A tenant has been found finally for 107 Main Street and, alas, it will probably not make much difference to the life of the town. First Selectwoman Pat Mechare announced at tonight's Board of Selectmen meeting that she has made a deal with Salisbury resident Michael Klemens to rent the space to use as an office for his environmental consulting business. He's said to be an herpetologist--an expert on reptiles and amphibians--so maybe there's a Kellogg field trip in his future. Ms. Mechare also noted that Mr. Klemens has a partner who may open "a small antiques shop" in the front of the space, but she was vague on the details. This week, she hopes to sign the two-year, $1,500 a month lease (which includes water and electricity!) so Mr. Klemens can take possession of the premises on August 20.
Monday, August 13, 2007
The Sun Sets on 107 Main Street
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
It's a shame that the BOS is not making an effort to revitalize downtown.
Just give it time- we will have something special there sooner or later.
Apparently Anonymous #1 doesn't live in Falls Village. He/she seems to be unaware of exactly what is happening in the village. The owners of the turn of the century beautifully renovated restaurant and inn are now willing to lease their establishment to an enterprising entrepreneur. It seems certain that the right person with the right menu offerings could find success at that location. Sweet William's Bakery, a recently established business with a strong regional client base has become a popular spot for locals to delight in all sorts of interesting baked goods. The renovation to the exterior of 107 Main Street where Mr. Klemen's business will be located will give this historic building the facelift it so richly deserves while keeping its historical roots. The recent purchase of the former Emerson building by a dedicated "it's possible" group and their plans for its renovation as a cultural and community center sets a spectacular example of what happens with teamwork, a positive attitude and tenacity to accomplish something for the betterment of the community. Also along Main Street there is composer and musician Josh Stone's studio, the successful Toymaker's Cafe and Greg Bidou's T-100 motorcycle renovation business, a local architect's studio and an attorney's office. Down the road a piece, just off Main Street we find the former Washburn Garage on Route 7, which was initially renovated by Mark Davis. Now it is under additional renovation by new owners Fred Tregekis and his wife who are readying the space for his unique business of designing and building "wine cellars". Around the bend on Beebe Hill Road we find that Clifton Jaeger has moved his art studio, where he primarily designs and creates large murals, to his newly renovated home which is the former Saint Patrick's Catholic Church. A nicely done renovation, by the way, that truly keeps the character of the church. Then there is Shelly's Hair Salon owned by 20's something Michelle McGuire. A few years ago Edward R. Hamilton Bookseller took care in renovating and enlarging the space that formerly housed Berkshire Homes and uses it as part of his business space. John Raffanello has re-established his successful design/woodworking/furniture building business with a new building on Prospect Street replacing the original that was destroyed by a fire a few years ago. Of course we also have the long established Jacobs Garage and the Falls Village Package Store on Railroad Street too. Hmmm ... sounds like an active, successful, positively evolving and diversified downtown area to me! It certainly allows the uniqueness of our village to remain untainted and live side-by-side in harmony in a primarily residential area.
Is he going to keep snakes and other reptiles in the building? Is the building zoned for that?
Dear cuz. Anonymous #1 did not say that nothing is happening in FV. The question is what is the BOS doing? Are all these endeavors you list a result of their brilliant planning? Is there a bonafide economic plan for the town?
Re:Cuz
It's nice for a change, to hear someone who is so relentlessly positive (if a bit pollyanna) about the business climate in Falls Village, though in reality, one would hardly describe the center of the village as "active, successful...and diversified", but there may be something to the idea it is "positively evolving" albeit slowly. I realize Cuz was referring to the village center, but additional new businesses included the sculptors at Bill Blass's place, as well as their new neighbor Garfield Builders. There is a need for several more businesses (and people) to reach that critical mass that will make the village vibrant or at least have a pulse again. One thing that might be a significant step forward would be a website linked somehow to Dan's blog. This town has an unusually large percentage of artists, writers, craftspeople. The website could not only list the various businesses in town, but could promote the image of the town as a place that is home to a lot of creative people. There are several others who have not been mentioned, who would qualify for such a list. Whatever new businesses that do come to town, they will not be able to support themselves with traffic on Main St. (no snickering) They will need to be either connected to the net or to have a following outside the area. A web page would both help attract them, support their businesses and the existing businesses. A good example is the Buggy Whip Factory, which has done an excellent job of marketing, both through it's webpage
http://www.tias.com/stores/buggywhip/
and linking itself to other web pages. It has also done a very good job of print ads in the shopper's guide.
It would also be very interesting to have a brain-storming session with both the new and old entrepreneurs who have staked their economic lives in this village, regarding what could be done about the business future of the town.
Why anyone would feel the need to communicate anonymously is beyond me. This blog is a wonderful boost to a terrific little town. Thanks, Dan.
Jack Mahoney
Post a Comment