Sprucing Up Hamilton Street

Allentown Department of Community and Economic Development Director Sara Hailstone and Community Banking Regional President for Wachovia in Greater Pennsylvania David Miree made an exciting announcement today about a new Hamilton Street Façade Self Forgiving Loan Program, which will be a great way to help pay for removal of modern inappropriate materials, brick cleaning, window replacement, and lighting and sign repair or replacement.
It’s going to be awesome to watch the facades of our local downtown businesses get makeovers. How fun would it be to keep track of who’s getting the grants and post some before and after pictures!
“There is a lot of historic beauty on Hamilton Street,” said Hailstone. “This is a fantastic opportunity for commercial building owners to improve the appearance of their properties.”
The program has a total of $200,000, which includes city CDBG-R funds and a $100,000 grant from Wachovia Bank. Commercial building owners on Hamilton Street between 6th and 10th streets are eligible to apply for loans ranging from $20,000 up to $30,000. The program requires a dollar for dollar match and includes a 0% interest rate on a five-year self-forgiving loan.
The program is the result of a partnership made up of the city of Allentown, Wachovia Bank, The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Hamilton District Main Street program.
Eligible applicants must be current on all taxes, licenses, and fees with the city. Property must be code compliant and proposed improvements must meet design standards and receive approval from the Hamilton Façade Self Forgiving Loan Application Committee.
Want more information? Contact the City of Allentown Business Development Liaison Duane Tolson at 610-437-5964

Protective Coatings Named Business of the Month

PC-Products was announced as Allentown’s business of the month for September at a press conference with Mayor Pawlowski at their factory located at 221 South Third Street.

Their slogan is “Make the impossible easy,” and that’s what their products are made to do. They produce sixteen different epoxies that aid in heavy-duty repairs, quick repairs, anchoring, and wood restoration. They can be used to fix leaky pipes, put together broken flowerpots, repair your deck, or even make missing parts such as bolts or nuts. These Allentown made products can be found across the country in stores such as Ace Hardware, Home Depot and True Value and are even found in stores in other countries such as Japan, Canada and Saudi Arabia.

Steve Long is the president of the company and employs about 25 people, most of whom are Allentown residents. The last hire the company made was a man from the Allentown Rescue Mission, giving him an opportunity to change his life.

As a third generation family owned business customer service with PC-Products is excellent and done the old fashioned way. Anyone who calls can expect the phone to ring no more than twice; they will never deal with automated messages shuffling them from department to department and if needed someone will walk the caller through proper use of a product.

One of the benefits of being selected as Business of the Month is a promotional video made by THRIVEMedia’s Jeff Tintle, which is sponsored by Capital Blue Cross. Check it out!



The Business Recruitment & Retention Committee is currently accepting nominations for the next business of the month. Please send nominations to businessofthemonth@allentownahead.com along with a brief description of how the business exemplifies excellence.

Retro Treats Coming to America On Wheels

Exciting developments are happening at the America On Wheels Museum down by the waterfront! They are making two hip additions to their facilities, a recreation of an authentic 1950’s soda fountain as well as an education center. The recreation will be called the Hubcap Café and will include an authentic soda fountain from Greenville, Indiana; expected opening date December 3.
Visitors will be able to hang in the fully operational café and enjoy classic soda fountain fare such as Coke floats, ice cream sodas, egg creams, ice cream, Cherry floats, hot dogs and packaged sandwiches. Guests can come down with their families and learn about road transportations evolution legacy, enjoy a delicious treat and bask in the 1950’s ambiance. .
The Hubcap Café will be available for rental to accommodate group tours, events and even birthday parties. Having a 50’s themed party can be even more fun and authentic when hosted at the soda fountain in a poodle skirt or leather jacket. What a great place to hold a surprise party for grandma! “The room will accommodate 100 guests and we will use caterers for all affairs over forty. We plan to offer ice cream soda parties for all ages.” Said Linda Merkel, AOW’s Executive Director.
America On Wheels is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tuesday hours (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) resume March 30. Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $5 for senior citizens, $3.50 for students ages 6 to 16. Children 5 and under are admitted free.