For denizens of Midtown Harrisburg, the news came as a one-two punch, right to the gut.
First, Nonna’s Deli-Sioso on Reily Street shut its doors suddenly. Then Dawn Rettinger announced that she’d close her crafts consignment shop, The HodgePodgery, come Oct. 1.
Two beloved, unique businesses gone. Even worse, both seemed to spark new vitality in Midtown when they opened a few years back.
Since then, Twitter, Facebook and the old-fashioned talk on the street have speculated that something is wrong in Midtown. So, is there?
Interviews with many merchants revealed a business climate that, while not on fire, isn’t deeply troubled either.
“Business continues to be very strong for us,” said Eric Papenfuse, owner of Midtown Scholar Bookstore and Café on N. 3rd Street, who, in part, credits an aggressive marketing campaign for his success. “We’ve seen growth each month of 15 percent in year-over-year sales in the bookstore.”
Several owners, including Papenfuse, cautioned against a rush to judgment in Midtown, saying that businesses close for many reasons.
Indeed, Nonna’s shut after owner Ray Diaz took a job out of state. Meanwhile, Rettinger said her fixed costs were too high to justify a brick-and-mortar space. She plans to continue The HodgePodgery, but without a store, turning to markets, shows, festivals and the Internet for business.
Rettinger also places blame with the state, saying that government layoffs have removed some buyers, taking away their ability to make discretionary purchases, such as her one-of-a-kind handmade items.
“It’s been a wonderful experience in Midtown–the things that are happening here are fantastic,” she said. “But, with the economy, not enough people are spending money to support the overhead of the business.”
Down the block, Café di Luna owner Ambreen Esmail described her business as “pretty good.” She praised the surrounding residential area for the regulars that support her cozy, comfortable coffee and tea shop.
Esmail’s main challenge lies not with neighborhood support, but with the city’s. She’d love to attract Harrisburg’s many downtown and state visitors. People, though, are deterred from walking a few blocks up N. 3rd Street because, she said, public trash cans often overflow, street lights aren’t fixed quickly, no police walk the beat and sidewalks and streets look shabby–all of which mar the otherwise charming neighborhood.
“I know the city is broke, but the trash needs to be emptied, and the lights need to be fixed,” she said. “We’re all willing to work hard at making Harrisburg a better place, but we also need the city’s support.”
While sympathetic to the plight of the merchants, city spokesman Robert Philbin said the city is doing all it can given its financial strains.
“City services are stressed as a result of reduced staffing and a very tight cash flow situation,” he said, adding that residents need to be more involved to keep their neighborhoods clean and well-maintained.
“The upside to the current fiscal malaise is that it calls for more and stronger neighborhood organization,” he said. “I think that’s happening across the city right now.”
Like Esmail, John Traynor, co-owner of the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, said he’d like a faster response and better service from the city.
Still, Traynor is upbeat about prospects in Midtown, pointing to the build out of HMAC, the new Susquehanna Art Museum and the Furlow Building rehabilitation, all set to get underway along N. 3rd Street. These projects, he said, should vastly improve the corridor, while tying together the north and south ends of the commercial district.
He hopes that existing businesses and landlords–especially those that have let their properties sink into disrepair–will notice the positive change and make improvements.
“If the 3rd Street corridor is going to look nicer, it’s up to everyone in the community,” he said.
An unscientific survey revealed that business owners think the neighborhood is generally on the right track, focusing on specialty shops and restaurants, especially those that appeal to the neighborhood’s well-educated, urban-minded residents and to the emerging arts community.
Papenfuse agrees, but did strike a note of concern for the near-term, as Midtown waits on catalysts like SAM, not due for completion until 2014. While business may be good for him, he’s concerned that the city’s financial crisis may be keeping new businesses from setting up shop in Harrisburg.
“In Midtown, businesses come in and go out all the time,” he said. “The difference now is that new businesses haven’t really moved in to replace old ones.”
