Allentown’s Seventh Street Is Experiencing A Quiet Rebirth

English: City of Allentown from east side (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Winston Barnes sits at a table overlooking Seventh Street, the harmonious smell of cinnamon, scallions and allspice enveloping his Jamaican restaurant.

On this winter night, when other city restaurants are deserted, customers will go to Winston’s for its signature hot jerk chicken, curry goat and other savory Caribbean favorites — a sign of the subtle renaissance that is taking place on what was once one of Allentown‘s most problematic streets.

A cold blast of air floods the store as two customers emerge from the night, bundled in jackets.

“Hey! How you doing, man?” Barnes says loudly, his tired eyes coming to life as he recognizes the federal workers who stand before him.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-seventh-street-evolution-20130316,0,326378,full.story

Malvern Apartment Complex Nears Completion After 10 Years In The Works

Map of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The developer calls Malvern “the town that time forgot” – its main street lined with Victorian-style houses, small boutiques, and local watering holes like the Flying Pig Saloon.

But Eli Kahn and his partners are betting that a $45 million apartment and retail complex on East King Street will help satisfy urban appetites in one of the region’s most venerable suburbs – and entice empty nesters and young professionals looking for a citified environment outside the city.

Construction on the East King Street redevelopment project began in June and includes two large apartment buildings with 190 units, plus first-floor retail space that Kahn envisions renting to restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques. The complex, due for completion in August, also is to house a Whole Foods grocery.

Kahn and his partner, David Della Porta, spent several years buying 11 parcels on the site, and the project has been a decade in the making. A house on one small parcel remains because an elderly resident didn’t want to leave her home and declined to sell, Kahn said.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130204_Malvern_apartment_complex_nears_completion_after_10_years_in_the_works.htmlhttp://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130204_Malvern_apartment_complex_nears_completion_after_10_years_in_the_works.html

Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield Business District Is Flourishing

A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One evening last summer, Rachelle Timarac and a friend went to Bloomfield for pizza.  Other people were walking and hanging out at sidewalk tables on Liberty Avenue.

“There was electricity in the air, and I got a really good vibe,” she said, “but I saw so many vacant storefronts and couldn’t understand why.”

One in particular caught her eye — 4615 Liberty Ave., a former Dollar Tree that had been vacant for almost two years.  Five weeks ago, she opened GoldNGals, an antique jewelry store, there.

It is one of 14 new businesses that have opened in Bloomfield since 2011.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/bloomfield-business-district-is-flourishing-666718/#ixzz2FKdKUsYS

Businesses On Clarks Summit’s State Street Alive, And Booming Again

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CLARKS SUMMIT – Barry Kaplan still remembers walking down State Street several years ago, stunned at the number of vacant shops on what he calls the borough’s “gatekeeper.”

“I was shocked,” said Mr. Kaplan, one of the owners of Everything Natural, an organic food and natural products store located on State Street for 28 years. “I had never seen anything like it. It just wasn’t a good time for businesses.”

Now when he walks the street, Mr. Kaplan, who also serves as the president of the Abington Business & Professional Association, said he sees packed shops, windows covered in white lettering, and, most important, no vacant stores.

“This is this best business has been on this street in a long, long time,” Mr. Kaplan said. “The atmosphere … everything … it’s back.”

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/businesses-on-state-street-alive-and-booming-again-1.1377925

Project Offers Face-Lifts For Downtown Pittsburgh Facades

From one window, Alan Kashi can watch a 33-story glass skyscraper being built before his eyes. From another, he can drink in the elegant lines of Three PNC Plaza, the 23-story tower that opened a few years ago. He can walk a couple of doors from his property to a former five-and-dime store that harbors apartments, restaurants and retail.

Now it’s his turn to join the Downtown renaissance.

Mr. Kashi is restoring the storefronts, replacing windows and making other improvements to the buildings he manages at 254 and 256 Fifth Avenue and 445 Wood Street as part of a new program to help rejuvenate older buildings Downtown.

