By Dan Phelps – InsideDracut

Dracut has been working to streamline the process of opening a business in town. Those efforts have paid off for many merchants in town – including two from the same family.

Dalila Melo and her husband, Dan, bought the old George’s Café at 570 Textile Avenue and opened the doors of Everybody’s Sports Bar on August 31.

Thirty-one days later, on October 1, Melo’s niece, Leslie Bettencourt, took her eight years of experience in the insurance industry and opened Bettencourt Insurance Group on the other side of town at 11 Broadway Road, Suite C.

Dracut Economic Development held ribbon-cutting ceremonies to welcome both small businesses to town, and both aunt and niece were quick to shower Dracut officials with praise for their efforts in helping them both to open.

“We’re so excited to open and so excited to be here in Dracut,” Melo told Dracut officials at the ribbon-cutting for Everybody’s Sports Bar.

Getting the permits through the town was a breeze, she said, though the liquor-license approval got bogged down at the state level, delaying the opening for a couple of months. That just gave the Melos more time to work out the kinks before opening.

George’s was a popular spot before closing a couple years back, especially for those living in the immediate neighborhood, and those folks responded favorably to their old local haunt reopening.

“We opened it and everybody started storming back in,” Melo said.

Just a few short weeks later, Melo found herself a few miles away to welcome her niece to town on a beautiful fall Saturday morning before running off to open Everybody’s Sports Bar for the day.

As happy as she was to see her niece open her own business in the same town, no one was happier than Bettencourt as she cut the ribbon to officially open her insurance agency.

Bettencourt was surrounded by friends, family (including husband Jason and young daughters Giana and Ivana) and Dracut officials as she wielded the oversized scissors to cut the ribbon she had fashioned herself.

She knows space is at a premium and that she is the beneficiary of a key spot on Broadway Road. It hasn’t taken her long to adjust to her new space, and she echoed her aunt’s words about how welcoming Dracut and its officials have been.

Her appraisal? “The town has been so easy to work with,” Bettencourt said.

The feeling is mutual. (OK, no more insurance puns.)

Dracut Town Manager Ann Vandal said, “Economic Development is the key ingredient to any community. With the support of our Economic Development Committee and planner, Dracut has taken it to a new level in support of the many mom-and-pop stores we have. We may never see a Walmart, but we will continue to see vital businesses come to Dracut and look forward to working with all.”

(Dan Phelps is the Economic Development Project Planner for the Town of Dracut.)