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Pottsville officials talk downtown marketing strategies [Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.]
[September 30, 2014]

Pottsville officials talk downtown marketing strategies [Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.]


(Republican & Herald (Pottsville, PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 30--According to statistics provided by the Pottsville Area Development Corp., there are four more empty storefronts on Pottsville's Centre Street in the city's central business district this year than last.



In September 2013, there were 18 vacancies in the 92 storefronts in this eight-block section, which extends from the 300 block of North Centre to the 300 block of South Centre. Now, there are 22, according to the data provided by Amy S. Burkhart, PADCO executive director.

"I think we have more vacant store fronts. Absolutely. Have you walked downtown Pottsville lately?" Jerry Labooty, owner and executive chef at The Greystone restaurant, said Sept. 23.


"That's the impression you do get. And we're involved here day to day. And if we get that impression, what are our customers seeing?" Patrick J. Murphy, owner of Murphy Jewelers and president of the Pottsville Parking Authority, said the same day.

Labooty, Murphy and Stephen R. Buzalko, owner of Buzalko Properties and Buzalko Woodworking, Pottsville, said Tuesday they hope city business and government representatives can sit down to discuss incentive plans to bring more businesses downtown.

"If we do nothing, there will be less occupancy in Downtown Pottsville," Labooty said.

Burkhart, City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar and Mayor James T. Muldowney said the city and the business community are making efforts to improve the offerings in the business district, from bringing train excursions to Union Station to working to make the farmers market a year-round event.

Burkhart said she's planning to contact members of one of its subcommittees -- The Business Development Committee -- to schedule a meeting in the next month.

The committee hasn't had a meeting since October 2013, according to Buzalko, one of its members.

Formed in 1985, PADCO is a nonprofit development corporation that oversees revitalization of the city's central business district, which is Centre Street from Mauch Chunk Street to Laurel Boulevard and Market Street from Centre to Fourth streets.

"We're always advocating and working toward a better community. We're always looking for ways to encourage building owners and property owners to either upgrade or maintain their properties. That's why we're always looking for incentives, like the facade grants and the low-interest loans," Burkhart said.

"As far as future incentives, we're always concerned and we're always going to be looking for different and better and new ways to attract people to our downtown because Pottsville is the center of the county and we are the county seat and we have a huge downtown population and a lot of people pass through our community every day," Palamar said Wednesday.

Over the years, Burkhart has collected statistics on occupancies and vacancies in the district. On Wednesday, she provided what numbers she kept for three dates, Feb. 2, 2003, Nov. 5, 2013, and Sept. 23, 2014.

The 2003 and 2014 statistics included information for all the blocks which make up the central business district.

On Feb. 2, 2003, there were 121 total store fronts in the central business district and, of those, 30 were vacant. The blocks and storefront statistics Burkhart collected at the time are as follows: 300 block of North Centre, 10 store fronts, one vacancy; 200 block of North Centre, 15 store fronts, four vacancies; 100 block of North Centre, 10 store fronts, four vacancies; unit block of North Centre, 18 store fronts, six vacancies; unit block of South Centre, 16 store fronts, one vacancy; 100 block of South Centre, nine store fronts, two vacancies; 200 block of South Centre, 10 store fronts, two vacancies; 300 block of South Centre, five store fronts, two vacancies; 100 block of West Market, 12 store fronts, four vacancies; 200 block of West Market, seven store fronts, one vacancy; and the 300 block of West Market, nine store fronts, three vacancies.

On Sept. 23, there were 116 store fronts in the central business district and of those 30 were vacant. The blocks and storefront statistics Burkhart collected Sept. 23 are as follows: 300 block of North Centre, 10 store fronts, two vacancies; 200 block of North Centre, 15 store fronts, two vacancies; 100 block of North Centre, nine store fronts, two vacancies; unit block of North Centre, 18 store fronts, six vacancies; unit block of South Centre, 14 store fronts, four vacancies; 100 block of South Centre, nine store fronts, one vacancy; 200 block of South Centre, eight store fronts, one vacancy; 300 block of South Centre, nine store fronts, four vacancies; 100 block of West Market, eight store fronts, four vacancies; 200 block of West Market, eight store fronts, no vacancies; and the 300 block of West Market, eight store fronts, four vacancies.

On Nov. 5, 2013, Burkhart only collected storefront statistics on the 92 store fronts on North Centre Street in the central business district. At the time, there were 18 vacancies there: 300 block of North Centre, 10 store fronts, one vacancy; 200 block of North Centre, 15 store fronts, two vacancies; 100 block of North Centre, nine store fronts, four vacancies; unit block of North Centre, 18 store fronts, six vacancies; unit block of South Centre, 14 store fronts, one vacancy; 100 block of South Centre, nine store fronts, one vacancy; 200 block of South Centre, eight store fronts, one vacancy; 300 block of South Centre, nine store fronts, two vacancies.

"We're seeing the highest availability of storefronts since I started working here as executive director in 2002," Burkhart said last year.

There is no sure formula for bringing new businesses in to fill vacant storefronts in the city's central business district, and it's hard to say what specific types of businesses would survive downtown, according Labooty and Murphy.

But they said creative concepts, community incentives and entrepreneurial spirit help.

"You got to work. It doesn't happen by itself," Murphy said.

Buzalko recently restored an office building at 108 N. Centre St. On Sept. 15, 2012, he and his wife, Ann Marie, bought the three-story row building from Homer Cosmos Zavalakes, Florida, for $25,000. In December 2013, AHEDD, a private nonprofit group that finds employment for people with disabilities, moved from 101 N. Centre St. to the first-floor space there.

This week, Buzalko installed six new windows in the second and third floors of the vacant 17 N. Centre St., which is owned by a group of investors including Carmen A. DiCello of Pottsville.

An effort is being made to establish a new deli, "The Sammich Shop," at a property DiCello owns at 19 S. Centre St., according to a "coming soon" sign in the window.

Buzalko, Labooty and Murphy want to encourage the community to come up with more incentives to draw more businesses downtown.

"Maybe we should give businesses looking to come into town a bonus of some sort. Throw them a bone," Buzalko said.

"Maybe PADCO should offer a loan program with zero-interest rates. It's (rate of) 2.99 percent really isn't an incentive," Labooty said.

The traditional PADCO Loan Program started in the early 1990s. With a loan pool of about $2 million, PADCO offers loans up to $100,000 at an interest rate of 2.99 percent. From time to time, PADCO offers loan programs with lower interest rates.

"It's based on the market," Burkhart said.

"Zero percent loans would be a really challenging thing because there would be no operational money for PADCO," Palamar said.

"PADCO gets operational money from interest rates. There are costs to administering loans. It doesn't automatically administer itself. We haven't ever done a zero percent loan," Burkhart said.

"We'd need a grant to be able to do that," Palamar said.

"But 2.99 is still a very incentivized rate," Burkhart said.

Burkhart said she'd like to see the Pottsville Farmer Market, which is held at the Arch Street Parking Lot from May until November, a year-round event. There's an effort to find indoor venues to keep it going during the colder months, she said.

Meanwhile, local businesses are invited to participate in an upcoming promotional event, the second Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29. Businesses interested in learning more can call Burkhart at 570-628-4647.

___ (c)2014 the Republican & Herald (Pottsville, Pa.) Visit the Republican & Herald (Pottsville, Pa.) at republicanherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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