Rent abatement, other aid help businesses gain foothold in Allentown
 By Katherine Schaeffer Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015, 10:10 p.m. Customers trickle into Black Forge Coffee House, just off the corner of Arlington and East Warrington avenues in Pittsburgh's Allentown neighborhood, clamoring for a morning caffeine fix. Black Forge's menu is loaded with local fare: specialty drinks made from Zeke's Coffee beans, mugs of Gryphon's Tea and pastries from ThreeFifty Bakery. With a wooden stage for musicians, comedians and poets, Black Forge is a novel space in the neighborhood. “We wanted to create a space for artists and musicians,” co-owner Nick Miller said of the shop, which opened Aug. 3. “It's filling a gap in the city. There aren't a lot of all-ages venues that are open all the time, and not just for events.” Co-owners Miller and Ashley Corts are among the first recipients of one-year rent abatement and lighting and signage grants available to new Warrington Avenue business owners, which they say helped get their business started, along with loans and startup fundraising. Entrepreneurs submit an application to Allentown's business district committee, said Siena Kane, Allentown business district manager for the Hilltop Alliance, a nonprofit neighborhood group managing the program. Those with strong business plans and enough startup money are eligible for rent abatement and grants, she said. Nestled between Mt. Washington and South Side Slopes, Allentown — which has struggled with a reputation for urban blight and crime — is often overlooked, said Aaron Sukenik, executive director for the Hilltop Alliance. Efforts to improve infrastructure, reduce crime and offer a rent abatement program on affordable storefronts have business owners taking note, Sukenik said. Down the block from Black Forge, another rent abatement recipient is preparing for its grand opening this month. Spool fabric shop co-owners Michelle Lancet and Jennifer Swartzwelder opened the business in May 2014 as an online fabric boutique. They envision the space — outfitted with sewing machines and work tables that can be rented by the hour — as one where sewing students of all ages and skill levels can gather. The shop carries natural, sustainable fabrics, Swartzwelder said. “We want to create a space where people gather, inspire each other and learn from each other,” she said. The owners looked for a brick-and-mortar location for almost a year when they stumbled upon the sunny, recently remodeled Warrington Avenue shop, Lancet said. The space's affordability caught their eyes, and it didn't take long for them to get “excited about being part of neighborhood revitalization,” Lancet said. The rent abatement program, started last fall and funded by an anonymous donor, is designed to attract residents and businesses, Sukenik said. PNC Bank, Dollar Bank and UPMC Health Plan are participants in the state's tax credit Neighborhood Assistance Program, which allows corporate sponsors to acquire tax credits for money they spend on development, he said. “A lot of business districts in some key areas in the East End are just getting unaffordable,” he said, and with Shiloh and Carson Street built out, “it only makes sense geographically that Warrington Avenue is next.” Events such as the Open in Allentown pop ups, which showcase an available retail space in the neighborhood, have helped the Hilltop Alliance highlight the success of businesses such as catering company Sweet Peaches, technology co-working space Work Hard Pittsburgh and Italian restaurant Alla Famiglia, Kane said. A children's clothing boutique plans to move into a space on Warrington in October. The long-held perception of Allentown as an unsafe neighborhood is changing as artists and entrepreneurs move in, Kane said. “Long term, we want to be a unique business district,” she said. “And a diverse neighborhood.” For business owners such as Miller and Corts, revitalizing Allentown is an opportunity to thrive and give back to the city. “We moved here because we love Pittsburgh, and we want to build our life and our dream here,” Corts said. “This city gave me the opportunity to do that.” Katherine Schaeffer is a staff writer at Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-320-7832 or kschaeffer@tribweb.com. |