THE BLOCK: The plaza on Route 9 in Amherst sits just down the street from Florence Bank and right next to Dunkin’ Donuts and Subway. Various small businesses occupy the plaza, which spans from 314-338 College St.
WHY COME HERE? Many of the business owners said they appreciate the friendly environment and the amount of regular customers they receive at the plaza.
“We get all the same people every day,” said Stephen O’Brien, owner of Kelly’s Restaurant.
Six days a week, O’Brien serves breakfast and lunch to his loyal customers, many of whom he knows from growing up in Amherst.
O’Brien calls most of his customers by name. “I guess you could call this Old Amherst,” he said.
Numerous customers went to school with O’Brien, or went to school with his children.
Many of the business owners took notice of the plaza’s friendly community.
“It’s like a barroom with no alcohol — everybody knows everybody,” O’Brien said about the atmosphere in his restaurant.
FEEL OF THE PLACE: The plaza stretches along Route 9, a busy state highway. A long parking lot curves around the perimeter of the building. A beige shingled roof rests upon the gray-painted walls of the main building.
At the far end of the plaza, a banner that reads, “open — come in for a great meal,” welcomes customers into Kelly’s Restaurant. Inside, a mural covers all four walls, painted by an artist from Shutesbury. The mural represents the four seasons: winter is painted in the back by the refrigerators, a meadow of flowers sprouts in springtime by the dining tables, summer shines by the front door and autumn leaves fall in the far corner by the storefront windows.
One door down, white curtains hang in the windows of Star Nails & Spa.
Wooden lattice decorates the windows of Mom’s House- Chinese Food Market, next door. Customers are greeted by dangling wind chimes, which blow in the wind when the door opens. Red paper fans hang on the walls.
On the other end of the plaza, advertisements for ice cream, cigarettes and lottery tickets plaster the windows of Neighbor Food Mart. Customers file into Amherst Laundromat next door, hauling baskets of clothes. Monkey Business, a children’s clothing store at the end of the building, recently closed.
WHAT’S NEW: Taylor Fitzsimmons and her husband opened Talon Furniture Gallery in September. Their store houses a variety of mattresses, dining sets and sofas.
“I like getting people on mattresses they can afford,” Fitzsimmons said, while watching her toddler run around the store. Before they opened Talon Furniture Gallery, the couple was in the antique business.
The couple chose to come to the plaza because of the proximity to nearby colleges. Fitzsimmons enjoys selling modern furniture. In addition, she said, “I love being able to bring my son to work.”
WHAT’S ENDURING: Spirit Haus opened 45 years ago. The red wooden building is located next to the main building of the plaza. Organized shelves of alcohol fill the spacious building. To the left of the main entrance, wine is stacked in groups, corresponding to its country of origin.
Gary Mescon, wine manager, sits behind a desk in the wine section, next to a radio playing classical music. Mescon has been working at Spirit Haus for about 21 years.
“Wine is the most profound agricultural project that people do — it expresses place better than any other product,” he said, motioning to the shelves of wine organized by country.
There are about 20 countries represented in the wine section. In each section, a map of the country of origin hangs in the aisle.
Spirit Haus boasts a wide variety of wine, beer and liquor. “We have $500 wine, and we have kegs,” explained Mescon.
Summerlin Floors has been in the main building of the plaza for about 40 years. Rows of carpet samples line the front of the store. “It’s a very friendly small town business,” said owner Drew Wendelken.
THE PLAYERS: Before he owned Kelly’s Restaurant, O’Brien worked on an apple orchard for 15 years. Now, he runs a very family-oriented business on College Street.
The restaurant is named after O’Brien’s daughter, Kelly, who was 10 when he started the business. Many of O’Brien’s family members have worked at the restaurant over the years, he said.
A sign painted by O’Brien’s grandson hangs above the kitchen. His grandson’s tiny handprints are painted on the sign, beside the words, “hands down best pancakes.”
O’Brien has been serving a close-knit community since he opened the restaurant years ago. If a community member was looking to find someone, O’Brien said, Kelly’s Restaurant is where they would check. O’Brien said he would even take messages for his customers when he first started working there.
O’Brien still sees many familiar faces in his restaurant. However, he noticed that not many college students stop by to grab a meal. “We’re a good kept secret, I guess,” he said.
THE UPSIDE: Most of the business owners said that the plaza’s location on Route 9 contributes to their success.
Cameron Burkhart, cashier at Mom’s House-Chinese Food Market, also noted that the proximity of other nearby businesses allows the market to thrive. The steady foot traffic on College Street benefits business, he said.
Burkhart and other staff in the plaza also expressed their gratitude for the many regular customers they receive from the area.
“(It’s) really awesome to have so many dedicated people coming in that I see every day,” Burkhart said.
THE DOWNSIDE: Many of the business owners had a difficult time thinking of downsides to the plaza’s location. O’Brien noted that truck traffic to the restaurant decreased slightly when a sidewalk was put in.
Burkhart said that the location is a little out of the way and the Chinese food market might go unnoticed by some. Overall, though, there were no major complaints.
VERBATIM: “It feels nice to work at a place that feels like there’s a community,” Burkhart said.