A Cumberland County community will be reaching across the nation in an effort to bring new life to its downtown. A recruiter has been hired to attract new retail stores, restaurants and other businesses to Carlisle.
A mayor once said as your downtown goes, so goes the rest of the city. What he meant was pay attention to your downtown and other neighborhoods will grow and prosper.
Do you remember when downtowns were the retail hub of every city, town and community? Not so any more.
There are only so many retailers and they can be picky where they choose. So the Downtown Carlisle Association has hired a recruiter to pick, choose then recruit those who best fit Carlisle’s demographics.
"Actually we are at our lowest vacancy rate in about 20 years,” counter Downtown Carlisle Association Executive Director Glenn White. “We have going around and seen the other malls and shopping centers and they are in a lot worse shape than we are. We have a great mix right now we're looking at bringing on some really, really great stores."
Ray Wolfe is a real estate agent and broker with an office in Downtown Carlisle. He's seen the downtown at its worst and best. He says keeping it energized is a never-ending job.
"We need to develop a niche,” Wolfe told us. “We've developed a little bit of a niche with the folks on West Pomfret Street, want some other restaurant activities. It is an ongoing effort and it's been that way for many years and it will continue to be that way."
Wolfe says some national retailers could be attracted to the downtown. It will take work and persistence:
The DCA says the retailers competitors are not the shops down the street or on another block. The competition comes from stores in Harrisburg, York, Lancaster and yes, the internet.
A mayor once said as your downtown goes, so goes the rest of the city. What he meant was pay attention to your downtown and other neighborhoods will grow and prosper.
Do you remember when downtowns were the retail hub of every city, town and community? Not so any more.
There are only so many retailers and they can be picky where they choose. So the Downtown Carlisle Association has hired a recruiter to pick, choose then recruit those who best fit Carlisle’s demographics.
"Actually we are at our lowest vacancy rate in about 20 years,” counter Downtown Carlisle Association Executive Director Glenn White. “We have going around and seen the other malls and shopping centers and they are in a lot worse shape than we are. We have a great mix right now we're looking at bringing on some really, really great stores."
Ray Wolfe is a real estate agent and broker with an office in Downtown Carlisle. He's seen the downtown at its worst and best. He says keeping it energized is a never-ending job.
"We need to develop a niche,” Wolfe told us. “We've developed a little bit of a niche with the folks on West Pomfret Street, want some other restaurant activities. It is an ongoing effort and it's been that way for many years and it will continue to be that way."
Wolfe says some national retailers could be attracted to the downtown. It will take work and persistence:
The DCA says the retailers competitors are not the shops down the street or on another block. The competition comes from stores in Harrisburg, York, Lancaster and yes, the internet.