A look back on the changes that 2020 brought to Longmeadow

Dec. 31, 2020 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW – Changes have been underway in Longmeadow throughout 2020. The town has broken ground on new construction projects. Former residents have made strides in following their dreams and new businesses have been determined in the face of economic uncertainty.

Construction

The town broke ground on a new state-of-the-art Adult Community Center on Maple Street and an upgraded garage facility for the Department of Public Works. Both projects, originally scheduled for completion in the fall, will be finished just after the new year. The new Adult Center replaces the Greenwood Center and will house exercise facilities and senior services.         The DPW garage will house the town’s vehicles and equipment, prolonging their life and saving the town thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs.

Installation of a new WirelessEDGE cell tower has also begun in town, which Town Manager Lyn Simmons said would greatly increase mobile phone coverage in underserved parts of the municipality.

Filmmakers

Two people who were raised in Longmeadow realized their dream of becoming a filmmakers. Garo Setian grew up fascinated with special effects and movie making. After a 20-year career editing and working on other people’s movies, he and his wife self-funded a movie, “Automation,” in which a robot that has replaced warehouse workers takes revenge when the company tries to replace him. Part horror, part romance – “Automation” was the culmination of Setian’s passion for movie making and perseverance in his dream.

Meanwhile, Michelle D’Angelo, who graduated from Longmeadow High School in 2009, is making a name for herself as an independent filmmaker. After working her way up in the film industry, D’Angelo drew on her background and childhood summers spent in her native Thailand to make her first movie, “Both,” about cultural differences. She has been crowdfunding money to finish a documentary about a performing arts academy that caters to low-income students in southern Los Angeles.

Longmeadow Shops

The Longmeadow Shops have seen an influx of new businesses in 2020, despite a pandemic-related economic downturn. The closure of storefronts, such as Jos. A. Bank and Great Harvest have made room for other businesses.

One store that called the Longmeadow Shops home for ten years has returned to the plaza for a limited time. Gift-ology, a boutique gift shop with over 300 brands and vendors, returned to the Shops as a pop-up store in October. The store focuses on customer service and a variety of upscale gifts. While Gift-ology is currently set to close the 724 Bliss Rd. location in January of 2021, owner Tiffany Hannoush previously told Reminder Publishing that plans were in the works and she would like to keep a permanent home in the Shops.

Batch Ice Cream is another pop-up which has carved out a niche for itself as it enters its second year at the shopping plaza. The business, which has run an ice cream truck in the plaza in the past, has opened a brick-and-mortar location through February 2021.

A permanent addition to the Shops, The Shot Shop Med Spa is in the process of opening and will be available to customers in the new year. Offering services that range from Botox cosmetics, fillers and lasers, to body contouring, cryotherapy and IV vitamin therapy, the Longmeadow location will be the second for The Shot Shop, which has a flagship store in Enfield.

Share this: