Scranton Tomorrow’s #lovelocal small business campaign continues online and downtown
From a press release:
In support of the downtown Scranton business district, Scranton Tomorrow will continue its #lovelocal social media campaign through March. The campaign is designed to encourage everyone to support independently owned businesses this spring.
Small businesses play a vital role in the economy, locally and regionally, with downtown Scranton serving as an economic center in Northeastern Pennsylvania. With this in mind, the #lovelocal campaign encourages everyone to invest consumer dollars in their community by shopping and dining in the Electric City. A newly decorated selfie station on Linden Street makes it easy for visitors to show they appreciate all the amenities that downtown offers.
Design professionals at Posh, in partnership with Jeff D’Angelo’s Design Group, created a pop-up window display in the vacant storefronts of the Scranton Electric Building (507 Linden St.). As part of the Northeast Art Project, Scranton artist Ryan Hnat painted festive shamrocks on the exterior of the window in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Through Wednesday, March 31, visitors are encouraged to snap selfies in front of the display and post to social media using #lovelocal. Photos can be taken outdoors with the pop-up window display in the background, providing a safe, family-friendly experience for people of all ages.
To help plan their visit, members of the community can access comprehensive listings of all retailers and restaurants in the downtown Scranton business district at scrantontomorrow.org. The Downtown Shopping Guide and Downtown Dining Guide have links to nearly 100 retailers and more than 60 restaurants. To accommodate a variety of shopping and dining preferences, downtown businesses offer in-person services, online ordering, takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery.
Scranton Tomorrow’s #lovelocal campaign is made possible by the support of the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors, the Northeast Art Project sponsored by the Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, and through a partnership with the property owner of the Scranton Electric Building.
Scranton Tomorrow is a 501c(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan community and economic development organization working to establish Scranton as the premier urban center of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Its mission is to mobilize resources to enhance a vibrant environment for Scranton residents, businesses, and visitors, working diligently to establish, manage, and accomplish the city’s shared goals and objectives.
With a headquarters (307 Linden St.) in the historic downtown area, Scranton Tomorrow is a volunteer-based organization whose members are as diverse as the greater Scranton community. Volunteers and supporters include business leaders, public officials, entrepreneurs, property owners, developers, educators, artists, and community partners, all united in a love for the city and a commitment to reach its greatest potential.
Scranton Tomorrow has a long history of service to the community, dating back to the early 1990s with a grassroots effort to improve the quality of life for those who lived and worked in the city. Like many mid-sized cities across the county, Scranton’s economy faced challenges and a struggling downtown. In keeping with the spirit of those who founded Scranton and Lackawanna County, this small group of visionaries forged ahead with determination, creativity, and ingenuity.
In 1992, Scranton Tomorrow was founded as a nonprofit organization. Shortly thereafter, its leaders developed “Forging the Future.” Through this visioning process, it identified emerging community leaders and instilled a sense of a brighter future for area residents. Everyone in the community was encouraged to participate. A blueprint for change was drafted, resulting in an era of positive change that continues decades later.
Some changes appeared as new events and projects, such as First Night Scranton, a family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration that attracted thousands of people to downtown annually; CityPride, a citywide beautification program held each spring; the Summer Solstice Art Walk in downtown Scranton venues; and the creation of the Pennsylvania Film Festival. Other changes were iconic, such as relighting the Electric City sign on top of the Board of Trade Building.
Still others were transformative, such as the creation of Scranton Today, channel 61 on public access television, and the Downtown Renaissance project to introduce residential living downtown. Scranton Tomorrow earned the designation as a Main Street organization by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and was selected as a nationally accredited Main Street program by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.
In early 2017, the National Resource Network recommended that Scranton Tomorrow serve as the city’s economic development agency for Scranton’s recovery plan. Serving the business district in this important leadership role allows Scranton Tomorrow to bring individuals and institutions together to collectively enhance the urban core.
