PHOENIXVILLE PA – Chats with Phoenixville business owners and a tour of the borough’s thriving downtown were part of the Thursday (May 4, 2023) agenda for members of the Pennsylvania House majority policy committee. They were in town to learn more about helping businesses grow, it said.
The discussions and tour were hosted by 26th District state Rep. Paul Friel of Chester County. He suggested to colleagues that the region’s successes “can be duplicated in communities across Pennsylvania.”
The day began at Phoenixville Borough Hall, where members received a history lesson on the revitalization of its downtown. They then made stops at eight different local businesses along Main and Bridge Streets to ask store owners about challenges they face, and what they believe can be accomplished in Harrisburg to better support business owners.
Besides borough hall, the tour included the Colonial Theater, Bistro on Bridge, Forever Changes, Café com Leite, Bridge Street Chocolates, Phoenix Village, and Bluebird Distilling.
Change isn’t easy, they heard the owners say. Committee members report they were told that “government and community have to be on the same page to maximize revitalization and plan for the future.”
“There’s an intersection of public policy, public investment, and economic growth in our downtowns,” Friel said. “Public investments from Harrisburg, county, and local sources are critical to development because they return ten-fold the type of investment happening in communities,” he added.
A government investment of millions of dollars in a community like Phoenixville, Friel indicated, results in far greater investments by the private sector.
Photo by The Post
