Page 48 - BusinessWest November 14, 2022

Pittsfield toward ful- Continued from page 12 fillment of
whatever goal they might have. This integrated process enables
a CEO to have one meeting, rather than several, said Tyer, adding that having everyone seated around one table enables the city to be more responsive and move more quickly.
And, overall, there have been a number of inter- ested parties, she said, noting that the Berkshires, and Pittsfield, has a lot to offer employers, includ- ing quality of life and lower cost of living, as well as a population that is stabilizing, rather than declining, as it had been for decades.
“We have great neighborhoods, we’re still afford- able, and we have beautiful outdoor recreation,” she said. “The combination of all of that is the magic that Pittsfield has going into the future.”
Much of this magic became even more forceful during the pandemic, said those we spoke with, not- ing that, while most hospitality-related businesses had to shut down for an extended period, the Pitts- field area’s outdoor recreation and quality of life came more into focus for many looking to escape what COVID brought with it.
The hiking trails became even more popular, and the Berkshires — and its largest city — became an attractive alternative for those looking to escape larg- er cities, their congestion, and their higher costs.
“Our housing market has been on fire,” said Tyer, noting that many professionals from Boston, New York, and other major cities have moved to the Berk-
“
still affordable, and we have beautiful outdoor recreation. The combination of all of that is the magic that Pittsfield has going into the future.
shires. “And I think it speaks to this phenomenon that people can be employed by a Boston firm but work from home here in Pittsfield and have all the ameni- ties and quality of life of a small city in a beautiful region of the state.”
The housing market shows no signs of slowing, said those we spoke with, despite rising prices and, more recently, soaring interest rates as a result of Fed action to stem the tide of inflation.
“There’s still this competition, these bidding wars, for homes,” Tyer said. “And the seller is still selling; the market hasn’t really slowed down.”
This phenomenon has led to an increase in the value of homes across the city, she went on, adding that this brings benefits on many levels — everything from the city’s bond rating to its tax rate. It also cre- ates some problems for first-time homebuyers and those looking to trade up, and rising prices within the rental market as well, creating shortages of what would be considered affordable housing.
But in the larger scheme of things, these would be
interest (from travel to wellness to pets — again), and values, everything from women-owned to BIPOC to ‘sustainable practices.’
Wirth considers the platform a classic win-win, or win-win-win, because it benefits consumers, local shops and artists, and communities across the region.
“The vitality of our local communities is impor- tant,” she said. “How do you ensure the vitality of our local communities? By supporting our local neigh- bors, the local stores, things that are happening in our backyard.”
As noted, 25 stores now participate on the plat- form, with another 25 or 30 in the pipeline, and as the holidays approach, Wirth expects interest in the site to rise. Participating businesses pay a 15% com- mission on each sale to FGSH, a lower rate than most other sites of this type.
The Mill District General Store is one of those businesses. Click on that site, and one can find a
few dozen different items with the store’s own label, including spicy pickles, cracked peppercorn dressing, jams, salsa, and ‘Moonshine Barbecue Sauce.’
Wirth said the platform is essentially just get-
ting started and is still “learning and growing.” She expects that as word of mouth spreads about its abil- ity to make connections and generate sales, it will draw more local shops and artisans.
“The intention behind this is to create community — a community of sellers and a community of like- minded shoppers that are supporting these sellers in a way that is convenient for everyone.”
Meanwhile, with the holidays just a few weeks away, anticipation is building for the season, which is increasingly clouded by questions about the econo- my, recession, inflation, and the impact of all that on spending.
Amid these concerns, there is, as noted earlier, growing encouragement of efforts to shop local and support businesses looking to make a full recovery from the pandemic.
Peavay said 2020 and 2021 were very difficult times for most all retailers, and some, as Wirth noted,
considered some of those proverbial good problems to have, said the mayor, especially in a city that had seen so much hardship over the previous 30 years.
