West chester pa gay street

For the few retailers who remained, business was rough. S ixty years ago, if you had visited downtown West Chester on a Friday night, you would have encountered an equally bustling scene. Those were elements that people wanted to hear. Find tickets & information for Gay Street Open-Air Market happening at Downtown West Chester, PA, West Chester, PA on Fri, 04 Jul, at am EDT.

Register or Buy Tickets, Price information. West Chester, located about 35 miles west of Philadelphia, is often held up as a poster child for idyllic small-town living—albeit one with big-city vibes. WEST CHESTER, PA — Four block of Gay Street will be closed for months in West Chester as the open air market returns to downtown.

There are even a few that date to the s. Just try it. The Greek Revival building was completed in the s. Longtime retailers such as Brown and Sandra Riper, who has owned Sunset Hill Jewelers on North High Street with her husband, Joseph, since , knew that the business community had to be more aggressive about attracting visitors.

Each year, four blocks of Gay Street are closed to vehicles so everyone can partake in al fresco dining and shopping. Thomas U. Walter, the architect of the historic courthouse, also designed the Bank of Chester County building, now a Wells Fargo bank branch. Now, it has become one of our most popular events!

After several attempts to establish a volunteer advocacy group just for downtown, local business and property owners, city planners, residents, university representatives, and government officials outlined a plan for a Business Improvement District BID in The organization would have a full-time leader and a board composed of local stakeholders.

Want a table? Over at the circa National Guard armory, now repurposed as the Uptown! A weak national economy also affected local small businesses. Later in , the BID hired its first director, Malcolm Johnstone, a native of Southern California with a degree in classical guitar and composition.

By the end of the s, the borough as larger towns in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are officially known had lost about 1 percent of its population since the start of the decade, while surrounding Chester County had a population gain of Vacant storefronts were a common sight.

There was no restaurant scene. The Open-Air Market was created during the pandemic to give residents and visitors more space to shop, eat, and explore town. But until more recently, those consumers were choosing to spend their discretionary dollars elsewhere. Other than a lone Rite Aid, not a single national retail store occupies space downtown.

The Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce had worked to promote the area, but its focus was on the broader borough, not specifically downtown. So what happened over the past couple of decades to transform West Chester into the vibrant place it is today? Although Gay Street is considered the town’s primary artery, both High and Market streets—as well as connecting side streets—are populated with more than 60 restaurants and nearly as many retail shops, offering everything from vintage clothing to gourmet chocolates.

Walter, architect of the United States Capitol Dome. Johnstone, a history buff, had multiple years of experience as a downtown development manager in Oregon. Some locals will tell you the dual economic engines of a growing university and a busy courthouse have helped. In , West Chester property crime rates were higher than the state average.

The strength is in our collective effort. He realized the value of promoting downtown as a historic shopping and dining destination, an experience totally different from the suburban strip mall. At Sedona Taphouse, diners wait to sample some of the more than 50 beers on draft.

Many would take in a movie at the Art Deco Warner Theatre, the place to be on a weekend night since its debut. Restaurants extend into the street, so you can enjoy the beautiful weather as you eat. Gay Street is at the heart of West Chester's revitalization. But in , Exton Square Mall opened a half-dozen miles from the borough.

It would raise money by levying an annual assessment on all commercial property owners within the boundary of the district—about at the time.