Lansdale has received multiple new businesses as of late and shows no signs of stopping when it comes to bringing new people into the fold. This includes the already opened businesses such as the Classic Game Junkie video game store, the neighboring Retroware Arcade, Escapopolis Escape Rooms, Kub Kao Thai Cuisine, the Healthy Shack, Jamber’s Juice Bar, and the newly rebranded Round House restaurant and bar, as well as some businesses that are still on the way such as the new Mexican restaurant slated to open soon, El Limon Taqueria, and a new high-end salon called Hair N’ Abstract.
“If I were to be describing Lansdale, I’d say that the community is booming. We’ve had an extraordinary amount of investment, and I think in the last year and a half we’ve had more than 25 new businesses with more on the way,” said Stephen Barth, of Barth Consulting Group, who serves as a business development consultant for Lansdale Borough.
Barth Consulting Group and Lansdale borough have been working closely together for the last year to help revitalize the Lansdale area by helping prospective business owners bring their businesses into the fold.
A part of this effort is the Lansdale Borough funded “façade improvement grant” program, in which the borough allocates $50,000 per year, which businesses can apply to receive up to $5,000 to help renovate their appearance, be it signage, painting, or sidings.
“That’s really what it’s designed to do, to incentivize people to invest in and thus improve the downtown Lansdale area,” said Barth.
Another big part of the current state of the many businesses in Lansdale is the survival of these businesses through quarantine and the return to form from the pandemic. While not all of the stores and restaurants in Lansdale survived the pandemic shutdown, many others did by diversifying their revenue streams to not solely rely on walking traffic.
Many businesses began to make use of various delivery apps like Grubhub, Postmates, DoorDash, or Uber Eats, and still use these even as the pandemic winds down.
Other businesses have begun making more use of social media to market their services and products.
“Just a few weeks ago we met with Round House, and there are certain things businesses can do with things like hashtags and links on social media to increase their presence, so while we were there, we set all those things up with Round House,” said Barth. “Now we’ve received note that the General manager at Round House has been seeing an increase in out-of-town business from places like Doylestown, lower Gwynedd, and Ambler.”
The Business Community
“The business community is doing well. We’ve got several great breweries, retail locations, and many great restaurants. We’ve had many new locations open up, though unfortunately, we’ve also had some close. But that’s part of running a thriving downtown and a busy Main Street,” said Garry Herbert, Mayor of Lansdale.
“While I wouldn’t say we’re doing better than we were before the pandemic, I also definitely wouldn’t say we’re doing worse. I think it’s just different. We had a lot of interest and momentum going into the pandemic, and COVID put a big stopper on that, but we are really starting to see that interest and momentum pick back up again, which Is really encouraging. I’m very hopeful about our future,” said Herbert.
Many businesses are excited by how well the community is doing and are taking the opportunity to branch into new things.
“We’re starting to get more involved with community events. We’re planning some block party style things later in the year because we want to be a part of Lansdale and other community aspects,” said Rachael Chauncey, manager at Round House.
“The people here are so tight-knit, real ride or die, it’s a fantastic place to serve and work in, the town has always come to support us, and we’re trying to support them back,” said Chauncey.
John Madara and Kim Wysocki, who co-own Escapopolis, also had things to say about Lansdale’s business community.
“The place is definitely up and coming. We’ve had people come in from Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, and when they come in, they stop at Stove and Tap for food, or Frank’s pizza for pizza. So yeah, I’d say Lansdale is up and coming,” said Wysocki.
“From discussions with local business owners in the area, everything seems to be coming back to life post-pandemic,” said Doug Bellenger, co-owner of Well Crafted Beer Company. “There are still challenges with hiring and getting people out more, but things are looking up. We recently started connecting more of the businesses in the Lansdale Borough through the Lansdale Business Alliance so we can collaborate on ideas, marketing, etc. We're hoping this helps us drive more people to the area more efficiently.”
“We are coming up on five years in this community and I'm very hopeful of where it's headed. Right before the pandemic, there was a lot of momentum in the town, and we have seen that coming back,” Bellenger said. “The key is continuing the momentum and getting more people involved to help spread the message that Lansdale is a great town with a ton to offer.”
See also:
Sultan Indian Cuisine Named Lansdale ‘Business of the Month’ for June
Empanadas Lab in North Wales Unexpectedly Closes, New Business to Take Over Location in July
Former Army-Navy Near Five Points to be Replaced by Car Wash Following Demolition
New Wawa at Broad and Cowpath in Hatfield Set to Open Friday Morning
Dental Practice to Take Over Former R&S Keystone Diner Location in Sellersville
