Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | March 6, 2023 | wbjournal.com possibilities in Holden, Shrewsbury, and Westborough. "ere weren't any distillery-only businesses in the area," Bacon said. "ere was an opportunity in the market for that." Growing opportunities Central Massachusetts grew 8.1% in population from 2010 to 2020, outpacing both the state (6.0%) and nation (6.5%), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the city, Worcester out there. And in Central Mass. there is still so much room, and so many people moving in." When Bacon started looking at locations for his distillery, he only had one area in mind. He didn't want to try to head toward Boston. He wanted to stay close to Worcester. He looked in the city proper, but examined the Year of the startup, part 2 PHOTOS | KEVIN KOCZWARA BY KEVIN KOCZWARA WBJ Staff Writer B arry Bacon started planning his career change in 2020. Bacon was working as a manager for CVS Health Corp. when the coronavirus pandemic hit. He and his wife oen hosted people at their house, and he started to wonder what it would take to open a distillery in Central Massachusetts, so he could not only keep hosting but make something. His blue-collar family's legacy of working at metal manufacturer Wyman-Gordon workers called out to him. By the end of 2020, he had a business plan. In 2021, he incorporated Spicy Water Distillery, becoming one of the 2,731 new businesses in Central Massachusetts that year, in what became the year of the startup. e number of new businesses in Central Massachusetts rose 14.6% in 2021, Although growth slowed in 2022, the number of new businesses increased again last year aer 2021's surge, defying state and national negative trends outpacing the state's own double-digit increase by 4.5 percentage points. Although the growth slowed last year, 2022 still showed Central Massachusetts has become a destination for new businesses. Another 2,772 new businesses incorporated in the region in 2022, a 1.5% increase over the eye-popping 2021 figures, according to a WBJ analysis of incorporation paperwork filed with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. While Central Massachusetts was on the rise last year, the state overall had a 2.8% decrease in new business starts in 2022. e U.S. as a whole was trending down, too, with a 6.2% decrease in new businesses last year, although still above pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. "e growth out towards Boston is stagnant," Bacon said. "It's either too expensive, there's not enough room, or everything has already been done -3% 0 3% 6% 9% 12% 15% 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 % change in new Central Mass. businesses % change in new Mass. businesses New business starts The number of business filiing new incorporation paper with with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth has increased each of the last two years in Central Massachusetts. Source: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Barry Bacon opened Spicy Water Distillery in downtown Millbury on Feb. 10.

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