ERVING — The property of the former Pocket Saver Market at 5 West Main St. is tentatively expected to be taken over by a new owner in the next several weeks, coinciding with recent efforts by the town government to plan for future development in the Erving Center neighborhood.
The Pocket Saver property, on 0.44 acres, has been for sale since the end of January, according to the listing from Coldwell Banker Realty. The asking price is $375,000, which includes the business and two apartments. The building, built in 1825, has 4,747 square feet of space.
Since the announcement that the building is up for sale, the town has been contacted by several potential buyers, according to Erving Planning Assistant Mariah Kurtz. Although the town doesn’t own the property, it does own several parcels nearby, including public parks and parking areas, which she said could influence the building’s future use.
Now, a likely buyer has been identified and is expected to close the sale within the next few weeks, according to Jennifer Gross, the real estate agent handling the sale. However, she said she could not provide the name of the potential buyer.
The current owner of the Pocket Saver property, Vicki Fellows, declined to comment regarding the expected sale.
Greenfield Recorder archives show that Fellows bought the market from her father, Leo Realin, in the summer of 2007. Because her father had run markets in Erving and Orange for 32 years, Fellows was accustomed to helping out behind the butcher counter or at the cash register before taking over the Pocket Saver Market. It was previously called Your Deli.
As one of the few businesses in Erving Center, the Pocket Saver is seen as a cornerstone, Kurtz said, serving both as a convenience for local residents and likely as a reason for drivers passing through to stop.
“It’s very important to the town that the building is used for something, that it’s not vacant,” Kurtz said. “We really want to see it thrive and be successful, no matter who is in it.”
The small business community of Erving Center was noted as a point of interest in a study of the neighborhood this spring, conducted by an architecture class at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which sought to envision possibilities for future development of the area.
Ultimately, Kurtz said, the town will seek to make local businesses more convenient for residents and more attractive for people driving through to stop.
But, among the challenges for local businesses are the walkability issues created by Route 2 running straight through Erving Center, Kurtz said. Residents and business owners consulted in the study frequently noted that the traffic of Route 2 makes the area difficult for pedestrians.
Several solutions were proposed in the study, including concepts for new crosswalks, traffic-calming features and sidewalk improvements.
There is little the town can do directly, as Route 2 is a state road managed by the Department of Transportation (MassDOT). But, Kurtz said, the town does have means to advocate for changes, especially since it already has concepts for concrete goals.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.