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| BDAC's MISSION |
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To serve as a an action-oriented community -based group, committed to advising and supporting the Township through a comprehensive initiative to revitalize Stowe's central business district.
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| ALLEGHENY TOGETHER |
Allegheny Together endeavors to encourage well-planned, well-designed and geographically-focused investment in the established, urban commercial districts of Allegheny County while respecting the unique history, character, and built environment of each. The program aims to help organize and empower each community to fulfill its collective vision. |
 A PROGRAM OFAlleghenty County Economic Development |
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Downtown Recognition Award
The Stowe Business District Advisory Committee has selected Theresa Vasselo, owner of Theresa's Italian Bakery as its Downtown Recognition Recipient for the 4th Quarter of 2009.
A valuable and integral part of the Stowe business district is Theresa's Bakery at 805 Broadway Avenue. Theresa Vasselo started out by baking cookies in her kitchen at home and they were so well received that she opened her business in 1995 with three employees. Thus began what would become a highly successful commercial venture.
Aside from supplying her own bakery, Theresa supplies twenty-three commercial businesses with her delicious baked goods. Clients include Giant Eagle, Shop n Save, Pennsylvania Macaroni, and Donatelli's in Bloomfield. She now has 15 employees. She also makes pizza from scratch, sauces, pasta, and wedding soup.
It seems only fitting that we recognize Theresa Vasselo as a classic American success story and a central part of Stowe's business community.
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday: 6:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday: 6:00 am - 4:00 pm
Closed on Sunday |
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Streetscape Project Underway
 An important step forward has been taken towards the goal of improving the streetscape along Broadway Avenue. In a collaboration of the Stowe Business District Advisory Committee and the Char West Council of Government, Stowe Township has selected an engineering firm to design and engineer improvements to the Broadway Avenue business district.
This design and engineering effort is being funded by a Community Development Block Grant from Alleghney County Economic Development and is expected to be complete by next summer. Requests for proposals were issued and thirteen firms responded. That was reduced to three firms invited to make presentations. In the end, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC) was chosen from an impressive field of companies that specialize in streetscape design.
In talking with all the firms, a great deal of emphasis was made to ensure the new design must be easy to maintain, long-lasting, and cost effective. Because such a plan by its very nature is expensive and complex, the process of improvement is projected to be done in two phases. Phase one is lighting, trees, and landscaping. Phase two is sidewalk and curb improvements. None of these improvements can happen until design and engineering plans are in place which then allows for the search for funding and actual implementation.
A primary requirement in the selection process was that the design and engineering firm selected must be committed to interacting with the public on an on-going basis in formulating the conceptual plan. Stay tuned for updates as plans unfold! |
Upcoming Events 
November 11
Block Watch Program
Municipal Building at 6:30 PM
December 19
Santa Claus Visits Stowe
You can visit Santa at Fox's Pizza Den at 1:00 PM. All children are welcome to visit with Santa, tell him your wishes, and get a treat bag. This holiday event is being sponsored by Marge's Restaurant and Fox's Pizza with various members of the business community contributing to the treat bags.
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Welcome to Our New Business!
Mariah's 4 The Kids Daycare
655 Broadway Avenue
For more information, please call 412-310-7199 |
DowntownProperties.Net 
Introducing TCA's New Business Recruitment Tool
Are you looking for a storefront to buy or lease for your business location? Are you a property owner interested in leasing or selling your downtown property?
Be sure to check out www.downtownproperties.net! Town Center Associate's innovative new business recruitment program includes this website, which is one hundred percent devoted to properties for sale or lease in your downtown's central business district, as well as other local business districts.
DowntownProperties.net features the vacant/available downtown properties in your business district complete with:
- Property Photos
- Property Owner Contact Information
- Address Information
- The ability to add additional information to each listing, such as realtor contact information or details about the property
- Features that enable you to email listings to interested parties, map listings, as well as print listings
More than just a website, the DowntownProperties.net program offers key benefits to the municipality. Benefits include having a central source of property contact information, and a readily available resource to attract new businesses-by marketing vacancies and available properties.
Additionally, TCA will provide property owners with a FREE, colorful DowntownProperties.net poster to put in their vacant or available storefront window to demonstrate that the building is available.
If you have a vacant or available downtown property that is not currently listed on the site, let us know. Just send an email to tca@towncenter.info, or call us at 412-577-7447 or 724-728-0500. | |
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| PHLF UPDATE
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) is involved in main street revitalizations across Southwestern Pennsylvania. As we come across model examples in this work, we will make an effort to share them with our Allegheny Together partners. It may be that you will see an opportunity to take one of these ideas and tailor it to the circumstances that exist in your community.
In this issue, we want to highlight an investment trust that nine local women have set up in Leechburg, which is part of a State adopted regional main street program. The trust, known as Leechburg Investment Projects (LIPS), is a consortium set up by the women to develop viable businesses in downtown Leechburg, get them up and running on solid footing and then sell them. Sales proceeds will go back into the fund enabling them to focus on another business. LIPS intends to repeat this process until all of Leechburg's store fronts are filled.
The nine investors each put in $2,000, which has enabled the fund to launch its first business: Books and Beans, a used bookstore and coffee shop. The investor group includes a wealth of experience in setting up and operating successful small-scale retail. They are drawing on this experience, and putting in a lot of sweat equity, as they work toward a mid-October grand opening. Books and Beans will offer Presto George coffee & teas, gourmet breakfast and lunch items, free WIFI, a strong selection of used books, and audio book rentals.
LIPs is a great example of just how much a small group of committed volunteers can accomplish with limited funds. This includes:
- Creating new jobs.
- Rehabilitating old, empty storefronts in historic buildings.
- Diversifying the business mix in town.
- Involving experienced business-people to act as mentors for new owners.
- Building stronger relationships as a part of the project work.
If you are interested in learning more about LIPs to see if this model might work for your downtown, please call Ethan Raup at PHLF at 412 471 5808.
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| This e-newsletter was created by Town Center Asociates for the Allegheny Together Program of Allegheny County Economic Development. For more information about the Allegheny Together program, please visit www.alleghenytogether.com. |
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