Williston students know all about Mt. Tom’s, Kisara, Tandem, Antonio’s, and Veracruzana, but Easthampton bears many other hidden gems.
Other Easthampton businesses like the Bistro Café, Mission Taco, Silver Spoon, Small Oven, and a new clothing boutique called Harper James, would benefit from a greater level of Williston student attendance.
Many students, while settling into their yearlong routine of visiting the popular locations, aren’t aware of Bistro Café’s one-of-a-kind cupcakes, Mission Taco’s flavorful Mexican platters, Silver Spoons’ unbeatable French toast, Small Oven’s cakes, and Harper James’ modern take on fashion.
All these businesses, besides Harper James, have been in Easthampton for years; Silver Spoon has had the longest residence in town at 30 years. Still, despite their strong reputations, these businesses seemingly haven’t made the “fan favorite” list for Williston students.
Over the past decade, Easthampton, founded in 1785, has slowly gained traction and is currently entering a new era. Sarah Sawyer, an English teacher at Williston, who has been an Easthampton resident for more than 20 years, noted “[Easthampton] has definitely changed since we moved here.” When Sawyer, alongside her family, first moved to Easthampton, “there were no restaurants or artists,” she said.
Further, Easthampton, the small Pioneer Valley town of 16,000, is beginning to fill bigger shoes, and with this, it is critical each local business receives attention from Williston students—all of whom make up an important aspect of the Easthampton community, as Williston currently enrolls over 400 students.
Many students in the Williston community are either unaware of these businesses.
Morgan Dulude, a junior day student from Holyoke, says that her go-to spots are “Kisara and Veracruzana because they are both easy walks,” and she feels like “there is not enough advertisement for the other places.”
On the other hand, Annika Song, a senior boarder at Williston, who, after attending Williston for four years, knows the town through and through, raves about Small Oven and Silver Spoon in particular. Annika mentions that her and her peers “loved going to Small Oven, especially during assessment week.”
Annika also loves Silver Spoon because “It’s a really nice small business” that offers “more home-like food,” she said. Annika believes that if students haven’t been to Silver Spoon, then they are definitely missing out on Silver Spoon’s “Banana Nutella waffles.”
Donna Geis, a Silver Spoon business owner whose family has been connected to the breakfast joint since the 1990s, also praised the sweet side of Silver Spoon. Enthusiastically, she affirmed ” the pancakes are to die for.” Geis also raved about their benedicts and their overall breakfast variety.
Silver Spoon, located right next to Antonio’s, the famous Williston student-favorite pizza joint, mainly due to their chicken bacon ranch pizza, poses some difficult competition for Silver Spoon. Geis, taking a little jab at the pizza joint, remarked, “Unfortunately, we don’t offer pizza but if the kids want to come in for breakfast that would be great.”
Silver Spoon’s menu also includes avocado toast, egg plates, hash browns, omelets, sandwiches, salads, burgers, and baked goods. Conveniently, the breakfast spot is also open from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every day of the week.
Breakfast isn’t the only thing Williston students are missing out on.
Harper James, Easthampton’s newest boutique, located at the far end of Cottage Street a little past Kisara, is the place to go to update your wardrobe.
Kayla Diggins, the owner of Harper James, loves her connection to the Williston community and “want[s] to continue [it] going forward.” Additionally, her main goal is to make students “feel included and welcomed” and develop a space, that in all, makes students “feel good about themselves” and “makes shopping more convenient.”
She explained how she is already trying to do so herself by adding new clothing brands to the store’s selection. “I just picked up some more lines like Free People to try and bring fashions that are harder to find here in Western Mass,” she said. Free People, an American retail company, takes on bohemian fashion and unique styles that likely wouldn’t otherwise be accessible in Easthampton. The closest Free People Store is over an hour away at the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford, Conn.
Additionally, Diggins announced that she plans to host an event at the boutique for students on September 29 from 12:090 to 4:00 p.m. The event, she said will feature a “charm bar, refreshments, and discounts for all students and faculty.” Make sure, if you choose to attend, that you bring your student ID to successfully receive your discount.
