I may have mentioned a time—or seven—that one of the things I value about my work is writing about businesspeople and community leaders in my own region.

Thornes Marketplace is one of my clients, and this year, I had the chance to tell the stories of two businesses changing hands within its walls. Cornucopia, a natural foods store that’s been here since June 1980, changed hands for the first time in March, and later the same month, Captain Candy was also sold to a new owner.

Cornucopia co-owners Bud Stockwell and Sydney Flum-Stockwell sold the business to two employees, Nate Clifford and Jade Jump of South Hadley. Nolan Anaya, the owner of Captain Candy on the lower level of Thornes, sold to Levi Smith, an 18-year-old entrepreneur from Chesterfield.

I had the privilege of interviewing Bud—an icon for decades in downtown Northampton—and Nate and Jade, who are young and full of energy and ideas. I spoke, too, with Nolan and Levi; Nolan told me about how Captain Candy got its start, and Levi talked about his entrepreneurial family and his dream of running a business.

Bud told me that he and his wife opened Cornucopia on June 20, 1980, to provide high-quality natural foods, reduce packaging, and serve as a resource for customers. He said natural foods was a new concept back them, and owners of natural food stores, like him, were called “fruits and nuts.”

I felt his commitment to the business as I listened to him tell the story of growth over the years, as well as his sadness over retiring. He said, though, that he knew early on when Nate and Jade came to work with him that they were great candidates for a buyer for their enthusiasm, openness to change, and their value system.

“I felt this was the team that had the chops to run this business,” he said. “The store will continue in a way I can feel good about.”

If you’ve purchased chocolates in recent years from the vendor on the street level of Thornes, Heavenly Chocolate, you might be surprised to learn that Bud owned that as well, and now Nate and Jade do. Bud developed it in 2007. Cornucopia, as he said, was “humming along,” and Bud needed a new challenge.

He bought the inventory of a chocolate store going out of business and taught himself the craft.

For at least a year, Bud will assist Nate and Jade with the transition, helping them learn how to make chocolates, too, and how to run Cornucopia. He will ease into retirement with Sydney.

For Nolan, the former owner of Captain Candy, selling the business wasn’t about retiring. Nolan is 57, and he plans to make and sell T-shirts at Grateful Dead concerts and other musical performances.

While I love Cornucopia and its wholesome and organic products, Captain Candy captures my sweet tooth with its wide array of retro candies like the kind I used to buy when I was a kid—candy cigarettes, Turkish Taffy, wax bottles full of juice.

Levi was working in nearby Acme Surplus in Thornes when he learned on bizbuysell.com that Captain Candy was for sale and contacted Nolan. Entrepreneurship is in his DNA since his grandfather owns R&R Window Contractors, Inc., in Easthampton, and his family has long been involved in the business.

“My grandfather has taught me what it’s like to run a business,” Levi told me. “I’ve always been interested in business myself. A candy store has a lot of appeal.”

I’m excited to watch the next generation of Thornes entrepreneurs. I will stop in on them when I am shopping or otherwise poking around downtown.

I hope you do too! Pop into Thornes to wish Nate, Jade, and Levi well. They will help to build the future of downtown Northampton, and they could use our support!

Read the full press release about the sale of Cornucopia.

Read the release on the sale of Captain Candy.

The post Change at Thornes Marketplace appeared first on Beetle Press.

GILFORD—Megan Page is the general manager at Patrick’s Pub & Eatery, but her influence in the community reaches far beyond food quality and customer service. Page also changes lives.

At the auctions they host frequently at Patrick’s—to benefit local nonprofits or community members battling an illness or crisis—Page is there, front and center, making sure everything runs smoothly.

And when it’s time for Patrick’s Pub Mania, a fundraiser for the Lakes Region Children’s Auction, Page serves for each of the 24-plus, around-the-clock hours as Co-owner Allan Beetle’s right-hand woman. She trouble-shoots problems, acts as disc jockey for the karaoke and lip-sync hour, and doesn’t stop moving, thinking, or solving until the bar stools are empty.

These experiences are helping to transform Page into a seasoned leader, but she also actively pursues professional growth. She graduated in 2013 from the Leadership Lakes Region’s eight-month program. She has attended Landmark Worldwide seminars, and she joined the board of directors for the Lakes Region Child Care Services last May.

“Since working at Patrick’s, I have come to realize how important it is to give back,” said Page, who lives in Meredith. “The pub’s owners, Allan and Jeff Beetle, taught me that, and they instill that in the culture of Patrick’s.”

Building leaders and boosting employees, so they can, in turn, boost the community, is part of the Patrick’s mantra. It’s something that Page has seen firsthand, ever since she joined the Patrick’s team as a server in 2002.

“Allan and Jeff will do anything for the community and for their employees,” she said. “I definitely consider them family. I can call Allan at any time of day, whether it’s about work or something personal, and he’ll help me. It’s exciting to work for people who are so giving.”

At Patrick’s, Page has worked up the ranks from server to floor manager, dining room manager, and assistant general manager. In 2010, Allan was the restaurant’s general manager, but he relinquished his position to Page, seeing great potential in her.

“Megan is an extraordinary person, and we are very grateful to have her leading the restaurant and staff,” Allan said. “Perseverance, fun, loyalty, and honesty are all words I’d use to describe her. It’s been very rewarding to see her develop into the leader she is today.”

Because there is no ceiling for Allan on personal or professional growth, he encouraged Page to sign up for the local leadership program and the seminars. “Allan’s always pushing me to become a better leader and pushing me out of my comfort zone,” Page said. “Enrolling in the Leadership Lakes Region program was a great way to get a little more involved in the community.”

Having also participated in a Landmark Worldwide seminar himself, Allan recommended Page attend a forum in Boston in 2004. “I went thinking it would be for work and would be about making me a better manager, even though Allan told me it’s not really about that,” Page recalled. Instead, the program helped on a personal level, allowing Page to mend her relationship with her ailing father. After his death just a few months later, Page went to another Landmark class, where she was able to talk openly about her dad.

“I believe that I was meant to be at Patrick’s, and I was meant to go to that forum,” she said. “It completely changed my life.”

Becoming a mother was also life-changing. In 2015, 4-year-old Brooke came into Page’s life as a foster daughter; in 2017, Page adopted the child. Becoming a mother has given Page a passion for issues around child care, hence the move to join the Lakes Region Child Care Services board, which oversees day cares, after-school programs, and preschools.

By taking Brooke, now 7, along with her when she volunteers in the community—at The Dry Dock food pantry, for instance—Page is also passing the torch. “I’m trying to get her as involved as I am and instill the importance of community service in her at a young age,” Page said. “I want to pass on to her this desire to give back that Allan and Jeff have given to me.”

For more information on Patrick’s Pub, call 293-0841 or visit www.patrickspub.com.

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