I am a regular reader of Hampshire Gazette. It goes back to 1981 when I came back from a reunion weekend in the Boston area and the paper showed up on my doorstep on Monday. It was happenstance. A high school classmate was working for the Gazette and had written an article about the reunion. What was the likelihood? But that’s why I first started getting delivery.

I went to UMass, and one of our big outings back in the late 70s was to go to Wendy’s for the salad bar. When Herrell’s opened in Thornes Marketplace I was glad to continue my high school passion of eating Steve’s ice cream. We followed Faces over to Hamp when the Amherst branch left. Every member of my family who has passed shared meals with us at P&E’s. Amanouz is another favorite and was the first restaurant we ate in after lockdown ended.

We live up in Deerfield and I have been biting my tongue about the Picture Main Street discussion. I never park in the center. We park on King Street or side streets or the Main lot. So the discussion that limited parking will change things doesn’t ring true to me. 

I wonder if storefront rentals were more in line with the price ratio of the ‘80s if shops would hang on longer.  I have noticed places seem to suffer from a limited pool for staff. Longtime owners have picked up the slack in some cases. Store hours have become limited in some cases. 

And more importantly other towns have upped their offerings. There’s a Bueno y Sano in Deerfield, a Local Burger in Burgy, and a La Veracruzana in Easthampton. And food delivery is crazy successful. Why deal with bringing the kids along when they can bring the food to you?

People want destinations. Tree House in South Deerfield draws families where the kids can run around outside. Turner’s has a variety of restaurants and a walk along the river. And Greenfield is a quick ride up I-91. Another point is that the meals tax in Hamp is larger. It makes a real difference in a bigger bill.

Making Northampton’s Main Street a destination is a good experiment. I would suggest that folks stop complaining and start promoting. 

Because the idea appeals to me.  And you need us out of towners.

Julie Cavacco

Deerfield