From Empty Storefronts to New Opportunities, Park Street Eyes a Comeback
The latest Park Street sale is the 1890 Carlow building, a Queen Ann flatiron, purchased this past spring. The former owners ran Coffee Liberation Front until retiring.
Some residents can remember a time when people walked the streets of downtown Adams to shop or eat, whether it was getting your photo taken at Smith Studio, shopping at Schiff Clothing or Groves & Co. Women Apparel, or having lunch or ice cream at The Crest.
Over time, storefronts closed, and the once-bustling street grew quieter, with fewer people on the sidewalks and parking spaces sitting empty.
Adams is a very walkable town, said Glen Diehl, who sits on ProAdams Board of Directors.
Diehl highlighted ProAdams' destinations map that sits at the corner of Park Street and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.
The town needs restaurants and businesses he said, and as more move in the nonprofit will update the map.
Small-town retail corridors face challenges from the shift to online shopping and the high cost of renovating historic buildings to meet modern codes, real estate agent Jeffrey Loholdt of Engel and Volkers Wellesley.
However, investments such as Greylock Glen, expanded trail connections, and the growth of remote and hybrid lifestyles are creating new opportunities for downtown Adams, making the vacant properties prime real estate for that next generation of businesses, he said.
Selling properties in downtown Adams has long been challenging, but with the Adams Theater now in full swing and drawing people to Park Street, there is hope that its momentum will attract other businesses, said Christine Girard of Lamacchia Realty.
This optimism has been shared by many, including local officials who highlight that the Adams Theater, which opened under Yina Moore in 2021, has started a trend of revitalization.
When the theater is putting on an event, it's nice seeing people on Park Street like it was in the '80s, Diehl said.
This development of downtown continues with the work being done to the historic Mausert Block, which is slated for two new restaurants — Zep's Pizzeria, owned by Seth Martin, and The Burrito Bowl, owned by Timothy Samson.
As work continues, building owner Stephen Stenson plans to continue his work at 23 Park St., which is attached to the three-story commercial building, to the left of the apartments at 21 Park St.
"The building is the history of Adams. It was built in 1800s in the boom time, when all the industrialization was happening," said Stenson.
There were storefronts and offices and then the demographics evolved and the one thing the area needs now is people, he said.
Children who grow up and attend school in the area often leave after graduation because there aren't enough local jobs or housing options to keep them here. The apartments in the Mausert Block provide the needed "high-end" housing.
"I'm wholly supportive of getting Adams on its feet. We need that [Mausert] property operating at full force," Diehl said, who also serves as the vice chair of the Zoning Board.
The commercial market across Berkshire County, and North County in particular, is going through a fascinating transition phase, said Loholdt, and buyers are moving away from single-use retail and pivoting toward experiential businesses, boutique spaces, dining, and multi-family residential conversions.
"Traditional brick-and-mortar retail has faced headwinds nationwide, but in the Berkshires, we're seeing a real appetite for adaptive reuse," he said.
Additionally, properties that offer flex space or high-density residential potential are seeing strong long-term interest because of the income from the units that support overhead expenses, Loholdt said.
Downtown also has diverse real estate, with some buildings that are fresh and affordable like 71-77 Park, while others have been sitting quietly waiting for the right creative vision, he said.
However, downtown's historic buildings offer solid architectural bones, high ceilings, and unbeatable downtown walkability, he said.
"For a developer, buying along Park Street means buying into low square-footage costs compared to neighboring markets, like Williamstown or South County, with massive potential upside as downtown revitalization efforts continue to take root," Loholdt said.
Development along the main street has been quietly chugging along; the long-dormant Jones Block finally opened to commercial and residential tenants two years ago after nearly 30 years of setbacks.
The property at 1 Park St., the flatiron Carlow building, was sold to Tammie and Trent L. Shafer, as Berkshire Road LLC, owners of Pine Brook Pub, in April. At the time of publication, the windows are covered in paper and the Coffee Liberation Front sign has been removed.
And 69 Park, once the Red Carpet which closed in 2019, has been renovated as the new offices of Smith Bros.-McAndrews Insurance. Work is also beginning on the Memorial Building
There are a number of properties on the street sitting vacant or that are in the process of being sold, including 29, 43-45, 47, 57-63, 71-77, and the long vacant armory at 89 Park St.
"When you have multiple properties along one corridor like Park Street, we don't look at it as 'competing against ourselves' — we view it as a downtown revitalization package," Loholdt said.
"We market the corridor's vision, not just individual walls and roofs. We target regional investors, local entrepreneurs, and developers who see Adams as a town on the rise.
"We leverage digital campaigns, direct outreach to regional business groups, and highlight proximity to major regional draws like the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail and the Greylock Glen resort development."
The mixed-use commercial and residential building housing 57-63 Park St. is listed for sale by Loholdt. The property was once occupied by real estate firms, gift shops and bakery sales and has four residential units.
The former Real Eyes Gallery and the two residential apartments, 71-77 Park St., is also up for sale, listed by Jason Nocher of Nocher Realty. It had long been owned by the Riley family, first as Simmons Furniture and then as the gallery with an eclectic mix of media.
Nocher described the 15,000 square foot building, which includes part of the original St. Charles' Church, as a "blank canvas with tremendous potential."
"It's an ideal candidate for a mixed-use transformation — think high-end, eye-catching commercial storefront space on the street level to capture foot traffic, paired with upper-floor residential or rental units," he said.
"With the growing demand for housing in North County, bringing new living units online right in the heart of downtown is a huge win-win. Currently it is bringing in over $4,000 with two residential units and one active gift shop located at the storefront."
The Firehouse Cafe is once again vacant and listed for sale, following its reopening in 2022. The space had sat empty for eight years after the first cafe closed in 2014, having operated for barely nine months.
At the time of the 2014 closure, owner William Kolis cited several factors that made the restaurant not financially sustainable, including the Park Street construction, closure of the North Adams Regional Hospital, and absence of the anticipated scenic railway.
Those factors have since changed, with Park Street construction now complete, North Adams Regional Hospital reopening in 2024, and the recent opening of the Adams Theater ushering in what has been described as a “rejuvenation of downtown.”
According to Girard, the listing for the property was posted last month and went into agreement about two weeks in.
"A local business man in the Northern Berkshire area is currently under agreement to be sold and slated to close in September," she said.
"The buyer purchased the building because he loves the uniqueness of the building and would like to hopefully put a business in there to help the local downtown area in Adams. At this time, he is not sure what that business will be but he is open to ideas."
Tags: commercial buildings, Park Street, Real Estate, redevelopment,