“We’re revitalizing Downtown. This is a very major corner, Fifth and Wood. And it’s going to really help a lot to do what is necessary to make Downtown what it should be,” he said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/project-offers-face-lifts-for-downtown-facades-648419/?p=1

Kenhorst Has Plans For Thoroughfare

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kenhorst‘s main thoroughfare, New Holland Road, is the land-use equivalent of a scrapbook page.

There’s a bit of everything peppered along the 1.2-mile stretch: a lot of homes, a shopping plaza, a few empty fields, a convenience store and even a couple of offices, beauty parlors and bars.

Kenhorst officials say they like having some variety. And, as they update the township’s zoning ordinance, they’re hoping to develop a new vision for New Holland Road.

They want the stretch to transform from a mostly residential area to become Kenhorst’s business center.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=404704

Carbondale Looks To Grow Businesses

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CARBONDALE, Pa. - Bill Wallis sees the benefit of the city’s facade grant program that has improved the look of town.

“A lot of Main Street shops had the face-lifts and that’s nice,” said the owner of Wallis Furniture. “That’s an attraction for people. The sidewalks and street lamps make it a more pleasant downtown as well.”

The facade program, the new businesses and the increased downtown focus are part of a strategic plan created by the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce in 2002, according to Mayor Justin Taylor.

Mr. Wallis’ family-run business is located on Main Street, where city officials and developers have been focusing an effort to revitalize businesses. He has already noticed an increase in foot traffic in the two months since NHS Health Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania moved in down the street.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/carbondale-looks-to-grow-businesses-1.1318210

The Three Statistics That Every Downtown Should Live By

Editor’s note:  This is phenomenal advice for all downtown shopping districts and their umbrella organizations.

Lancaster and its James Street Improvement District are prime examples of living by these three simple rules!  I suggest a field trip for any struggling downtown merchants or downtown organizations who want to see what is possible!

I call this the 7-8-7 rule because of the three most important statistics that make a downtown a successful and vibrant destination. Think of your favorite destination downtowns. Are they beautiful? Do they feel safe? Are there things to do after 6:00 pm?

Read more: http://www.rogerbrooks.org/2012/04/30/the-three-downtown-statistics/

America’s Most Livable City, 100 Years In The Making

Editor’s note:  Great article detailing the city of Lancaster’s revitalization!

 

A century ago, downtown Lancaster was the economic and cultural center of Lancaster County. In 1910, the Red Rose City’s population of 47,000 represented 28% of the residents of the entire county, and all trolley lines led to Penn Square. 

 

Then Henry Ford’s Model T made cars affordable for everyone, and by 1938, Lancaster County’s trolleys had stopped running. The suburbs were growing, and Lancaster was beginning to feel the pain of changing demographics. 

 

As early as 1944, an investigation found that many of the city’s housing units were substandard, but that finding didn’t stop the population from peaking in 1950 at more than 63,000. By 1960, however, the number had dropped to 61,000, and two major events in the 1960s did great damage to the economy and to the spirit of downtown Lancaster. 

 

Read more: http://www.keystoneedge.com/features/lancasterinbloom0426.aspx

Kutztown’s Main Street Continues Retail Renaissance

View of Kutztown heading East (towards Allentown) on W Main Street. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note: Two Roy’s Rants thumbs to Kutztown‘s leadership!

It’s been awhile since Retail Watch ventured to Kutztown, so let’s go there today.

The Berks County borough has been a day-cation spot for some in the Lehigh Valley, and with recent retail additions and storefront facade improvements, may become even more popular.

First, Breinigsville vintner Vynecrest recently opened a retail shop at the former Made Shop storefront at 227 W. Main St. This marks the first owned retail space for Vynecrest, which, of course, offers samples and sells vino at its Breinigsville vineyard.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/retailwatch/mc-kutztown-main-street-20120414,0,2061702.column