As I have read all the stories about empty store fronts in downtown Northampton and the closing of many local restaurants and businesses, I have waited in vain for someone to mention the fact that to my mind explains the precarious state of our beloved downtown.
Yes, rents are high. Yes, there are panhandlers. And yes, the Pleasant Street alleyway is less than charming.
But no one has mentioned what I see as the fulcrum on which all these factors balance: the absence of even one movie screen playing films every night of the week.
When I first came to Northampton, there were four screens with nightly film viewings. My wife and I would stroll downtown, peek into shops and often pick up a new shirt or pair of shoes, grab a bite to eat and head to the Pleasant Street Theater to catch the latest art house flick playing there. Friends from towns like East Longmeadow would call us and ask if we wanted to take in a film and a bit to eat.
And, of course, there were the late night discussions of what it meant, accompanied by a cannoli and an espresso.
All of that is no more. Although we do periodically grit our teeth and head over to the Amherst Cinema, the lack of established cinemas in Northampton is viewed by myself and many of my friends as a genuine disaster.
What I don’t understand is why those in power in the city don’t make the connection between the struggles facing downtown businesses and the absence of movie theaters, the very “anchor” those businesses need.
Thomas Wartenberg
Northampton