Page 13 - BusinessWest October 3, 2022

Scantic River Brewery owners Dave Avery, left, and Dave Buel, with Catherine Avery, who designs logos for their beers
ees that live in the area — not to mention the 400 customers every year for the businesses in the center of town.
In short, WMA is an economic driver in the community, Easler said.
Barone agreed. When school is back in ses- sion, Wilbraham’s economy grows, she said, add- ing that the Village Store and Rice’s Fruit Farm are in walking distance from the academy, along the side of historical Main Street.
“They’re engaged in shopping in the area — they’re visiting that Boston Road sector, they’ll go out and shop for the holidays, and they’re buying gifts to bring home to mom, dad, siblings, and so forth,” Barone said. “When their parents come
to visit, they’re going out to dinner, and they’re doing all that Wilbraham has to offer. In a lot of ways, the academy is a smaller version of a col- lege. We don’t have the amount of students that colleges do, but we do have a strong amount of students that do impact the economy in a posi- tive way.”
What’s on Tap?
As noted earlier, Avery and Buel are looking at their new home as more than just a beer-making place; it’s a place to hang out and unwind. With local breweries like Iron Duke, Fieldcrest, and Vanishing Valley all within 30 minutes of each
other, opportunities for collaboration abound. “I’m sure we’ll collaborate on some things
with them, maybe get a beer-trail type of thing going. We can get together as a group and some- how figure something out,” Avery said. “Rice’s
is right down at the other end of Main Street, and there’s a sidewalk that runs the full-length between us; we could possibly do things there, like road races.”
“In a lot of ways, the academy is a smaller version of a college. We don’t have the amount of students that colleges do, but we do have a strong amount of students that do impact the economy in a positive way.”
Overall, it’s an exciting new development in a community that has put a premium on balanc- ing business with quality of life, and only one of many stories to watch in the months and years to come. u
Kailey Houle can be reached at [email protected]
BusinessWest
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
OCTOBER 3, 2022 13