Page 19 - BusinessWest June 9, 2021

Michelle Theroux says businesses in town, including her own, Berkshire Hills Music Academy, are anxious to ramp up operations as the economy reopens.
ment issues, the signs represent a positive step. “The good news is that people are looking to
hire, and they are in a position to bring people back into the workforce,” she said.
As the end of the pandemic nears, Theroux credits the South Hadley community for its sup- port of small business. From restaurant takeout orders to holiday shopping, it was local people who provided enough support so that no cham- ber-member businesses permanently closed due to the pandemic.
“Certainly, many downsized and did what they had to do to survive,” she said. “It’s a real credit to community support because small busi- ness is such an important part of South Hadley.”
Because small business is such an essential part of South Hadley, banks in town worked with the chamber to secure Paycheck Protection Program funds for businesses in town. In addi- tion, the chamber recently partnered with the Northampton chamber and the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism to secure $20,000 in state grants.
The chamber also spread the word among its members on how they could help each other, as well as support businesses that are not necessar- ily top of mind.
“If you look at the South Hadley Commons, we all think of the great restaurants there,” Ther- oux said. “The Commons also has a movie the-
ater and a number of small boutiques that offer unique and personalized items you can’t find at a big-box store.”
Forward Momentum
One key project that kept going during the pandemic involves the Woodlawn Shopping Plaza. At one time the site of a Big Y supermar- ket, the parcel now features various retail stores anchored by Rocky’s Hardware. The site has been approved for a 60-unit, mixed-income apartment complex that will occupy three acres in the back of the parcel.
“Certainly, many downsized and did what they had to do to survive. It’s a real credit to community support because small business is such an important part of South Hadley.”
“Way Finders of Springfield is running the housing-complex project, and they are waiting for federal funding to come through before they break ground,” Sullivan said.
Theroux is excited about the project because
South Hadley
Continued on page 47
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