Blue Finch’s true intentions
In my previous letter, I asked whose table we are sitting at when outside investors buy up our downtown, and who gets pushed aside. As more of Blue Finch Partners’ plans come into focus, that question feels less abstract and more direct.
We now know that one of the newly acquired downtown spaces will become an antique and décor shop tied to Heston Woodcock, the luxury design studio behind the multimillion-dollar transformation of the Inn at Hancock. Their work is described with phrases like “restrained opulence” and highly curated interiors aimed at wealthy travelers. Bringing that vision into a small town commercial district feels deeply out of touch with the daily realities of Peterborough.
The contradiction is hard to ignore.
Blue Finch co-founder Ed Kania has said he does not want Peterborough to become a “tourist-laden and gentrified destination like Cape Cod or Woodstock, Vt.,” and that he values our “slightly gritty New Hampshire feel.” Yet actions speak louder than words. Importing upscale branding and luxury aesthetics into our storefronts is exactly the kind of elite gentrification they claim to oppose.
That same pattern shows up at the Inn at Hancock, tied to the same investment group. It is not simply an inn. It is a carefully packaged version of rural life marketed to affluent visitors through offerings like equestrian activities and seasonal fox-hunting experiences.
Main Street and Grove Street are not backdrops. They are where people live and work. What matters is whether local people and young families struggling to afford life here can still find housing, storefronts, and a downtown that serves residents instead of becoming a curated experience for outsiders.
Peterborough is a living community, not a luxury brand.