AMHERST — While most people visiting Amherst can learn about the town through their computers and smartphones, many tourists continue to solicit advice on dining, lodging, events and attractions at the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce office.
“Even in an era of web-enabled smartphones, a number of people who come in are seeking restaurant tips (and) recommendations for where to stay,” said Timothy O’Brien, the chamber’s executive director. “They want practical information in their hands. They want that map with directions.”
By the end of the year, the chamber and the Amherst Business Improvement District hope to improve this personalized access to the particulars of Amherst and the region by opening a Visitor Information Center.
“This is a really exciting endeavor for us, and we’re looking forward to bringing it to town,” said Sarah la Cour, executive director of the Amherst BID. “This will really be a chance to talk up the town, and the downtown.”
La Cour added that having better-oriented visitors will mean greater enjoyment for people during their time in town, and possibly increased spending.
O’Brien said he also expects such a center to be an economic boon for merchants.
“The big benefit for many of the stakeholders in the chamber and the BID is to have a well-managed, staffed information center right in the heart of Amherst,” O’Brien said.
The plan is to locate the center, and the offices for both the chamber and the BID, at 35 South Pleasant St., space last used by artALIVE and most recently contemplated as a cafe and gift shop featuring British products called Londonwest. That project was abandoned after its owner went through much of the town permitting process.
La Cour said the BID expects to hire additional staff to help run the visitors center, and with volunteers should be able to keep the doors open seven days a week, including holidays, as well as some evenings, such as when the Amherst Arts Night Plus is held. Volunteer greeters are also being sought to assist with the initiative.
By co-locating the offices for both institutions in the building, there should be savings on utilities, equipment and supplies. But the organizations will continue to operate separately and are not merging.
This will mean a move for the chamber from the storefront at 28 Amity St., a part of the Amherst Cinema building, its home since spring 2006, while the BID, since its founding in 2011, has used offices on the second floor at 49 South Pleasant St.
O’Brien said while the chamber has information in the current office, it is less visible and less attention can be offered to those who drop by, though the chamber has been able to help visitors in recent days who traveled to Amherst from abroad.
For years, visitor information was dispensed from a small yellow booth at the edge of the Town Common, which was removed in fall 2014 after it fell into disrepair.
La Cour said the new center will have a different vibe, with comfortable chairs encouraging people to browse and stay for a while. Its staff will offer people directions, recommendations for attractions, dining, lodging and retail activities and events, on college campuses and elsewhere, and direct referrals to businesses. She said visitors also want to know more about the parking in downtown.
The center will also have expanded displays for brochures and printed materials, electronic signs and video screens with coming events and other information about the town, and tools for capturing the demographics of those visiting. O’Brien said understanding visitors better will help the chamber and BID to serve them in the future.
Being in the same building will enhance cooperation and collaboration between the two organizations, though they will keep various events distinct, such as the Block Party put on the by the BID in September and the Taste of Amherst sponsored by the chamber in June.
The one thing the new location won’t have, which would make it a welcome center, is public bathrooms, though la Cour said that remains an objective.
Some modest remodeling and repairs will be required in the space, with an estimated cost of $7,000 to $8,000. A precise timeline for occupancy and full operations has not yet been established, but the agencies aim to be fully up and running shortly after Thanksgiving, in time for one of the longest-running traditions, the lighting of a tree on the North Common for the holidays.
“Our goal is to be serving hot chocolate there on Dec. 2, the night of the Merry Maple celebration,” O’Brien said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
