After more than a decade in the heart of downtown Scranton, Amendolaro Boutique will have a new home.
Owner Justin Amendolaro pointed to parking challenges as the primary reason for the upcoming move from Biden Street to Wyoming Avenue.
“It was a very hard decision, but the big thing is the parking,” he said. “I thought it would have gotten better with time — it’s actually getting worse. I just think it’s the right thing for my customers.”
The last day for Amendolaro, 412 Biden St., and The Live Studio at Amendolaro, 408 Biden St., in the current locations will be May 9, Amendolaro said.
“We’ll take three weeks to move and my plan is to open June 1 in the new location at 533 Wyoming Ave.,” he added. “It’s ironic because I opened this business on 410 Spruce on June 1, 2012. And if this plays out right, I’m going to reopen June 1, 2026.”
The inside of Amendolaro Boutique on Biden Street in downtown Scranton Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The inside of Amendolaro Boutique on Biden Street in downtown Scranton Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The inside of the Live Studio at Amendolaro on Biden Street in downtown Scranton Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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The inside of Amendolaro Boutique on Biden Street in downtown Scranton Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Amendolaro believes the parking situation worsened after the switch from meters to kiosks downtown.
“It went way downhill,” he said. “The kiosks, number one, never work. Residents and people who work downtown park their cars and use the Pango app all day. The meters told people where to park. When they took those out, now it’s just a free-for-all. In front of my stores, if people park out of sync … you’re losing two spots.”
A shift in shopping trends has also impacted operations on Biden Street, Amendolaro said.
“I don’t have the walk-in traffic that I used to,” he said. “We used to be a very hot spot for people coming in and shopping. It’s just times have changed, and a lot of people shop online anymore. The customers who come on the daily are driving and they have nowhere to park because I see the same cars on the street. The residents who live downtown come home from work at 5:30 on Friday, park the car on the street, and it sits there until Monday when they go back to work. I had a customer this Saturday say she had to drive around the block four times, and ended up parking down on Penn and walking. When city council had that idea of paying for parking on Saturdays, part of me wanted it to go through because you would get those people off the street.”
Amendolaro thinks the combination of better parking options and the ability to merge both stores into one space will benefit customers.
“When I found that spot, it’s perfect because I wanted to get everything under one roof,” he said. “You can always find a (parking) spot on that block of Wyoming and if people don’t want to pay to park, there is free parking on the block before it.”
Despite the advantages, Amendolaro still struggled with the decision to move the stores.
“I didn’t want to do it because I’ve been here 14 years, and I didn’t want to do it to the block,” he said. “Tom Grudis (Optical) is leaving in a couple weeks, and then you’re going to have three vacant storefronts right in a row. I don’t want to see the downtown be vacant but I’ve expressed my concerns for parking and they did nothing about it. I feel bad because there are some walk-in customers that I see a couple times a month. I’m hoping when they get out of work, they’ll take a drive down if they want to shop.”
Leslie Collins, president and CEO of Scranton Tomorrow, a nonprofit community and economic development organization, doesn’t believe the buildings will remain empty for long.
“When you look at the statistics of the downtown, you have very little first-level storefront spaces that are unoccupied,” she said. “They seem to turn over very quickly.”
Collins praised Amendolaro’s commitment to improving the downtown throughout his long tenure along Spruce, and now Biden, Street.
“He has been wonderful to work with on marketing and promotions,” she said. “I think he has a very good understanding of his market and how to attract various levels of customers. There is a price point for everyone and he has men’s and women’s clothing, and he moved into some houseware items.”
Additionally, Collins stressed Amendolaro continually looks for ways to evolve his business — including opening the live studio in 2022 — and feels he’ll be successful on Wyoming Avenue.
“He’s done a really great job reinventing himself throughout the years, making sure he remains relevant in the retail industry,” she said. “I think it makes sense to make changes to your business model, including your location, if you think it’s the best thing for your customer base.”