Page 15 - BusinessWest March 7, 2022

Aaron Vega says there are many cannabis-related businesses now operating in Holyoke, and many more in the pipeline.
Hart, executive director of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.
“Over the past year, we’ve had more than a dozen ribbon cuttings, most of them restaurants and all of them small businesses,” she said, not- ing that her ceremonial scissors have been given a workout. She credits the pandemic and the manner in which it has prompted introspection and, for many, a desire for something different and hopefully more fulfilling than their 9-5 job,
as being a catalyst for some of this activity.
Tessa Murphy Romboletti, director of EforAll Holyoke and now also at-large City Councilor — she was elected last November — agreed.
She said the pandemic has helped fuel interest in entrepre- neurship across the board, mean- ing people of all ages and demo- graphic groups. EforAll has been expanding and evolving in ongo- ing efforts to meet the needs of such individuals, she said, adding that it is now staging its 12th and 13th cohorts of aspiring entrepre- neurs, one for English-speaking candidates, and one for Spanish. It is also adding a new program, called E-Forever, a resource for those who are already in business rather than trying to get off the ground.
But beyond COVID, this surge in entrepre- neurship is also being fueled by Holyoke’s emer- gence as a landing spot for those looking for affordability, diversity, a growing cultural econ- omy, and a chance to do something they may not be able to do in a larger, far more expensive municipality.
People like Jay Candelario, who grew up in the city, moved to New York, but eventually returned. Battling heavy doubts and some long odds, he took an historic home on Dwight Street that had been damaged in a lightning strike, and convert- ed it into Jay’s Bed & Breakfast.
Opened in 2016, the facility has certainly been challenged by the pandemic, but it has hung on, through diversification into catering and events, and Candelario’s persistence and belief in not only himself and his concept, but Holyoke itself
“
had more than a dozen
ribbon cuttings, most of them restaurants and all of them small businesses.”
(more on that, later).
For this, the latest installment of its Commu-
nity Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in- depth look at Holyoke and the many forces that are shaping progress in the city and, as the mayor noted, enabling history to repeat itself.
On a Roll
While there are many developments in Holy- oke from a business perspective, cannabis con- tinues to be the story.
And as Vega said, it’s one that involves a large number of businesses, diversity of ventures, and large supply of potential new initiatives in the pipeline.
Providing a quick snapshot of the cannabis
Holyoke
Continued on page 16
Over the past year, we’ve
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BusinessWest
COMMUITY SPOTLIGHT
MARCH 7, 2022 15