Adam's Hometown Market

After Big Y Supermarket in Adams closed its doors in early March, Adams Hometown Market took control of the store. Franklin County CDC and LEAF, the administrators of the Massachusetts Food Trust Program, are pleased to announce that they will be among the first group of recipients to receive funds from the Program, as the store made renovations in order to reopen quickly.

Adams Hometown Market is owned by Bozzuto’s Inc. which is a 70-year-old food wholesale distributor operating in New England. After Big Y Supermarket closed its doors in March, Bozzuto’s took control of the store in Adams, MA. Adams, in northwest Massachusetts, was left with a significant food access problem before Bozzuto’s stepped in. The store underwent renovations in order to reopen as soon as possible under the name Adams Hometown Market. Franklin County CDC and LEAF, the administrators of the Massachusetts Food Trust Program, are pleased to announce that they will be among the first group of recipients to receive funds from the program. This year they will be receiving a loan and accompanying small grant to aid the reopening of the store.

The store is the only retail grocer within a 3-mile radius that is able to provide fresh produce. As one of their suppliers, Bozzuto’s was able to quickly learn of its closing and understood the impact to the community if the location stayed closed for long. Within weeks, Bozzuto’s had purchased the land and building from Big Y and started renovations to update the store. The new store will be the sixteenth Adams Hometown Market store to open as part of the Bozzuto’s independent grocery chain.

In addition to preserving the brick-and-mortar itself, they hired a lifelong Adams resident to oversee the new store, Robert (Bob) Pytko. Furthermore, they hired more than 50 employees from the local community, many of whom were formerly employed by Big Y. Community members expressed a great sense of relief about Adams Hometown Market coming in so quickly after Big Y closed and preserving the source of produce and the local jobs. They were also pleased to hear that Bozzuto’s prioritizes sourcing locally grown and produced food as much as possible.

The financing as a part of the MFTP leveraged a larger bank line of credit and was instrumental in making the process as smooth a transition as possible. The MFTP is proud to be part of preserving a key community resource. We are so glad we can support them in this work and are grateful that the local Adams community will continue to have this important source of fresh produce and healthy food.

Images provided by Gillian Jones (The Berkshire Eagle)