The General Idea
The sports teams at Pittsfield High School are still nicknamed the Generals, said Tyer, adding that this just one of the myriad ways to measure the influ- ence that GE had in this city for the better part of a century.
But while the city can still pay homage to its past in this and other ways, it has managed to move past it in almost all others.
Yes, Site 9 and many other parcels that were part of the massive complex remain undeveloped, but overall, Pittsfield and its economy have moved on.
It took some time, as it does when a city loses an employer of such magnitude, but the city’s economy, like North Street itself, has been reinvented, and vibrancy has returned.
“We’ve overcome that group depression that we
all suffered, and I think there’s a lot of excitement around the art and culture economy; the small- business, science, and technology economy; and some long-standing businesses that have grown since my time in public service,” she told BusinessWest. “I think we’ve overcome the ‘we’re a dying community because we lost GE’ sentiment, and I think we’re a growing, emerging community.” u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
were not able to successfully pivot and navigate their way through the whitewater.
The Longmeadow Shops saw a few casualties, she said, adding quickly that these vacancies have been filled, and the outdoor shopping plaza is now fully leased.
It features several locally owned stores, including Caren & Company, a clothing store; In Chic Shoe- nique, a merger of two stores, In Chic and Shoenique; Batch Ice Cream; Delaney’s Market; Max Burger; Posto; and the Shot Shop, a salon and spa.
In addition, it features a number of national chains, from J.Crew to Ann Taylor to the Gap, that provide jobs and contribute to the overall vibrancy of the complex and the town itself.
“If people don’t come out and stroll our sidewalks and shop in our stores, those national chains will leave,” Peavay said. “And then, people are disappoint- ed; you always hear after someone closes, ‘I loved that store ... why did it close?’ It’s super important to shop locally owned stores and to shop local, at the Long- meadow Shops or any shopping center, if you find that shopping center convenient.”
Bottom Line
There’s a ticker of sorts on the Feel Good Shop Local Site. It keeps a running track of the money spent at participating businesses through the site, under the header ‘Money Invested in the Local Economy.’
At present, that number is still in the five digits as the site continues to build visibility and a presence across the region. In time, it will go much higher, said Wirth, adding that, beyond this number, the site is creating those all-important connections that make it much easier for consumers to shop local first.
When they do, it is truly a win-win-win scenario. u George O’Brien can be reached at
[email protected]
We have great neighborhoods, we’re
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Local
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them from
local ven- dors and artists: hand-made quilts from Night Sky
Quilts in Amherst, maple syrup from Boyden Bothers Maple Syrup in Conway, dog treats from Berkshire Dog in Lanesboro, reclaimed cutting boards from Firefly Hollow in Leverett, local sauces and grocery items from the Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland ... the list goes on.
As noted earlier, the General Store is just one of many small, locally owned shops in the Mill District. Others include the Closet, which offers vintage and ‘new to you’ clothing; Graze Craze, which offers cus- tomizable charcuterie boards and catering; the Lift Salon; Provisions, the Mill District Local Art Gallery; and many others. Collectively, they provide oppor- tunities for people to find what they’re looking for, locate some unique gifts, and shop local in one spot.
It was this same objective that motivated Wirth to create the Feel Good Shop Local platform, which was sparked by the reality that local artists and retailers are simply not as visible as they would like to be.
“One of the reasons some people don’t shop local is because it’s hard — it’s time-consuming, especially if you’re a newcomer to the area, to find these places,” she said. “If you Google items, they don’t show up;
if you Google ‘black sweater near me,’ you get the big-box stores, not the local stores. It’s a connection issue.”
Feel Good Shop Local was created to forge con- nections and enable people to shop at those stores when it’s convenient for them.
“As a mother of four, I’m shopping early in the morning and late at night, and, unfortunately, our local stores are not open at those hours,” Wirth said, adding that many people are similarly constrained by time.
But convenience is only part of the equation. The platform, which was launched during the Big E and is focused largely on gift giving, enables people to shop by recipient (everything from family members to pets; from teachers to co-workers), price, occasion,
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