balance its rural character with needed business growth.

 

Getting Down to Business

Brady Suomala is a senior at Minnechaug High, captain of the soccer team, and … an intern with the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, which counts Wilbraham among the five communities it serves.

Since coming aboard just after school started, Suomala, who is focusing his internship on marketing and graphics, has been visiting many businesses in town with chamber Executive Director Grace Barone. He’s been talking with their graphics and marketing people about their work and possible career paths, while also, in some cases, gauging their marketing needs and whether the chamber might be of any assistance.

He’s stopped by a few banks, and recently visited with Sandy Polom, owner of the Scented Garden Gift Shoppe, located in the Wilbraham Shops on Route 20, who is coming up on her five-year anniversary of buying the business and is planning a celebration.

Brady Suomala

As an intern with the ERC5 Chamber of Commerce, high-school senior Brady Suomala is gaining unique insight into Wibraham’s business community.

Suomala’s work to date relates the importance of internships like his to introducing young people to the world of work, while also introducing them to businesses and possible careers. It also helps tell the story of Wilbraham’s business community, which, as noted, is both diverse — with a blend of local companies and regional and even national chains (like Home Depot) — and deep, with many businesses, like Trombley Associates, the Scented Garden, Rice’s Fruit Farm, and many others having well-established roots.

Indeed, the Scented Garden has been a mainstay in the community, and region, for more than 30 years now.

“We reached out to businesses at the mall and were successful in bringing a few here.”

Polom, who had been in medical and pharmaceutical sales for 26 years, was looking for a change, and less travel, and bought the business five years ago.

That was just a few months before COVID, which wound up essentially shutting her down for three and half months.

“That was a little scary, to say the least,” she said, adding that the pause, while unwelcome, gave her an opportunity to refresh the store and make some needed changes. Upon reopening, she has been continuously buoyed by local support — a running theme among business owners in town — but also shoppers from neighboring communities and those passing through along Route 20 or stopping in to other businesses in the shops.

They’re drawn to her mix of gift items, from women’s and children’s clothing to jewelry to home items, with a focus on products made in this country.

As for Trombley Associates, it has been a nice, but not easy, transition for Mike and a solid second career, one where Barbara, a CPA by trade, is his business partner.

Barbara, a frequent contributor of articles to BusinessWest on the many aspects of financial planning, handles the tax side of the business, but also shares the financial-planning work with Mike.

Wilbraham at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1763
Population: 14,613
Area: 22.4 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $18.50
Commercial Tax Rate: $18.50
Median Household Income: $65,014
Median Family Income: $73,825
Type of government: Board of Selectmen, Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Baystate Wing Wilbraham Medical Center; Friendly Ice Cream Corp.; Big Y; Home Depot; Wilbraham & Monson Academy
*Latest information available

Together, they have grown the client portfolio and, overall, continued a business that traces it roots back 60 years.

“I think my father would be very proud that we’ve carried the torch and, hopefully, made it better in his eyes,” Mike said.

The broad goal for the town’s Economic Development Committee is to help write more success stories like these in Wilbraham, said Mazzuca, adding that the mixed-use project on Main Street, which now includes several apartments, Pafumi’s on Main restaurant, the Guilty Grape wine-and-cheese store, and Scantic River Brewery, has generated momentum in efforts to bring more businesses, and vibrancy, to what would be considered the community’s downtown, the Main Street area.

Meanwhile, Wilbraham has become more focused on promoting itself and its assets and attracting more businesses. The town was successful is recruiting two of the former tenants of the Eastfield Mall — the Mall Barber and School of Fish, an aquarium store — for some of the reasons stated earlier, such as location and proximity to Route 20.

“We reached out to businesses at the mall and were successful in bringing a few here,” said Mazzuca, “because this is a great place to do business.”

Jeff Smith, vice chair of the Economic Development Committee and a small-business owner himself, agreed. He said the town’s single tax rate has incentivized Home Depot and other businesses to locate in town, and there are many other assets as well.

“We have a lot of open space — the trail systems are extensive, and we have two fantastic farms that put on all kinds of activities in the fall,” he explained. “There’s also water, sewer, access to Route 20, and a very business-friendly town government.”

As for the planned new Eastfield Mall … there are still many questions to be answered on that project, but if it is redeveloped as planned, with a mix of local and national stores and restaurant chains, it should bring more traffic through and into Wilbraham.

“If the stores that are proposed to go up do go up, that will draw more people into the area,” Mazzuca said. “For people going to the Eastfield Mall, when it’s time to go to a restaurant, you’ll have more people coming to Wilbraham. We have fantastic restaurants here, and in addition, some of our niche shops are spectacular.”

 

Bottom Line

Returning to those thoughts he had about how he appreciates Wilbraham even more now than when he was growing up there, Mike Trombley said that, overall, little has changed beyond that appreciation level.

“There’s no way you can avoid progress, which is a good thing, but the town has kept its home-town feel, which is good, too,” he said, noting, as others did, that this community has much to offer — to residents, yes, but also to those who want to get down to business here.