AMHERST — Beers and wines, bread, fresh produce and other kitchen essentials have filled the shelves at Aster + Pine Market in downtown Amherst for the past 2½ years, in what its owners described as a European-inspired market.
As July ends, though, so will the store. Bill and Mallory Nurse, a Holyoke couple who opened the shop at 189 North Pleasant St. in February 2024, are citing various challenges for the closure. These include foot traffic that’s lower than what Northampton offers, a difficult national and regional economy, and a lack of help from the University of Massachusetts in promoting the town’s main commercial district.
It is one of three recent closings in downtown. The others are The Taste Thai Cuisine, which shut down at 25 North Pleasant St. at the end of May after 12 years in business, and Zhu’s Kitchen Asian Bistro and Ramen, which for about a year was located at 25 South Pleasant St., replacing the former Oriental Flavor.
John Page, executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District (BID), said each of the closings can be seen as part of the normal business cycle. However, Aster + Pine, in particular, due to its unique offerings, should serve as a warning to those who want a more diverse array of businesses, he said.
“My call to the community is this: if you love a small business and want to see it here a year from now, you have to show up and support it with your dollars,” Page said. “A downtown is not a museum piece or the picturesque Norman Rockwell illustration frozen in time. It is a living dynamic thing that only continues to thrive if we all show up and invest in it.”
For Bill Nurse, the vision behind Aster + Pine was always bigger than a single storefront.
“We wanted it to be a model for what Amherst could be,” Nurse said this week, as Aster + Pine Market has a 30% discount on products to clear out the remaining inventory.
Nurse explained that what the couple envisioned was an elevated experience for customers, but also one in which people wouldn’t have to pay exorbitant prices, and which could be patronized by visitors, permanent residents and college students. Yet many perceived it only as a place to pick up a gift for the holidays or get an item during wine tastings on Saturdays, not making it a regular stop to restock their pantries and cupboards.
“Unfortunately, owning a small independent retail business is almost impossible in this current economic climate,” the Nurses wrote in a farewell letter posted to the door. The letter also states that “shopping small” needs to be a consistent habit.
Aster + Pine has been located in a small plaza between Zanna, which is celebrating its 55th anniversary, and the long-running Toy Box, and had free parking out back.
Bill Nurse said that the business had many amazing regulars who sought something different, and he’s aiming to stay in touch with the community that was built.
Despite the criticism leveled at UMass, a university spokeswoman observes that there is tremendous support offered for the downtown business community, including from the annual Adventure into Amherst, where all freshmen and first-year students have an orientation and scavenger hunt in town center.
In the case of Aster + Pine, UMass regularly promoted the business to faculty and staff and publicized its offerings to families, as well.
Combined, the recent closings reflect a downtown experiencing growing pains during an ongoing evolution, with some entrepreneurs retiring and passing along their business to others, and others shuttering for good.
Restaurants and service are, for better or worse, among the businesses that continue to do the best, illustrated by the arrival of Zinnekin’s, a Belgian waffle place going into the Amherst Cinema building on Amity Street. Other newcomers are Ashton Realty Group offices at 220 North Pleasant; Soma Skin Studio at 17 Kellogg Ave.; and Role Aesthetics at 228 Triangle St. There will also be a new business coming where Taste Thai was.
And while Coronation Cafe plans an expansion and La Veracruzana relocated to a larger site, allowing for the creation of the Dulces by Vera dessert space, Page said there are non-restaurant successes as well, such as the opening of The Hive Collective retail, makerspace and gallery at 49 Boltwood Walk, and the one-year anniversary of Floral Affairs flower shop.
Mixed-use buildings at 26 Spring St. and 11 East Pleasant St. have development concepts in progress and Kendrick Place will also be getting new commercial tenants.
There are significant challenges, however, as customers may be spending less in the face of the difficult economy and rising prices.
“The macroeconomic situation is applying additional pressure on our small businesses, many of which were already surviving on razor-thin margins,” Page said. “Taxes, insurance, utilities and therefore rent, as well as the costs of goods and employee benefits, have increased significantly between 10% and 25% for many in the past year alone.”
But Page said entrepreneurs are tough, resilient and continue to adapt, and the Amherst BID is doing what it can, with partnerships with UMass and Amherst College, to bring more people downtown and increase foot traffic. Already, some 3 million people pass through over the course of the year.
“The reality is it is a challenging time to be a small business owner; it has never been something for the faint of heart,” Page said.
