Page 14 - BusinessWest November 24, 2021
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 ty support and the number of home-based busi- nesses represented at the market.
“I saw some wonderful business ideas, and the community market provided a great showcase for them,” Barone said. “It would not be a surprise to see some of these vendors become future store- fronts in town.”
“It’s easy to get hung up on what’s going on at the federal level, but people need to look in their own backyard. The decisions that are made in town are the ones that affect people the most.”
The original idea for a community market was to bring together small businesses, artists, and community organizations, according to Michelle Goncalves, chair of the Ludlow Cultural Commis- sion. Because the pandemic’s impact hurt many small businesses, especially those in arts and cul- ture, the event’s focus shifted to become an occa- sion to support these entities.
For a first-year event, Goncalves was sur- prised to see nearly 40 vendors reserve space. She speculated that most of the smaller vendors were home-based businesses.
“In addition to businesses that have store- fronts, I would guess that many of our vendors were based at home,” she said. “For example, we
had a person who makes wreaths, a photographer who uses his home for a studio, one person who sells essential oils, and another who makes char- cuterie boards.”
Planning has begun to bring the community market back next fall. “We definitely want to do this again,” Goncalves said.
While the population of Ludlow has remained fairly steady over the last several years, Rosen- blum noted the town is seemingly growing based on the increased activity that happens there.
“Folks in Chicopee like to say they are the crossroads of New England,” Rosenblum said. “Well, Ludlow is the crossroads of about four or five towns, too.” Indeed, from the Ludlow exit on the Mass Pike, travelers head to Granby, South Hadley, Belchertown, Palmer, Indian Orchard, Wilbraham, and other communities.
The busy Ludlow exit from the turnpike feeds into Center Street, which is part of Route 21. Even after the state completed a comprehensive upgrade of the roadway last year, traffic has never been busier.
“I think we got used to traffic during the pan- demic, which was very light because people weren’t commuting to work,” Stefancik said. “Now there’s traffic all week, and it’s still busy on the weekends.”
Don’t expect traffic to lessen anytime soon because Ludlow continues to invest in its future. In 2017, town officials working with Westmass Area Development Corp. and Winn Development transformed one of the old mill buildings in the sprawling Ludlow Mills complex into Residences at Mill 10, providing 75 units of age-55-plus, mixed-income housing. In 2022, construction begins on Mill 8, the mill building with its iconic
Doug Stefancik says home values have soared in Ludlow, and so has the prevalence of home-based businesses.
clock tower. Once complete, that project will bring an additional 95 units of senior housing to Ludlow. Town officials offered high praise both for what’s been done so far and the potential for the entire area.
       “The mill devel- opments are such a
Ludlow
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