Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
By Katelyn Gendron Reminder Assistant Editor AGAWAM The Ames building and the Food Mart Plaza have been vacant and neglected for almost a decade. Graffiti tattoos the Ames exterior, the doors are boarded up and the parking lot is littered with garbage and overgrown weeds. For many in this community the rejuvenation of these once economically viable sites were projects believed to be too big to surmount. However, all of that is about to change, as Agawam's three-year commercial and industrial boom will finally spread into this area. By the beginning of next year shoppers will see a prodigious transformation as Dave's Soda and Pet City will be renovating and occupying the Ames building and the popular clothing store Steve & Barry's will occupy 60 percent of the Food Mart Plaza. "We conduct extensive research to identify those cities and towns that make the most sense for a store like ours," Howard Schacter, chief partnership officer of Steve & Barry's said. "Obviously, the boom that has led to the strength and vitality of Agawam played a role in our choosing to open a store there." This expansion will mark the seventh Steve & Barry's location in Massachusetts and 211 locations nationwide. Schacter said the store would bring approximately 100 new jobs to Agawam. "Our expansion strategy is to touch as many people as possible, so we take pride in any opportunity we have to help in the revitalization of an area such as the one we will be occupying in Agawam," Schacter said. He noted the store's chic merchandise by celebrities including "BITTEN" by Sarah Jessica Parker, "dear" by Amanda Bynes and "EleVen" by Venus Williams, while still maintaining affordable prices for communities like Agawam. "No item in our store is priced higher than $19.98," he said. Marcel Sander, owner of the Food Mart Plaza said countless man-hours and money has been put into the restoration of the location in order to make it more attractive to businesses. Renovations have included landscaping, a new fa ade, roof and freshly paved parking lot. Sander said he "saw the potential" of the location when he purchased it three years ago and has been committed to taking the location "to a higher level." He added that other businesses such as dollar stores have shown interest in leasing the property. However, he said such retail outlets did not "fit" his vision for upgrading the plaza. Sander said he believes that the addition of Steve and Barry's will "change the business environment dramatically for this area that has been depressed for so long." Deborah Dachos, director of Planning and Community Development in Agawam said the town never forgot about these sites and that she has been working with Sander to "enhance the [location's] appeal to commercial development." She said the town "took advantage of a special opportunity" to apply for the Food Mart Plaza's designation by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development as an exceptional opportunity area. Dachos said that upon obtaining this designation the town was able to "offer tax increment financing," which aided in Steve and Barry's attraction to the site. Dave Ratner, owner of Dave's Soda and Pet City, who purchased the adjacent Ames building, said the commercial boom has contributed to the expansion of his business in Agawam. He added that this new location will mark their third move within the city as the current location has become too small. Ratner said Dave's Soda and Pet City will occupy 40,000 square feet of the total 67,000 square foot Ames location and the remaining retail space will be leased. He added that this location will feature "a full training center from agility trials to dog obedience" and self-grooming areas. Ratner said that the economic growth in Agawam can be attributed to the people's "love" for small town business. He added he is confident that once his new location is opened in early 2008 along with the Steve & Barry's opening later this year, the remaining retail spaces will "fill up in a heart beat." "Agawam offers a lot to retain, attract and grow businesses that are currently here," Mayor Richard Cohen said. "We're very proud of what we've been able to accomplish." Cohen noted the numerous development projects throughout Agawam over the past three years such as those on Springfield, Suffield and Silver streets. "When somebody says we're not business friendly I say take a ride around, we're very vibrant." | ||||||
