Page 43 - BusinessWest March 31, 2021

East Longmeadow
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these vehicles.”
Though a relatively new business
in East Longmeadow, Pioneer Valley Arms (PVA) is another business that remained active during the pandemic. Owner Kendall Knapik, who opened the shop two years ago, had to shut down in the early days of the pan- demic. A lawsuit by other gun stores claiming infringement of Second Amendment rights forced Gov. Charlie Baker to deem gun stores an essential business. When she reopened, Knapik’s already-successful shop saw a jump in sales.
“After the pandemic hit, our cus- tomer volume tripled,” she said. “We’ve increased our clientele tremendously, and we’re teaching many more safety classes.”
The combination of COVID-19, protests that took place in different parts of the country, and the presiden- tial election all played a role in driv- ing sales, she added. “Uncertainty and election years tend to drive sales more than a typical year.”
Knapik talked about a new wave of people coming in to protect them- selves, their homes, and their loved ones. After 10 years in an industry she
Report
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described as most often serving mid- dle-aged male clients, Knapik opened her business to counter what she called the “usual gun-shop attitude.”
“It’s an attitude where shop owners and employees tend to be closed off to new clientele such as females,” she explained. “I wanted to have a shop where women and men would feel welcome and not afraid to come in.”
Her strategy seems to be working, as female customers to the store have increased 30%. “I’ve done more back- ground checks on gun sales for women in the past few weeks than ever before.”
Knapik made it clear that proper training and gun safety are the top pri- orities for PVA. She and her staff now hold safety classes every night of the week and, since the pandemic, have increased the number of classes during the day on Sunday.
“Our store draws many who are first-time buyers, so we get a lot of new people who just want to come in to learn about getting their gun license and what’s involved,” she said. “It’s something we definitely encourage.”
A potential gun owner must take a safety course in order to apply
for a license-to-carry permit in Massachusetts.
“Some people are ready to pursue
the process right away, while others need to mentally prepare themselves for it,” Knapik explained. “We’re just happy to be there to help them, wheth- er they decide to pursue a license or not.”
Community Focus
Knapik credits her involvement in the East of the River Five Town Cham- ber of Commerce for helping to estab- lish her business in town, and called joining the chamber “the best market- ing decision we made.”
“Customers have really responded to the small shop and family-owned feel of PVA,” she said, adding that she and her staff are on a first-name basis with many of their customers.
While Knapik praised East Long- meadow as a welcoming place to
do business, increasing numbers of people are finding it a good place to call home as well. McNally said 28 new houses and condominiums were com- pleted in 2020, and an additional 19 homes and condos are currently under construction.
“We are experiencing a bit of a boom in housing due in large part to the low interest rates,” she said. Three developments — Bella Vista, Hid-
starts slipped 7% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $388.9 billion. Both single-family and multi-family starts fell during the month, with each losing 7%.
For the 12 months ending February 2021, total residential starts were 4% higher than the 12 months ending February 2020. Single-family starts gained 12%, while multi-family starts were down 15% on a 12-month sum basis.
The largest multi-family structures to break ground in February were Bronx Point’s $349 million mixed-use development in the Bronx, N.Y.; the $215 million Broadway Block mixed-use building in Long
Residen- tial building
Beach, Calif.; and the $200 million GoBroome mixed- use building in Manhattan, N.Y.
Regionally, February’s starts fell lower in the South Central and West regions but moved higher in the Midwest, Northeast, and South Atlantic Regions.
Earlier this month, Dodge Data & Analytics released its Dodge Momentum Index, which rose 7.1% in February. The Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for non-res- idential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for non- residential buildings by a full year. The institutional component of the Momentum Index jumped 26.3% during the month, while the commercial component was essentially flat.
den Pond, and Fairway Lanes — have added 45 new building lots to the town.
Looking ahead, East Longmeadow continues to work with the Massachu- setts School Building Assoc. to study whether the town needs to replace the 60-year-old high school with a new building or if the existing facility can be renovated to suit educational needs for the future. McNally sees the potential for a new high school as a key to keep- ing the community vital.
“If people have confidence in the educational system, it inspires them to be happy citizens who want to contrib- ute to the betterment of the town.”
McNally concluded that, while many of the projects in town have
not been completed, all are progress- ing. “We have several big projects that all require lots of time, attention, and planning. I’m pleased because we have a dedicated staff working on them full-time.”
Clearly, despite enduring “one heck of a year” marked by a worldwide pan- demic, East Longmeadow is staying
on track with important projects that promise to add economic vibrancy and quality of life. u
February’s
est levels in nearly three years as a result of a surge in large projects that entered planning. It remains
to be seen if this level of activity, especially in the institutional sector, is sustainable given the tenuous economic recovery and rising material prices. Insti- tutional planning projects in February were concen- trated in large hospitals and labs, while commercial planning projects primarily included data centers, warehouses, and office projects. Compared to a year ago, the overall Momentum Index was up 9.2%; the commercial component was 15.2% higher, while the institutional component was down 3.3%. u
Momentum Index marked the high-
Pillow
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workshops, and pre-performance talks — to take place outdoors or under a tent, said Tatge, adding that, in addi- tion to the Inside/Out stage, the Pillow boasts a number of other ‘natural stag- es’ around the campus that will enable visiting companies to stretch their col- lective imaginations.
“There are so many parts of our campus that we’re going to be inviting audiences to discover,” she told Busi- nessWest. “And artists are crafting works particularly for our site, and that’s exciting.”
These performances will also be filmed, as most have been over the years, and presented virtually — an opportunity, as she noted earlier, to greatly expand audiences.
While the shows will go on in 2021, the Pillow is also looking to make huge strides with efforts to modernize and renovate the Shawn, opened during the
“
of the season, we lost all
“We quickly realized that the Ted Shawn Theatre will not be viable as a theater in a post-COVID world without a ventilation system and air condition- ing,” Tatge said. “It’s not a viable space at present, and we made the decision to take the Shawn offline this summer so we could move ahead with the reno- vation, which actually began in Janu- ary, with pre-planning.”
Ultimately, the plan is to have the renovated theater ready for that 90th- anniversary year in 2022.
As for the 30-year-old Duke, that research study she mentioned has been completed, with the next steps in the process being to research architects and ultimately select one, determine the full scope of the project, and pin- point just how much money will have to be raised beyond what is covered by insurance.
The Next Act
Moving forward, Tatge is focused on 2021, obviously, and bouncing back in a big way from a dismal 2020.
But she’s also focused on the future — not just the 90th-anniversary cel- ebrations that will dominate 2022, but the years and decades to come.
The Pillow is a National Historic Landmark and a tradition in Western Mass., and the ultimate mission for staff and board members is to make sure it can serve future generations.
The pandemic severely tested the mettle of this institution, in every con- ceivable manner. But it has been made stronger by that test and, hopefully, even more resilient.
In short, the Pillow is ready to take big steps forward in 2021 — on stage and in every way. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
With the cancellation
of our earned-income
potential — 40% of our
budget is ticket income.
1940s, and replace the Duke.
The former, an $8 million project,
has been in the works for several years, she said, adding that the pandemic
has only reinforced the need for air- conditioning and improved ventilation. And this simple reality helped convince the board of directors that, despite the difficult and uncertain times, the Pil- low needs to push ahead with a capi- tal campaign conceived to raise the remaining $2 million needed for the project.
”
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MARCH 31, 2021 43
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