THE BLOCK: Amherst is used to a bustling economy of small businesses, and that is certainly true when it comes to Riverside Park Plaza in North Amherst.
The plaza, at 19 Montague Road, draws people from Amherst, its surrounding towns and University of Massachusetts students living off campus who are looking for a quick bite of pizza, some alcohol, a haircut with a lot of personality or to ask advice of a independent pharmacist.
WHY COME HERE? Each store in the shopping plaza packs its own style to their craft that gives people a reason to keep coming back.
Bradley LeVay, manager of North Amherst Pharmacy, said that both his location and the services it provides give customers a different experience that they might not receive at the larger chain pharmacies.
“The small, independent pharmacies can really devote more time to the neighborhood customers. We’re not just a name,” LeVay said. “Since I’ve been here I’ve become friends with a lot of these customers. It gives it more of a personal detail.”
North Amherst Pharmacies, which opened in 2017, is one of the newer additions to the plaza. The pharmacy prides itself on its diverse collection of essential oils, medical products for foot and hand injuries and even office supplies. The pharmacy also delivers medication to some customers while simultaneously helping out the community by delivering medications to Hospice of the Fisher Home.
“Business is increasing here because of word of mouth,” LeVay said. “I think we can do a lot for the people here in North Amherst and it’s starting to show.”
FEEL OF THE PLACE: Situated down the road from the UMass campus, the plaza is unassuming at first, but its weathered buildings and varied businesses keep the shopping center feeling new and refreshed constantly.
One of the major liquor stores in the area popular with students, Big Guy Liquors, sits at the corner of one of the center’s two buildings. It is a lively spot given its close proximity to a Cumberland Farms convenience store.
Jesse Multani, owner of Big Guy Liquors, has been in the spot for 15 years and says that even though business has slowed down some in recent years, he still likes the location.
“Maybe people are changing their drinking habits, I’m not sure,” Multani said. “But the place where we are is great.”
WHAT’S NEW? Along with the pharmacy, Amherst House of Pizza is a relatively new business in the plaza that does more than just sell slices of specialty pizza. Customers can come to the eatery to sit down over a wide range of Italian food like calzones and chicken parmesan, but if they would rather stay in, the pizza place delivers.
Francisco Perez, owner of Amherst House of Pizza (known to locals as “AHOP”), got his start learning how to make pizzas at Antonio’s Pizza in downtown Amherst in 1991. After working for a few more pizza shops, Perez opened up AHOP in 2010 to broaden his passion for pizza to residents in North Amherst.
“We get a lot of customers not only from Amherst but from towns like Sunderland and Leverett,” Perez said. “We are even starting to see people from across the bridge come to our store, from places like Deerfield.”
Perez isn’t that surprised that his pizza shop is so successful. His wide assortment of quality food and the busy road next to the plaza keeps customers coming back.
“I think we do well because I try my very best to do well. I love pizza and I love to share that with the community,” Perez said. “Even I find myself eating pizza every day for lunch.”
WHAT’S ENDURING: In addition to the assortment of alcohol, pharmaceuticals and pizza, the plaza boasts a barber shop filled with character. Conveniently named “Barber Shop” and located on the side of one of the two buildings, people from all over the area come for the haircuts but end up staying for the conversation.
Although the barber shop has been in the location since the late 1960s to early 1970s, the current owner, Mindy Isabelle, bought the shop in 2002. Ever since then, Isabelle has been giving haircuts in a barber chair that dates to 1901 while 50s music plays overhead from an AM radio station.
“When I first started most of my clientele were older people in the area, since they had been coming to this shop for so long,” Isabelle said. “But now it has really diversified and I get professors, students and still some older customers. I love connecting with people who come here to get their hair cut.”
Customers at the shop are loyal to Isabelle’s work since they get much more out of the experience than just a regular haircut. Graham Lowery-Hsu, 21, has been coming to the shop for as long as he can remember — and he doesn’t see himself stopping anytime soon.
“This place is the best, and Mindy is just an awesome person to hang out with while getting a haircut,” Lowery-Hsu said. “This is a place where I can come and talk about anything, without judgement. We talk a lot about current events and our opinions on it, and it’s a good space to have a civil conversation with people who have a range of different ideas.”
THE PLAYERS: Riverside Park Plaza is home to many other businesses and amenities, including a post office, two ATMs, Cozy Corner Laundry and its adjacent café.
All of the businesses rely heavily on foot traffic from people who live in the area, but each business owner says that the adjacent Route 63 should be credited for a lot of the plaza’s popularity.
THE UPSIDE: Tenants say the continuous influx of students from UMass is one of the best elements of the shopping center’s location.
“We get a lot of a fair amount of our business from students who live at the apartments off campus close to this location,” Perez said.
THE DOWNSIDE: Businesses in the shopping center still have worries about future developments and their impact on Riverside Park Plaza. A major construction project in the Mill District is set to begin in March, and is slated to include both apartments and opportunities for more business.
“I think the higher amount of people living in the area could contribute to higher traffic here,” Perez said. “But it still could be a problem if a business similar to mine starts there.”
VERBATIM: “I’m blessed to be busy all year round,” Isabelle of the Barber Shop said.