Page 11 - BusinessWest May 1, 2023

“At the Drake, the average age of our audience is in the 40s, and 70% of them live outside Amherst. It’s making
our downtown destination- worthy, and as
a result, we’re bringing in bigger bands and touring groups.”
>>
Amherst
Continued from page 9
their properties sit idle.
“Landlords understand that opening a new
business is hard, so they want to help people get started,” she said. “It’s an exciting shift that’s been happening.”
Barry Roberts owns several properties in Amherst and decided to create a burger restau- rant when his previous tenant, Shanghai Gourmet, closed.
“We have lots of wonderful places to eat in Amherst,” said Roberts, who is also president of the BID. “But I thought there was a need for a moder- ately priced place where you can get burgers, beer, and ice cream.”
After brightening up the wall colors and repur- posing booths, the Amherst Burger Company was launched. At press time, the restaurant was sched- uled to open its doors by late April.
To manage the new restaurant, Roberts hired David Bourgeois, who has experience running other Amherst restaurants. The emphasis at Amherst Burger is on fun food sourced locally.
“We get our beef from Echodale Farm in East-
hampton, our ice cream from Cook Farm in Had-
ley, and our milk from Mapleline Farm in Hadley,”
Bourgeois said. “We are looking to build relationships with addi- tional local farms as their crops come into season.”
Schools of Thought
While downtown has become home to many new businesses, the Mill District in North Amherst is emerging as another hotspot.
When BusinessWest visited Alysia Bryant, owner of Carefree Cakery, the walls in her store were still two-by-four studs. Slated for
David Bourgeois says Amherst Burger focuses on fun food sourced locally.
a June opening, the venture will feature fair-trade ingredients in all its baked goods.
Bryant started college with the intent of becoming a doctor, but soon realized she didn’t have the passion for it and shifted gears to a business curriculum. At that time, she also began making brown- ies for friends in her dorm room. When her friends became bored
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