Small Business Week in Pennsylvania begins Sunday, but the celebration kicks off Friday in Washington.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Rick Siger, state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) acting secretary, visited three of the city’s small businesses to highlight their importance.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy in Pennsylvania,” Davis said. “Oftentimes, the big businesses get the press and the notoriety, but it’s really the small businesses that keep our economy humming, and we have to do everything we can to support those businesses.”
Siger said Washington was chosen to kick off Small Business Week to bring attention to a city that may not be considered major.
“It’s an opportunity to highlight and bring attention to (small) businesses and help them grow and help this community grow,” he said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2023-24 budget proposal calls for a $20 million infusion of capital into the Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance Program, which provides working capital loans to minority-owned and female-owned small businesses, to open doors of opportunity for these businesses.
The governor’s budget also calls for an $8.6 million increase for the Keystone Communities Program to support improvements to Pennsylvania Main Streets, particularly in rural and less affluent communities.
“We want to put our money where the mouth is,” Davis said. “We want to revitalize communities that are struggling.”
Shana Brown, Main Street manager for the Washington Business District Authority, said Washington is a city in the midst of a revitalization.
“We’re a city that is working to achieve our collective goals,” she said. “We’re a city that is committed to building a place that is welcoming to everyone. Our small businesses are the lifeblood of our community.”
The businesses visited Friday included Table Coffee Shop on East Chestnut Street, and Cheerful Balloons and Wild Hope Boutique, both on North Main Street.
January Adkins, co-owner of Wild Hope Boutique, was thrilled that her newly opened business was selected.
“I think it’s amazing that we’ve been open for less than two weeks and we have this amazing opportunity,” Adkins said. “I think it’s great that they’re interested in our little store as well as everyone else’s on this street.”
Carrie Beckett, her sister and business co-owner, said the goal is to get the city to thrive once again.
“We need foot traffic,” she said. “That makes it more of a destination for people to want to come to. We want it to be like it used to be. It can be that again.”
Davis, a native of McKeesport, a town he said has fallen on hard times like Washington, was impressed with what he saw Friday.
“There are a lot of strong people who are committed to their community who want to start businesses here and want to thrive,” he said. “Gov. Shapiro and I want to support them in their efforts to build a stronger economy and a safer community. What we saw going on on the main streets of Washington is truly amazing and they’re the programs we want to support to not only continue revitalizing main streets in Washington but across the commonwealth.”
“Washington is a great town,” Siger said. “This is a place where the kinds of investments we’re talking about in the governor’s budget can have a really big impact. Places like Washington have a plan. There’s a real desire to have small businesses here. That helps with building culture and it helps with the economy and the tax base to make places better. “
Among other dignitaries on hand Friday were state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, state Rep. Tim O’Neal, Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman and city Councilman Joseph DeThomas.
The DCED will be visiting other local businesses in the state throughout the week, with stops planned in south Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, Easton, State College and Erie.