Business picking up in downtown Milton, Mifflinburg | News

Lewisburg’s reputation of having a strong, model downtown in Central Pennsylvania is well-earned, but its neighbors in Mifflinburg and Milton are generating buzz as an increasing number of “OPEN” signs hang in storefronts in those downtowns.

Among the recent additions in Milton are a bakery along with a grocery and general store, with a unique antique and gift shop developing inside a Victorian home undergoing renovation.

A taco shop, artist co-op, woodworking business and custom gift shop all opened within a few footsteps on Mifflinburg’s west end. Work is underway to recruit businesses to a prime corner storefront nearby.

Mifflinburg Mayor David Cooney attributes the uptick in his town to a few different reasons. He noted the installation of new sidewalks and roadway along Chestnut Street (Route 45), as well as a landlord-tenant ordinance he believes rooted out a few troublesome property owners and tenants. He also pointed to attractions like Rusty Rail Brewing Co. and the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail.

“As more and more shops open, it becomes a cluster,” said Cooney, who himself operates a photography business along Chestnut Street. “Rusty Rail brings people in to discover Mifflinburg from miles and miles away.”

“As COVID goes away and people are getting back into the swing of things like shopping and going out to eat, now would be a perfect time to start a business,” Cooney said.

Shifting traffic patterns and potential development along the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway are a “major influencer” in ongoing investments in Milton, according to George Venios, executive director of TIME: The Improved Milton Experience.

There are planned exits to Route 405 and Route 147/I-80/I-180 leading toward Milton, he noted. The Northern Section of the Thruway is anticipated to open in 2022.

According to Venios, an estimated $1.5 million was spent to improve downtown streetscapes: Sidewalks, street lamps, trees and parking meters. TIME is presently attempting to secure state grant money to renovate building facades.

“Milton’s going to boom,” Venios predicted. “We have been doing a robust revitalization of our basic core downtown, which has been successful. Over the last three years, we have really put the pedal to the metal.”

The bakers and the grocersPam and Nate Young, the mother-son duo behind Cinn-ful Treats, opened the bakery at 54 S. Front St. in Milton on May 11.

The business grew out of the Silver Moon Flea Market north of Lewisburg, where they worked as vendors last fall. They specialize in cinnamon buns and soft pretzels but also offer the standards bakery customers would expect: Cupcakes, cookies, crisps, cakes, cobblers and bread pudding.

“We were running out of space. We couldn’t do as much volume there,” Nate Young said.

The Youngs are both Milton graduates. When they settled on opening a full-time bakery, they looked around their town for a proper storefront. Their present location is a natural fit — it once was home to another bakery.

“There’s a lot of traffic that goes by. The community is very supportive of all the businesses that come in,” Pam Young said before noting the high-traffic store across the street, Custom Care Pharmacy. “The more business that is here, the more that people will come back.”

To that end, Nicole Will recalled the aphorism, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Will and her partner, Jeremy Gordon, own and operate The Two Owls, a grocery and general store in Milton at 14 Broadway St. They opened in September 2020.

The Two Owls offers goods from about 40 vendors, mostly local and regional: Soaps and scrubs from Ballengee Farm outside Milton, baked goods from Gable House Bakery in Mifflinburg, bottled cold brew from The Sawhorse Cafe in Williamsport, kombucha from Good Juju Company in Benton. Other vendors hail from Danville, Selinsgrove, Shamokin, Bloomsburg, Millville and beyond. Will said she and Gordon focus on quality when recruiting new vendors.

The Two Owls does its own to rise the tide. It served as a business sponsor for Milton’s First Friday in May and plans to sponsor another.

“Milton is a particularly creative community,” Will said, referring to a recent art exhibit opening at The Shoe Factory in Milton. “It was really incredible, on par with things I’ve seen in New York. There are artists who live in this town, people who have moved here from all over the country. I wasn’t expecting that.”

One artist sells handmade collages at The Two Owls. Josè Ramón López, of Lewisburg, an 89-year-old native of Nicaragua, passed the time during the pandemic making collages from recycled magazines and boxes. He got the idea while watching a Spanish-language morning show that had a segment detailing the benefits for seniors to stay busy by crafting.

The collages sell for a few bucks. The store has clear envelopes and postcards, encouraging López’s collages to be used as mail art.

“He’s really thrilled and happy to see his little crazy things are being valued in the community,” López said through his son, Eddy, while visiting the store.

Lewisburg still strongA stroll through downtown Lewisburg shows Market Street looks largely the same as it has for years. It’s clean and bright, seasonal plants blooming from the tri-globe lights. The storefronts are decorated, inviting passersby to step inside from the sidewalks. Traffic by foot and by vehicle can be heavy at times.

