The fact that Amherst scheduled its first Restaurant Week when local colleges are on break says something about shifts in this part of the local economy. Restaurant owners are not counting on thousands of undergraduates to keep them going.
Two economic transitions seem to be occurring at once, one small, the other large.
Like a lot of downtown shopping areas, Amherst regularly sees turnover that leaves storefronts empty for a time.
That’s not in itself reason to worry about the health of downtown, even if change takes a while. The former Carriage Shops complex off North Pleasant Street, for instance, remains cleared out as a big new project moves slowly forward.
Piecemeal, there are gaps on North Pleasant Street with the closing of All Things Local and the coming end of The Mercantile. The White Hut burger joint at 1 Boltwood Walk is calling it quits at the end of March; elsewhere downtown, shops are closed at 61 Main St. (Mom’s Dumpling and Noodle) and 35 South Pleasant St. (art-ALIVE).
Those are the small changes. It’s the bigger one that business owners and the town’s leaders need to watch.
Restaurants remain key to Amherst’s draw. Over the last few years, as the University of Massachusetts Amherst upgraded its food services, it has succeeded in keeping more students on campus.
That competition has been a problem, say both Sarah la Cour of the Amherst Business Improvement District and Donald Courtemanche, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.
To get a better handle on what’s happening in the student economy, the BID has hired the Isenberg School of Management’s Undergraduate Consulting Group.
The consultants, supervised by faculty members, will advise the BID on what’s up with retailing in Amherst.
As is often the case when Amherst seeks a crystal ball, this study will look at what’s afoot in other college towns. La Cour says she hopes to gain insight into what the Amherst business community can do to connect with undergraduates at the retail level.
Looming over all these questions of business viability in 2016 is an even larger question — so make that three economic transitions to watch.
The rise of online shopping cuts local retailers out of the mix, as some people now opt to order even ordinary household goods from places like Amazon.
One thing that retailing behemoth can’t sell — at least yet — is an experience.
That’s what hundreds will came in search of this week in Amherst: afternoon or evening nights out with friends or family over drinks and a meal, sharing stories and making memories as they help keep the lights on in downtown Amherst.
Amherst Restaurant Week runs through Saturday with specials and fixed-price menus. It will give people an incentive to support local eateries, but for those who care about their communities, the reason was always there.