Businesses set to open downtown
A baby store and two restaurants are among several small businesses that are set to open soon in downtown Uniontown buildings owned by Joseph A. Hardy III’s Commercial Center Associates. Hardy’s daughter, Maggie Hardy Magerko, is renovating the former Oasis bar and restaurant into a restaurant called 34 East Main, which is its address. It is expected to open in April.
The restaurant will have a theme relating to the State Theatre Center for the Arts, located across the street and also undergoing renovations.
DiMaio Groceria and Ristorante will open in February at 84 W. Main St., next to W.H. Farwell Co.
And, Bella Baby, which will sell children’s clothes, furniture and accessories, will move into the former Johnston the Florist shop, which is relocating outside the city, according to Commercial Center Associates President Robert C. Junk Jr. Bella Baby will open in February or March at 22 Morgantown St.
Two businesses are expected to move into the old Penn Theater, next to the old Murphy’s building, on Main Street by spring, but Junk said he could not yet identify the tenants because contracts have not been finalized.
He said he expects to complete a deal soon for an ethnic food store to open in a shop located between Mundel’s Furniture and Appliance Outlet and Zep’s Video and Furniture on Morgantown Street.
“If things keep moving the way they are now, we’ll have at least six shops between now and May 1st, possibly eight,” Junk said.
He said he would like to see someone open a place where parents can drop off their kids while they shop.
A Chocolate a Day candy store, 10 Morgantown St., and Harvest House gift and craft shop, 12 Morgantown St., opened in November.
Unique Gift Baskets and More also opened last year on Morgantown Street, in a building not owned by Hardy.
He purchased the other buildings in a downtown revitalization initiative he spearheaded last year.
Hardy also bought the decorative streetlights, benches, trees, planters, flower boxes and street and informational signs that have livened up Main Street.
Gov. Ed Rendell earmarked $4.6 million from the state capital budget for the city to carry out the streetscape improvements, buy and renovate commercial buildings and build a new parking garage.
Using his own money, Hardy was able to hire workers who did the streetscape work and renovated the buildings last summer, leaving the city with the task of building the garage.
The garage and more small businesses are needed to attract a large retailer to the city, Junk said.
He said big stores need ample parking, but they also want to see a lot of people shopping at existing shops.
“(Having) no garage is a problem. Demonstrating foot traffic is another problem,” Junk said.
Recruiting smaller businesses and having events every month downtown are the current plans to make Uniontown a desirable place for larger stores.
“Everything that we’re doing helps us court large-name retail stores,” Junk said.