Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | March 19, 2018 | wbjournal.com Businesses in the buzzy MetroWest downtown have created the region's first business improvement district BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor Capitalizing on Hudson's momentum I n just a few years, downtown Hudson has added a popular brewery, a buzzed-about pizzeria and bar, a swanky speakeasy- style bar, and trendy gift and clothing store. Now, business leaders are taking advantage of that progress by forming the first business improvement district in Central Massachusetts using small tax surcharges on property owners to pay for everything from cultural events to parking improvements to marketing. "There's a lot of energy around here right now, and the goal is to keep the momentum going," said Richard Braga, a former Hudson police chief who was tapped to be the district administrator. The business improvement district will get its first revenue this month, and expects annual payments in the area of $122,000. First up is a sidewalk arts fair scheduled for May 5. Aesthetic improvements are slated in the short term to make it visible to property owners, residents and visitors how the investment is being used. A committee is looking into new decorative light poles and flower boxes, while other committees are studying potential marketing initiatives or parking improvements such as additional spaces or better signage to help visitors find spots. "We have a few things where, as soon as the weather breaks, we're on it," said Arthur Redding, the owner of Hudson Appliance on Main Street for 47 years and the president of the district's board of directors. "We're looking at this to be a home run for the town of Hudson." From ghost town to bustling downtown Downtown Hudson having a busi- ness improvement district would have been unheard of not too long ago. Coming out of the Great Recession, Redding and a group of other business owners formed the Hudson Business Association in an attempt to turn the neighborhood around. They had a lot of ground to make up. At the time, there were about 30 empty storefronts, Redding said. "I remember for many years going home at 6 o'clock at night; and I'd head up Main Street, and it looks like a ghost town," he said. Now, Redding said, the neighborhood is busier in the evening during the day. And he said he can't count any empty storefronts, other than a few spaces being renovated for future tenants. A few eateries helped lead the way for downtown Hudson's popularity today. Restaurateur Karim El-Gamal opened Rail Trail Flatbread Co., a pizzeria and bar, in 2012 and then opened New City Microcreamery, a cafe and ice cream parlor, across the street three years later. Located through an unmarked door in the back corner – if the secret wasn't out already – is a speakeasy-style bar, Less Than Greater Than. The Crompton Collective, a Worcester marketplace, opened The Haberdash, a gift and clothing store, last year. The owners of another well- known Worcester destination, the res- taurant and bar Armsby Abbey, Members of the Hudson Business Improvement District steering commit- tee include (from left) Chuck Randall, who owns the building Armsby Abbey's sister restaurant will occupy; Mae Zagami, owner of Creative Designs in Kitchens; Arthur Redding, owner of Hudson Appliance; and restauranteur Karim El-Gamal of Rail Trail Flatbread, New City Microcreamery and Less Than Greater Than. P H O T O / N A T H A N F I S K E

• Cover