Page 13 - BusinessWest February 3, 2021

Lenox
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their work. The event also led to phone calls from event organizers from sever- al Eastern Mass. towns who wanted to know how to stage a similar event.
The old adage about necessity being the mother of invention definitely has proven true for Lenox. “We just tried some different things that we probably would have never attempted, or done so quickly, had it not been for the pan- demic,” Nacht said.
In the beginning of the summer, traffic in town was about half of what
it would be during a normal season. As the weather became warmer and travel restrictions eased around the state, both traffic and business picked up.
“We began seeing more day trip- pers, many from the Boston area who had never been out our way,” Nacht said, adding that good weather in the summer and fall extended the outdoor season nearly to Thanksgiving.
While lodging in the area was restricted by the number of rooms that could be offered, she noted, from Sep- tember through November, inn and hotel rooms were booked to the capac- ity they were allowed.
“We began seeing more day trippers, many from the Boston area who had never been out our way.”
As the owner of the Scoop, a Lenox ice-cream store, Nacht was one of many business owners forced to move customer interactions outdoors. She found a fun way to adjust.
“We did it sort of Cape Cod style, where people order at one window and pick up their ice cream at a sec- ond window,” she explained, adding that, while 2020 was not as successful as previous years, the Scoop still saw steady business throughout its sea- son. Even non-food stores, inspired by all the outdoor activity, set up tents in front of their shops to add to the vitality.
In a normal year, Lenox Winterland is a tradition to kick off the holiday season that features a tree-lighting cer- emony and Santa Claus meeting with children. In this very-not-normal year, Winterland was forced to cancel.
Instead of losing their holiday spirit, however, the Cultural District and chamber presented a creative alter- native. Local businesses and artists teamed up to decorate 30 Christmas trees, which were displayed in a tree walk through town. Nacht said the inaugural Holiday Tree Walk was so well-received, plans are in the works to expand and make it an annual event.
“Despite the obstacles of COVID, we had a decent tourism business,” she said. “We’ll continue to offer more fun
events to keep the vibrancy of the town going and improving.”
Passing the Test
Lenox has always been proud of
its cultural amenities, such as Tangle- wood, Edith Wharton’s house at the Mount, Shakespeare and Co., and oth- ers. As those were scaled back, Ketchen said, the town’s outdoor amenities gained exposure they might not have otherwise.
“Once we are allowed to enjoy our cultural institutions to their full-
Lenox
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Lenox Loves Music was a hit during
a time when live music was in short supply.
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FEBRUARY 3, 2021 13
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