Opinion: There’s Still Plenty of Potential for Retail in Downtown Amherst

This is an AI collaboration. I made a list of my ideas and opinions, clearly worded, and AI rejiggered them. I know some people have been annoyed at AI articles that I have made for the Indy, but there were only a few factual errors, and the data gathering was far and wide. I do not want to be ruled by robots (or fascists) any more than the next guy, but it is only fair that we also appreciate the upside, even though the downsides are more attractive to the dark side. And FYI, I love to write, and do that plenty.- Ira Bryck

Opening a retail store in downtown Amherst, MA might sound like an oddball life decision right now, given the local landscape and national winds buffeting “brick and mortar.” But, sometimes, the things that are hardest to explain are the ones worth dwelling on. Here are a few musings on why planting a flag—okay, a cash register—here might be more sensible, or at least more interesting, than it first appears.

Downtown’s Retail Drought
Amherst’s downtown has never teemed with shops like Northampton’s Main Street or even—let’s admit it—the malls of Hadley and Holyoke. Most of the area’s “serious shopping” has been ceded to those megaplexes. Now, with retail in retreat everywhere (add in the death of many former tenants at Hampshire Mall), downtown is drier than ever when it comes to shops. The upshot: a new store stands out. Much like a snail-mail postcard stands out, precisely because no one else is sending them.

The Student Surge…and Slump
Half the humans here are college students, who appear for nine months, eat and drink voraciously, and then vanish like cicadas, leaving behind streets that feel unusually quiet in June. The town’s family demographic—”year-rounders,” if you will—has declined. This “town-gown” dynamic tilts the retail mix toward late-night pizza and not so much toward, say, children’s bookstores or shoe repair shops.

The town’s drive to house more students, via private dorms rising downtown and older neighborhoods tilting toward “student slum” status, has only sharpened this character. Some longtime residents are reportedly fleeing, and much as a healthy ecosystem needs more than one species, a robust retail economy might want to serve both students and non-students.

The Online Elephant
People are buying less clothing, and most “stuff” now arrives on porches in brown boxes, courtesy of monstrous online retailers. It’s a challenging time for physical stores, sure. Economic uncertainty is the only certainty. If this sounds discouraging, it’s worth remembering: history is studded with bold new ventures launched during bleak times—because, paradoxically, shaking things up looks a bit more possible when everything feels up for grabs.

Why Bother? Some Unfashionable Reasons

• Amherst still has buying power, thanks to a confluence of students, visiting families, summer conferences, and a culturally savvy local populace.
  
• To open a business here is, in a sense, to become “big news”—both because it’s rare, and because local residents are rooting for something unique. People longing for a bakery, a creative deli, an innovative “compartment store,” or a culinary pop-up with guest chefs would likely make one cross the street (even in traffic) to check it out.
  
• The Massachusetts SBDC (Small Business Development Center) and E-for-All offer free guidance, mentoring, and business training—an underappreciated asset for new entrepreneurs.
  
• Opening one shop—bizarre as it may seem—can attract others, gradually making “commercial gravity” work for downtown again.
  
• If the business succeeds, it’s a sellable investment—meaning that the risk isn’t just a roll of the dice, but a real investment in personal and civic “infrastructure.”

Standing Out (Like a Well-Stamped Letter)
In a world where everyone is digital, doing anything analog has impact. A great retail store in downtown Amherst is a bit like a handwritten note: it gets noticed, draws attention, and—if it’s got soul—stirs up the urge to connect. This remains a town where people pride themselves on doing business in person, encountering each other face-to-face, and supporting main street, for political and tribal reasons (we like to touch what we buy; we want to know who’s behind the counter).

The Entrepreneurial Experiment

• Tough times foster invention. Many of today’s iconic businesses started during economic thunderstorms.
  
• Community support for local and unique enterprises is real, especially in a town with historic ties and broad, if occasionally quirky, tastes.
  
• Service businesses—catering to both student and permanent populations—have plenty of room to innovate, whether take-out, delivery, or something truly new.

Ira Bryck has lived in Amherst since 1993, ran the Family Business Center for 25 years, hosted the “Western Mass. Business Show” on WHMP for seven years, now coaches business leaders, and is a big fan of Amherst’s downtown.