Page 12 - BusinessWest May 1, 2023

Where the wheelbarrow of scrap wood sits is where the main counter of Alysia Bryant’s Carefree Cakery will be located when she opens in June.
with plain brownies, Bryant added different ingredients, such as peanut-butter swirl and cheesecake swirl, and discovered how much she enjoyed the process of modifying recipes to create new treats.
“I realized that I had a passion for helping people and that my skill was bak- ing,” she said. “So I asked, ‘how on earth could I do both at the same time?’”
While the idea for her own place incubated, Bryant spent five years managing the Sherwin-Williams paint store in Hadley, where she refined her skills before running her own business. Additionally, she researched how to source fair-trade ingredients such as vanilla extract, chocolate, and other essential baking items.
“I knew fair-trade products would be more expensive,” she said. “And my big- gest concern was, would people be willing to pay for them?”
To get the answer, Bryant teamed up with the Holyoke chapter of EforAll, a national nonprofit entrepreneurial organization, to conduct surveys on pricing and flavors. She was surprised at the positive feedback. “After the survey results, I felt less trepidation and more excitement about Carefree Cakery.”
The owners of Futura Café, located next door, are planning their opening in June at the same time Bryant opens her doors. They will join nearly a dozen other businesses featuring, among other things, vintage clothing, a general store, and an art gallery.
“I enjoy being in the Mill District because there’s real collaboration among the businesses,” Bryant said. “They’ve put an emphasis on building community here.”
Pazmany concurred, noting that the Mill District has created many new com- munity events, including a recent Easter egg hunt that sold out. “It’s a family- friendly place that keeps growing as more people experience the shops there.”
And family-friendly locations are needed because the Amherst area is, well, attracting more families.
Indeed, over the past few years, Massachusetts has seen a slight decline in its population — less than 1%. But in that same time, Hampshire County has seen an increase in its population of roughly 11%, with Amherst on the leading edge of that growth.
“Private development of housing is a major economic driver at this time,” Town Manager Paul Bockelman said. “There’s a demand for housing because so many people want to live in Amherst.”
Realtors are noting trends of growing numbers of families looking to move back to their hometowns, and Amherst is no exception.
“I’ve talked with people who were unleashed from their offices and could live anywhere, and they chose to live in Amherst because of the schools, open space, and cultural attractions downtown,” Bockelman said. “Our town has become a real magnet for people who work remote most of the time.”
Signs of Progress
A key municipal project in the works is the renovation of the North Common, a project Bockelman said will transform the center of Amherst. The area is techni- cally a green space, though most of it is currently covered in wood chips. He said the new design will be a great space for everyone.
“During the pandemic, we learned that people like to get takeout food but
12 MAY 1, 2023 << COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >> BusinessWest