WILKES-BARRE — A series of events kicking off later this month is designed to help bring more foot traffic into Downtown Wilkes-Barre as center city businesses work to rebound from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative, organized by the Diamond City Partnership, will include a second round of the Diamond City Dine Out — a project that debuted last fall — together with outdoor gatherings at Midtown Village called Sunsets on South Main.
They are timed to coincide with — and complement — the Fine Arts Fiesta, which will be taking place May 14-16.
Diamond City Dine Out will run all three days, while the pilot Sunsets on South Main event will take place from 1-7 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, followed by a series of similar gatherings in June, July, August and September, with further details to be released soon.
Diamond City Dine Out is designed to put a spotlight on the offerings at downtown eateries, while Sunsets on South Main will combine live music, pop-up shops and the Susquehanna Brewing Company to turn Midtown Village into an outdoor happy hour.
Not only will this help bring foot traffic into the city center, it will help cross-promote the Fine Arts Fiesta, which will not have its traditional food trucks this year as pandemic concerns together.
Officials with both events say that spreading out the activities, as well as requiring masks and social distancing, will keep attendees safe while giving people a chance to interact outdoors once again.
“It’s still a weird time,” said Medina Saeed, a marketing intern with Diamond City Partnership who has been heavily involved with the projects. “What’s good is that this is outside. We’ll have distancing. We’ll have a stock of masks, a stock of sanitizer.”
“We wanted to create something that people would be comfortable going to,” she added.
Rebuilding momentum
Effects of the coronavirus pandemic on Downtown Wilkes-Barre have been significant, and yet there have been some bright spots, Diamond City Partnership Executive Director Larry Newman explained.
“In terms of storefronts, we’re actually not doing that badly right now. We finished 2020 with a net increase of storefront occupancy of two storefronts,” Newman said.
“In terms of what’s going on upstairs, I’m also very pleased to note that as I talk to downtown landlords, of the residential developments, they are seeing effectively full occupancy. So as new units come on, we fully expect that those units will be in demand. People continue to want to live in high-quality units in a walk-to-everything environment. I think that’s even more true at a time when remote working is something that’s becoming prevalent,” he added.
“The flip side to that is that the office pillar of the downtown economy is very much up in the air. The reality is that office leases don’t change on a dime. They are long-term affairs. Any commercial lease is a long-term affair. So we are preparing ourselves for a long-term wait to see exactly how the economic consequences of the pandemic are going to play out for the downtown economy,” Newman said.
“But we do know that if we continue to focus on creating a downtown that is a place where people want to be, that will help all sectors of the economy.”
Impact on restaurants
That downtown economy has been hit hard not just by the shutdowns of indoor dining and entertainment, but by the steep decline in foot traffic that was exacerbated by the loss of employees as many businesses transitioned to working remotely.
With that in mind, DCP launched Diamond City Dine Out as a weeklong event last October, with participating eateries offering specials to customers.
“We got great support from the community,” said DCP Director of Marketing and Development Susan Magnotta. That support included not just patronage from customers, but sponsorships from businesses, especially Highmark and Geisinger, Magnotta said.
Times Leader Media Group was a sponsor then, and will be media sponsor of both upcoming DCP events.
“We had great success,” Magnotta said of the initial Diamond City Dine Out, and that inspired DCP to explore options for expanded events this spring and summer.
“We decided that something different had to be done, because the workers aren’t coming back full time. So we said, we need to activate the downtown in a different way,” Magnotta said.
“We were very grateful to get permission from Sandy Insalaco to use Midtown Village for events,” she added.
“We’re very fortunate to have support from the business community,” Magnotta said.
Saeed said that restaurant owners and other downtown entrepreneurs were eager to participate in the upcoming events.
“The businesses are all really excited,” she said. “They’re very excited to see activity happening, because they’re definitely still struggling due to COVID.”
“They’re offering deals, extended hours, different things for that weekend,” Saeed added. “We’re trying to help get people into their doors.”
Magnotta said that the DCP events will be strongly cross-promoted with the Fine Arts Fiesta and business across downtown.
“We are hoping people will come out, remember what downtown is like, see the things that are down here, and hopefully go to dinner at one of the restaurants either that night or sometime in the future,” Magnotta said. “Either way, it’s very important that we show people it’s safe and fun to come downtown, and there are lots of things to do. That’s the purpose.”
As well, Magnotta said, organizers hope that attendees will be reminded that downtown’s mix of offerings also includes the iconic F.M. Kirby Center, the Osterhout Library, YMCA and other facilities that each has felt the pangs of the pandemic in their own ways.
A new effort
For Newman, these projects represent something of a departure from what DCP’s role has traditionally been.
“DCP has been working at downtown revitalization for 20 years now; we were created to address a crisis in downtown that was actually greater than what we’re facing right now. But this is a different kind of crisis,” he said. “No one really knows how long it’s going to take for people to come back to the different venues and offices that have been emptied by the pandemic.”
“DCP has traditionally been an organization that is supported directly by downtown’s property owners. So in that regard it has been a cooperative, self-help effort,” Newman added. “The challenge that downtown is facing right now is big enough that it can’t be borne by those property owners alone. That’s why we’re so grateful for the support that we’ve gotten from folks throughout the region who recognize that without a vibrant and healthy downtown, the region as a whole suffers.”
Likewise, many of those who have traditionally attended events such as the Fiesta and shows at the Kirby come from across the valley. Newman hopes to draw them back.
“Come downtown, enjoy Fiesta, enjoy the art, being outside, enjoy the music, enjoy the vendors that will be at Midtown Village, and take the opportunity to enjoy what we know is the best lineup of restaurants and food options that you will find anywhere in the region,” he said.
For more information, visit http://wbdcp.org/.