NORTHAMPTON — Main Street got a little more colorful over the weekend thanks to volunteers who turned out with paint buckets and brushes to brighten up the pavement with abstract designs. And while many people welcome the sight of street art and more open spaces — the result of a nearly $200,000 grant awarded to the city by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Shared Streets and Spaces program — others are unhappy about the changes.
The project, which is intended to draw more people downtown, includes narrowing upper Main Street to one way in each direction to make way for protected bike lanes and expanded open space for activities such as outdoor dining. Artists Eben Kling, Sean Greene, Kim Carlino and Andrae Green worked with volunteers to paint murals on the street. The changes are temporary and will likely last until mid-November, according to Mayor David Narkewicz.
Alli Jukiro, an owner of Dobrá Tea, said she thinks the changes are “exciting.” She plans to put tables outside, where customers can get a good view of the redesign. “I think it looks really beautiful,” she said.
Like many local business owners, Jukiro had to hold on tight during the coronavirus shutdown, and reopening comes with its own challenges. “We’ve been hit really hard,” she said, noting that in-person sales were key to her business before the pandemic hit. Now, Jukiro said, “We’re surviving.”
But not everyone is a fan of the redesign. A petition signed by at least 30 local businesses owners or managers who want to see the changes reversed is currently circulating downtown.
Peter Kerantzas, an owner of Haven Body Arts, came into his shop Saturday. When he saw the changes to the street and traffic, he said he thought, “This is crazy.” He spoke with other downtown business owners who were also upset, so he started a petition to “restore original parking and traffic pattern to Main Street.” Co-signers include the owners or managers of businesses including Teapot, Strada, Uya, Ted’s Boot Shop, Northampton Wools, Vision Associates of Northampton, Filos Greek Taverna Restaurant and Absolute Zero.
Less parking means less foot traffic, which businesses need, he said. Parking and traffic were already issues downtown, and the new layout just exacerbates those problems, Kerantzas said. “They essentially made downtown a spot to avoid.”
Kerantzas said the changes were made on Thursday through Saturday, which disrupted business on the busiest days of the week. Some businesses are hanging on by a thread, he added, and “if you disrupt a weekend, you are not going to be able to pay a lease … For the shops that are in danger, every bit counts.”
His businesses is doing fine, he said, as it is able to do appointment-only visits for customers. But, he continued, “If this keeps up, more business are going to close.”
Kerantzas said the city didn’t consult with businesses about the redesign. “You didn’t ask anybody what they needed,” he said. “The whole thing is insane.”
Yue Zhang, an owner of Uya, said she didn’t hear about the redesign until she got a flyer with a schedule of the changes. “If you really want to do something for the businesses, you could continue free parking,” Zhang said, noting that her poke bowl restaurant relies mostly on takeout, and “to be honest, last weekend was slow.”
“The reason why we’re against it is because it’s causing a lot of traffic, and it’s very difficult to park,” said Richard Wang, owner of Absolute Zero, a Thai rolled ice cream shop. Business is down at the store by 40 to 50%, Wang estimated, which is particularly worrisome because customer traffic is seasonal. “If summer is dead,” he said, “then I don’t know if we’re going to survive the winter.”
Along with keeping people safe from COVID-19, the city has been focused on the economic health of downtown, Narkewicz said. The goal of the Main Street project, as he put it, was to “create additional public space so that people can come downtown and feel safe.” Narkewicz said he was in touch with the Downtown Northampton Association and the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, and he held a town hall on Zoom a week before the redesign to talk about the changes.
There is now less parking, he said, and “that’s clearly one of the tradeoffs in trying to create additional space.” There were 91 parking spaces on the section of upper Main Street that was recently redesigned, and now there are 57, though there are still the same number of handicap spaces, according to Narkewicz. He noted that there is also a parking garage downtown.
“I like what they’re doing,” said Erika Saravia, manager of Pinocchio Pizzeria. Even so, she said, some customers complained about a lack of parking. Business at the shop is doing well, Saravia said as a customer walked in, and she’s not sure if they will use outdoor seating in the new space.
The changes make downtown feel more alive, said Julia Albro-Fisher, who was on Main Street on Monday. “I love the art.”
Hilary Talbot, manager of Haymarket Cafe, also liked the murals. But when the project was put in place and the road was closed, she said the cafe had a slow day. “We were basically standing around for most of the day,” she said while sitting at a table under a tent on the cafe’s back patio, which has been open since July.
But in the long run, Talbot said of the project, “I think it will really help downtown.” The cafe plans to stay outdoors for as long as possible, and Talbot said they are thinking about starting a delivery program for the colder months.
Luahn Page, a co-owner of JoiaBeauty on Crafts Avenue, said she has spoken with customers about the changes and heard comments along the lines of “let’s give it a chance.” A downside, she said, is that on Friday and Saturday, she noticed a hum of traffic and more cars idling than usual.
The bike lanes were an exciting development to James Lowenthal, who is on the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee and was involved in the downtown redesign project. “The number one reason that most people give for not riding their bikes for errands and work and school is fear of traffic,” he said. The lanes are an important physical and psychological buffer, he noted. He thinks the bike lanes will bring more business to downtown, not less.
“Bike safety is important,” said Christina Lau, who was walking down Main Street on Monday.
While opinions ranged on the redesign, most people who spoke to the Gazette said they were worried about local businesses downtown.
A note on the door of Cathy Cross, a women’s closing store open since 1983, notified passersby that the shop will be closing this September as the owner is retiring. Next door, THELō Home and Modern Wellness is empty with a “for lease” sign in the window, and a similar sign is posted at the former site of A Child’s Garden, which closed earlier this year. The Green Bean cafe and Village on Main salon are permanently closed. The Artisan Gallery is closing in January after 36 years of business in the city, and Guild Art Supply recently moved to a new location in Easthampton after 37 years on Main Street.
At the same time, there are signs of new life. Two new restaurants recently opened: Patria in Thornes Marketplace and T. Roots in the former Viva Fresh Pasta site. A colorful sign advertises that Phoenix Rising, which will sell “estate furnishings and other curiosities,” is set to open on Old South Street.
Vince Jackson, executive director of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, said the redesign is a necessary adjustment that he hopes will help the local economy. “I think there’s still a lot of pain and concern about the ultimate fallout of the pandemic” he said. “We know a lot of businesses are hurting.”
The Chamber of Commerce is working with the Downtown Northampton Association and United Way of Hampshire County on the Community Revitalization Fund, which is raising funds to award grants of up to $5,000 to local businesses, Jackson said. The project recently gave out $80,000 to 28 businesses and is taking applications from small businesses for another round of funding, Jackson said.
“We’re going to need the community to step up and support our businesses and buy local,” Jackson said, “and be a part of building up the economy in our community at the same time.”
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com.