NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A local restaurant has a solution to acoustics, a plant store is going mobile, and a popular ice cream/sandwich shop is getting new equipment and a website.  

 

These improvements were all made possible through some $34,000 in grants. 

 

Door Prize, which opened last fall in Hotel Downstreet, recently received $14,000 from MassDevelopment to help improve the acoustics of in the dining room.

 

"Acoustics were not great in there, and it was something that we'd like to do, it was a pretty ambitious, big project," said Jenny Klowden, who operates the restaurant with her husband, chef Bryan "Swifty" Josephs.  

 

"We'd like to do it right, instead of just putting up just the straightforward panels you buy online, but have something actually built to work on the acoustics for that space."

 

The two applied for the grant last year; work has already started and should be done completed before mid-March. Klowden said it will ensure the comfort of their guests.

 

"It's really exciting, because this is the kind of project that we definitely could not have taken on on our own, or we would have had to do cheaply and not nearly as fully rounded and as long term as this project is now turning out to be," she said.

 

"It is quite loud, the ceiling are super high, and being able to have the sound be softer and better for our guests ... it's been one of the few complaints we've ever had. So that's something, especially for when we do special events in the space, should be very helpful."

 

The panels are constructed of fabric and foam with wood flaps being painted the color of the ceiling. The panels were assembled in the contractor's shop and will be installed during the days the restaurant is closed.

 

Two city small businesses each received a $10,000 grant out of 400 distributed nationwide by Main Street America. A program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the nonprofit collaborates with organizations and local partners to revitalize historic commercial downtowns. 

 

The Plant Connector was one of those picked. Co-owner Emilee Yawn said she and Bonnie Marks applied for the grant last year to help them construct a mobile station to bring their business outside of their Main Street location.

 

"We go to these events that are all about selling plants, and sometimes we go to farmers markets to sell, sort of our refill goods. But the thing is, Bonnie and I are getting older, and it really takes a lot out on our bodies," she said. "We sometimes will be packing an old vintage TV and, I mean, we are very DIY, so we put together a proposal to kind of streamline the system a little bit. 

 

"But for me, I always have a lens of community, so I want this mobile system to also be a place-making thing out in front of our shop, especially during farmers markets, and a lot of the events that North Adams has."

 

She hopes that the mobile station can also be parked outside their store and attract more customers as they don't have a sign. It will also be a station for their refills or other activities.

 

"I'm hoping that it almost is like a tetra unit that sometimes will act like a sustainability cart. So we'll do all of the refill things that we do, all the sustainability initiatives, and then also can sort of transform into a long table where people can sit down and do planting activities and kind of come together as a community, and there is sort of a little shelving component, because it is sort of a system to actually help us sell things at farmers markets and markets," Yawn said. "So it's part community, part making, streamlining, streamlining our mobile, when we take the show on the road a little bit to make it easier for us, because it is a lot of work."

 

The two also had the mobile unit built locally and it is already planned for events in the near future.

 

"I really hope that it becomes this sort of representation of community coming together and also an easier system for us. And so we have a really big event in April that we go to in Providence called Bloom [Flower & Home Market]," Yawn said. "And it's such an honor to be able to go to this event. It's really kind of a curated plant-seller event, and so we're hoping to debut the cart there, and then we're also doing an event with Savvy Hive on Holden Street for First Friday in April, and we'll also use the cart there. So that's where we're hoping to play around with this idea of placemaking, mobility and coming together as a community, and do some planting activities. So that's our goal behind it."

 

The cart will help bring plants to other local markets as well and will make planning for the two much easier and faster.

 

"I do feel like something that has been really helping our business sustain is going out to markets. And it is really a lot of work and it takes me months to plan for these markets, to bring in, all the extra plants and stuff, but we do go through thousands of plants at these markets. So it's a huge part of how we can keep going, and it's something that we really hope to focus a little bit more," Yawn said.

 

Yawn said they are seeing how much Main Street has grown over the years and are also excited for the other small business, Lickety Split, which also was awarded the grant from them.

 

"To be one of 400 feels like a really nice recognition, it feels like we've been able to sustain in this weird time in our society, like we've seen small businesses kind of shut their doors, but I'm seeing in our community, more small businesses open, and it feels really exciting to be part of North Adams in that sense," she said.

 

Lickety Split, located in Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, plans to use its funds to purchase new equipment.

 

Co-owner Tom Ralys said they had planned to buy new equipment with a grant through the Restaurant Refinance Fund, which was awarded in 2020, but with the pandemic, the funding ran out.

 

"We were put in a financial position where we couldn't buy much of anything. The museum closed for quite a while, which meant we were closed, there was a whole series of events," he said. "It was tough. COVID was tough for us. I'm sure it was tough for everybody. But we applied for money that was offered to us, and then we were shut out because the money ran out."

 

With this grant, they were able to purchase a bigger dipping cabinet for their ice cream, three panini presses, and are creating a brand-new website, which Ralys said is all vital to their operation.

 

"It's a great thing for us. I mean, ice cream is a big part of what we do. So that was greatly appreciated. It definitely made our situation better," he said.

 

The eatery is already are using the new equipment and will launch the new website up in a couple of days.