NAZARETH, Pa. – State officials gathered in downtown Nazareth Friday to announce a major investment in the area.
The Borough is now part of the ‘Main Street Matters Program,’ and business owners are hoping for a big boost.
This boost is through a state-run initiative targeting up-and-coming areas. Nazareth has earned the 19th Main Street Designation in the Main Street Matters Program, and store owners are already excited about it.
“I want this town to grow, I want there to be more opportunities for this town,” said Taylor Romero, 27-year-old business owner of ‘Let Them Eat Cake’.
Romero says more economic development will help businesses like hers.
“You have to take into account things are going up: chocolate, eggs, butter, but you have to continue to deliver and continue to make the perfect product,” says Romero, and she’s not alone.
“How do we get our brand out there and how do we grow our brewery?” explained Wayne Milford, the owner and brewer at Birthright Brewing.
Now, Nazareth has the opportunity to help its storefronts and increase them too.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development, Rick Siger, congratulated the area.
“We have awarded Nazareth with the official Main Street Program designation; congratulations,” Siger said.
The program has already awarded $34 million across 137 projects in just the last two years since this program began.
The latest state budget includes $20 million for the program, with Nazareth receiving $2250,000, and the borough already has a game plan for the funds.
“We have actively pursued funding to establish a comprehensive streetscape plan which addresses pedestrian lighting, public art, and safety improvements in our commercial core,” explains Downtown Nazareth Manager Lisa Borick.
Hoping to fill vacant storefronts along Main Street, it’s also going to support existing businesses through targeted investments, grant funding, and special tax credits.
“I love creating new things; I love developing recipes, coming up with new ideas,” Romero explains
The Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger visited eateries like Bella Bean Coffee, Let Them Eat Cake, and Birthright Brewing, places already growing the Central Business District of Downtown Nazareth.
“Our motto is always brewing, always growing,” says Milford
A motto that all of Downtown Nazareth now has
“We will increase the overall vibrancy; we will make Nazareth a more dynamic place to shop, eat, and explore,” says Borick
Communities across the state can apply to become a designated main street, creating the opportunity just as Nazareth now has.
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