BELLOWS FALLS — There are not many vacant storefronts in The Square this summer.
And, depending on the business, the warm weather either brings a lull or causes business to go “gangbusters,” said Adam Kline, of Adventure Trek USA, Inc.
The company opened its Bellows Falls location at 51 The Square last fall. A location in Thetford provides the setting for adventure camps for kids and teens.
On a recent summer day, Kline and Adrian Blenkensopp, two of Adventure Trek's three guides, came from Thetford to outfit a bachelor's party for a private guide trip on the Connecticut River.
Kline said that the firm is “booked for the summer,” providing private guide trips that can consist of whitewater or flat-water kayaking. Adventure Trek also provides guidance in rock climbing.
“We load ourselves up with wetsuits, helmets, ropes, life jackets, and climbing gear, and lower ourselves into a gorge,” Kline said.
Clarendon and Cavendish gorges are popular destinations, and the guides also do the Drewsville Gorge in Walpole, N.H., rappelling into a waterfall there.
Steady business for clothing
True Necessities, which sells a variety of women's apparel, opened its doors at 7 The Square last month.
The inventory includes sundresses and “popcorn” shirts, non-crushable tops, and one-size-fits-all skirts that travel well.
Fulltime employee Rike Prenger-Bosquet said that business has been steady, and that she hears from a lot of local folks who come in and say, “We're glad you're here.”
Both the new store and the original True Necessities in Keene carry a variety of clothing, footwear, glasses, handbags, hats, hosiery, jewelry, lingerie, sandals, socks, and watches. In Bellows Falls, however, the stock is more focused on handbags, clothing, sandals, hosiery, and hats.
Both stores are owned by Chris Corliss.
“I wish we had more room for jewelry,” Prenger-Bosquet said. “We've got some here but not as much as the Keene store.”
Nevertheless, she said, people come in this time of year to buy sandals, hats, and sundresses.
“Many women are really glad we carry Vera Bradley handbags,” she said, pointing to a display.
Working out
Down the street, in the building vacated by Sam's Outdoor Outfitters last year, the storefront is starting to fill up again. One window displays the floor plan for the Windham Antique Center, “coming soon.”
Next door, at 5 The Square, privately owned FLEX Fitness opened for business over the winter. It has seen steady membership sales, according to certified fitness trainer Brian Boylan.
“This time of year is slow,” he said, but added that “people still come in, but they're typically getting their exercise out-of-doors more now.”
The gym, owned by Amy Schaefer and Chris Ricci of Walpole, N.H., is full of treadmills, climbing and spin machines, weights, and Pilates balls - equipment that aids in strength, cardiovascular health, and stretching.
Such exercising “can reshape your body, just as if you were sculpting,” Boylan said.
He said that the business has been open long enough now that the really committed members (the ones who visit four to five times a week in the gym, plus maintain a good diet and continue exercising at home) are sending in testimonies of their success.
One woman wrote and said that her numbers on her last cholesterol check were lower. “We're starting to hear about more successes like that now,” Boylan noted. “We've been open long enough.”
The fitness center is staffed 25 to 30 hours a week, and members have access 24/7.
Several security features are in place, including cameras and alarm buttons. Some machines offer necklaces with alarms that a member can wear if he or she does not feel comfortable exercising alone at night, Boylan explained.
He said that the lights come on with motion sensors, and any alarm that is set off goes straight to the police station.
“People come here whenever it fits their schedule. We want them to feel safe here,” he said.
Sporting goods available
J & H Hardware, at 20 The Square, opened its basement sporting goods store just two doors north, so hunters and fisherman can buy their gear and supplies closer to home.
One side of the store features men's and women's outdoor wear, such as shirts, shorts, pants, and socks.
The other side of the store displays fishing gear, from rods to lures to weights, to rain gear; ammo “for any kind of gun”; and paintball supplies, golf balls, and games for kids' vacation fun.
Sable Harty, who was filling in from the hardware store over lunch, said that the business hopes to be carrying kids' wear later in the summer.
“We have a lot of people coming in to ask about that,” she said. New stock has been coming in steadily since they opened.
“We have a lot of walk-in traffic,” Harty said.
Rockingham Development Director Francis “Dutch” Walsh said he is excited that the storefronts are filling up around The Square.
“That draws more people to downtown,” he added.