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A panel discussion of two on the subject of generating growth in North Adams.
This episode is straight up talk-show format. Tammy Daniels, managing editor of iBerkshires.com, and I range over a wide terrain of economic development ideas—The Mohawk, vacant spaces, incubators, farmers markets, etc.
What businesses do YOU think would thrive in North Adams? What could/should be done with the Mohawk?
Go to The Greylock Glass Facebook Group to put your two cents in!
Well I would like to see the Mohawk Theater open first and foremost. Get some decent acts playing there, like they have in Northampton at the Calvin for example. That gets people into town and helps local businesses. If that takes off, the most obvious thing that will benefit is downtown restaurants, but any store that could attract tourists would benefit. Commercial space immediately near the theater will benefit the most. But shows in North Adams for the most part haven’t been too terribly successful, until more recent festivals either.
I would be in favor of something for the kids. My post retirement plan is to open a game store and setup a LAN of PCs and charge a small fee for playtime, and have tournaments and whatnot. Not just an arcade, but large multiplayer tournaments that get people playing together and requires people to meet other players. Not as good as say roller magic was, but would be something for kids can do downtown.
Dean, I would LOVE to see a gaming center downtown! I would drop some coin there if you held tournaments there—show these whipper-snappers how an old-timer can still lay down the PWNAGE in a FPS.
Excellent! I almost started this after college but that didn’t happen. It’s harder now that I have a house and two kids to take care of. Maybe I could get some college students to work as students and make it happen though.
If not, it will be my post retirement plan. I don’t see myself having money to go on and endless vacation like some people, and I don’t see myself sitting around watching TV all day either.