Entrepreneurs like to rent offices for “Walking Dead”

WORCESTER, Mass. – Filming on “The Walking Dead: Dead City” continued Monday in downtown Worcester, and for people who work in the area, the production has become a welcome break from normal life.

The sidewalks surrounding the set were crowded with throngs of curious onlookers, aspiring actors, and awkward employees returning from their lunch break.

Joff Smith, a financial advisor, agreed to convert his Norwich Street office into a shoe repair shop for Monday’s filming.

“Last Wednesday they actually filmed in my building and on the roof, and today they’re filming exteriors in front of my building and kind of using my building as a place to stay for some of the stars and crew,” Smith said.

Although Smith’s routine was very different this week, he’s not complaining. Amid all the chaos caused by downtown Worcester’s transformation into a Manhattan zombie wasteland, he’s noticed that the filming has provided a nice boost to the local economy.

He said tax credits have created an incentive to film more television shows and films in Massachusetts, and he hopes local employees will benefit.

“They hired a lot of locals as part of the crew and even potential local extras, helped business owners like me rent out my building during filming, and brought a little more excitement to downtown to shake things up a little,” Smith said .

A few minutes away, Westerman’s Prop Shop was also busy moving newsstands, trash cans, benches and broken furniture to the set, making this small part of the city almost unrecognizable.

Manager Dan Diaz said his team has helped out on several Worcester productions in the past, but it’s always helpful to have the set so close to home.

“There have been many, many projects that have come through Worcester, and it’s great to have them here because they’re in our backyard,” Diaz said. “We don’t ship things to Los Angeles in the UK, we ship them right here in Worcester, which is great for me.”

Filming is expected to be completed this week, allowing Smith and other Norwich Street employees to return to their regular jobs.

But until then, Smith has some other talents he’d like to bring to the table.

“In addition to my financial planning, I have been fortunate enough to appear in various films and commercials as an actress over the years,” Smith said. “I’m currently in discussions with them about possibly getting a speaking role in the upcoming season, so stay tuned. We’ll see what happens with it.”