Mixing business with pleasure
Hollidaysburg hosting Third Thursdays to attract shoppers downtownBy Kristy MacKaben, For the Mirror, and Amanda Clegg, aclegg@altoonamirror.com
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HOLLIDAYSBURG - Larry and Sharon Hesford of Altoona sat outside a pizza shop on Allegheny Street enjoying good food and music Thursday as part of a downtown revitalization effort.
Third Thursdays, which started in June, was designed to attract shoppers to the Diamond District by offering refreshments, music and entertainment and encouraging shops to stay open later every third Thursday of the month.
Like the Hesfords, Rick and Marella Fickes of Bellwood came to check out the sights and sounds after their daughter, who works at the Black Dog Cafe beside the Hollidaysburg Post Office, told them about it.
"It's nice to have the shops open at night," Marella said.
Rick likes the idea because of the history found in Hollidaysburg.
"It's great to take smaller parts of the city and bring them back to life," he said.
Initially, the Third Thursdays program was supposed to end in August, but the event has been so popular, it is being extended until October.
''It's a really nice thing to have. The turnout has been really great," Hollidaysburg Main Street Manager Sarah Piper said. ''We were impressed with the response."
To fund the music and refreshments, an anonymous sponsor donated $500 for the first three months. More donations are needed to fund Third Thursdays until October.
The idea was presented to Piper by a few shop owners who wanted to improve business downtown.
''They brought the idea to me and said, 'How do we make this work?'" Piper said.
Sue Simon, owner of Art4 Gallery on Allegheny Street, said she heard about programs such as Third Thursdays in other towns and wanted to start the program in Hollidaysburg.
A group of artists and gallery owners started a similar event in Lancaster called First Fridays about five years ago. Lancaster's event is year-round and draws thousands of people downtown the first Friday of every month. The group eventually formed a nonprofit called Lancaster Arts to promote First Fridays as well as other art-related events in the city.
Lancaster Arts President and Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Todd Lambert said it took a few years for the event to catch on.
''At first it was just small, but it was enjoyed very much by people. It really took off in the last couple years. Now we're doing more and getting more sponsors. Now we get big crowds," Lambert said.
Piper said about 75 people showed up in June and July for each Third Thursdays event. As word spreads, she hopes more people will come downtown.
''Every community is different. We are just getting started," she said. "People don't really know about it yet. It's just so new. A lot of businesses aren't used to staying open that late. They're not going to get 100 customers in one night. But the more you talk about it, the more word gets out."
