Page 10 - BusinessWest July 24, 2023

Great
Barrington at a
glance
Year Incorporated: 1761
Population: 7,172
Area: 45.8 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $14.07
Commercial Tax Rate: $14.07
Median Household Income: $95,490
Median Family Income: $103,135
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Fairview Hospital; Iredale Mineral Cosmetics; Kutscher’s Sports Academy; Prairie Whale
* Latest information available
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Great Barrington Offers ‘Something for Everyone’
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
Betsy Andrus says that, like most communities domi- nated by businesses in the retail, hospitality, and cul- tural realms, Great Barrington suffered mightily during
COVID-19.
But through that suffering, there were lessons learned
and resiliency gained, said Andrus, executive director of the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce (SBCC), adding that these lessons, and this resiliency, are serving this eclec- tic community well as it puts COVID in the rear view and moves deeper into its busiest seasons — summer and fall. Indeed, among those lessons learned is the popularity
of — and, now, the necessity for — outdoor dining, she said, adding that it is now a huge part of the scene in the city’s vibrant downtown and its pulsating center of activity, Rail- road Street.
“Before COVID, very few, if any, of the restaurants offered outdoor dining,” she told BusinessWest. “Now, most of them do, and it’s a huge part of the scene on Railroad Street.”
Paul Masiero owns one of those restaurants, Baba Lou- ie’s, maker of sourdough pizza and other specialties and a Great Barrington staple for nearly 30 years. He said he start- ed offering outdoor dining during the pandemic and is now part of the broader scene on Railroad Street, which the city actually closes off to traffic on Friday and Saturday nights for several months a year and turns it over to a festival, figura- tively but also quite literally, of outdoor dining.
“It’s kind of like a street fair,” Masiero, which is organized by Berkshire Busk!, an initiative that strives to improve eco- nomic development and community engagement during the
summer by harnessing artistic talent to create a new and vibrant downtown cultural experience. “From July 4 to Labor Day, we put out 10 tables, and there are five restaurants
that take part. It’s been really, really good; the closing of the street has been a great decision for the community — a lot of people come out.”
“Before COVID, very few, if any, of the restaurants offered outdoor dining. Now, most of them do, and it’s a huge part of the scene on Railroad Street.”
Beyond outdoor dining and the added vibrancy, COVID has helped Great Barrington and other Berkshires communi- ties in other ways, Masiero said.
He noted that, at the height of the pandemic, some of those living in New York and other large urban areas who had second homes in and around Great Barrington decided to sell the first home and move there.
This growth in population has brought new business for restaurants and other types of ventures, he said, and brought more business throughout the year (more on that later).
Restaurants are just part of the picture in Great Bar- rington, the largest and most vibrant community in what
10 JULY 24, 2023
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