There are four vacant storefronts, though, and another approaching vacancy as Wolf’s Jewelry closes out. A count of five vacancies is on the high-end for the borough — certainly, an envious position compared to other municipalities.

Downtown Lewisburg is undergoing transition, one not causing panic alarms within the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership.

Ellen Ruby, executive director, and Rob Antanitis, chair of LDP’s Economic Vitality Committee, each expressed that turnover is natural. Personal reasons like family and retirement, and not the strength of the downtown, spurred recent closures, Antanitis pointed out.

“Within a week, I was receiving phone calls to ask me for information on the property owner or landlord. We know there’s still a lot of interest coming into Lewisburg,” Ruby said of immediate interest in downtown real estate.

Antanitis, who owns Civil War Cider on Market Street in Lewisburg, said to his knowledge, there’s never been a time where there were less than two vacancies or more than five. Years ago, the downtown lost anchor businesses in CVS and the state liquor store, he said, and both storefronts have been filled.

Ruby said Economic Vitality Committee members are working on creating an incentive package such as grant money for business owners and a package of advertising and publishing materials to help recruit and retain businesses.

LDP itself moved to 213 Market St. when ownership changed hands at their prior location. It helps recruit businesses to Lewisburg and collaborates with borough government to implement strategies to make the town visitor friendly: strategies like dedicated outdoor areas and the lifting of the open container ordinance in the immediate downtown.

“We still think of ourselves as an incubator. Lewisburg is a test ground for your business. It’s a guaranteed spot for people to walk into your storefront,” Antanitis said. “People are recognizing that Mifflinburg and Milton are coming up. We’re happy for them.”

‘Good quality product’Bob Showers’ beard earned him the nickname “Abe.” It’s the moniker he chose for his business, Abe’s Custom Woodwork in Mifflinburg.

Showers custom builds benches and picnic tables. He’s taken an interest in 3D carving, creating clocks, model sports cars, military insignia, farming silhouettes. A custom bench at the shop has a detailed engraving of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” He works with hemlock, walnut, cherry — pretty much all of it.

“You do a roughing, then you take a ball nose bit to do the final finish,” Showers said of working with a CNC machine.

Abe’s operated at trade shows the past five years before Showers opened a storefront on April 3 at 416 Chestnut St. Showers closed on the building Feb. 2 and got to work the next day renovating it top to bottom including the upstairs apartment. His sons Justin and Robert Jr. work at the shop, too.

Showers welcomes anyone with an idea for indoor and outdoor furniture or some other type of woodworking — he installed Dutch lap siding on a carriage house recently — to bring a photo and some details to work up schematics. He’ll build it; locally sourced, locally made.

The shop is a retirement investment. He and his wife, Debbie, wanted to cut back on traveling to shows and he’s hopeful the business will be strong enough to pass on to his children and grandchildren.

“Maybe it costs a little bit more but that’s what I’m going to do. and I think that’s a good idea. We want to try to build a good quality product,” Showers said of local craftsmanship.

Faith in MifflinburgTracy Foreman operates Gigi’s Custom Creations at 434 Chestnut St. It opened last September, branded with the name Foreman’s grandchildren call her.

The store offers customized items: T-shirts, hats, wine glasses. and cutting boards, spatulas, shadow boxes. And, earrings, wreaths, wedding invitations, birthday cards. Pretty much anything.

“I just got into doing customized tumblers,” Foreman said.

“I actually started with masks. I did it out of my apartment,” Foreman said. “Everybody was coming to me. I customized them also.”

Just a few doors away, Showers had said he believed in Mifflinburg and the potential growth of the town. Foreman said she feels the same.

She’s a native of the town. It’s where she went to school. It’s where she graduated. She remembers fondly what Mifflinburg had been years ago. It’s changed, she said, but she’s hopeful that as more businesses pop up foot traffic will step up, too.

“I think it’s time for businesses to come in and build the town back up. When I decided to do this, I wanted to build it back up. I’ve seen two businesses come in since I’ve been here,” Foreman said.

Tomahawks, a Native American-inspired taco shop, opened April 2 at 456 Chestnut St., just a few steps further west beyond Abe’s and Gigi’s.

Joe Haber admits his restaurant is ambitious and different, its menu featuring proteins like venison and turkey outside the box compared to traditional Mexican tacos. He opened eyes, and wallets.

Mifflinburg has its positives and negatives, just like any other place, Haber said. Anyone considering a small business there shouldn’t be hesitant because they may believe there isn’t the population or economy to support them.

“I was completely blown away with how much the community came out,” Haber said, noting how mainstays like Amy’s Frosty Freeze, Wenger’s and Rusty Rail continue to draw large crowds.

“The community is here. They’re just waiting for something interesting to come and entice them.”