Empty storefronts are scattered throughout downtown Bradford. Over the years, businesses have come and gone –– and in some cases, nothing else has moved in.
But Bradford’s Main Street Manager Chelsea Schwab is working to fill unoccupied spaces — Main Street currently has 12 vacancies — through a partnership with the Clarion University Small Business Development Center to market the available spaces.
The Clarion University Small Business Development Center is able to bring business assistance to individuals interested in opening a business.
“This is a great opportunity for people who have been tossing around the idea of opening a business downtown, but aren’t exactly sure where to start,” she told The Era on Thursday. “SBDC can provide a wide range of services not only for potential businesses owners, but also existing businesses who wish to learn more about certain areas of business development.”
Among services provided by the Clarion Small Business Development Center are free consulting assistance, unbiased recommendations, testing a business proposition, crafting a business plan and investigating funding opportunities.
The center started in 1980 and consulted with thousands of pre-venture and existing business clients across 10 counties, including McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron.
In addition, local officials are marketing available spaces downtown, Schwab said.
“We believe pairing this information holds the best possibility for encouraging local entrepreneurship to spur growth in the downtown, as thriving downtowns are made of small, locally owned, and unique businesses,” she said.
The past few years have been rough for downtown. Last year, Atlantic Broadband relocated to the same plaza as Valu Home Center on East Main Street and Chosen Acres Realty merged with Howard Hanna Professionals and moved to Foster Township. Prestige: Awards & Jewelry, Destinations’ The Closet and Northwest Consumer Discount Co. shut down.
The goal is to have a Main Street full of businesses, Schwab said. But recruiting or developing long-standing, quality businesses is a process, she said.
“Main Street is constantly evolving, and there are more developments for new businesses coming down the line,” she said. “Good things are worth the wait.”
All the while looking ahead, officials are also looking behind. Officials are celebrating where downtown has made it in the last few years, she said.
“The work is far from done, but downtown Bradford is not alone in this challenge and is in many ways ahead of the game in revitalizing our historic downtown,” Schwab said.
