By Amanda O'Rourke
The Daily Item
LEWISBURG — The Lewisburg Downtown Partnership on Wednesday kicked off the Campaign for Lewisburg, a $350,000 fundraising effort that already is $160,000 in the black.
Money raised through the drive will fund partnership initiatives for the next three years, Executive Director Linda Sterling said, including business recruitment and retention, the development of a downtown economic consortium and a revamped, interactive website, and increased marketing of the downtown business district, possibly through the hiring of a part-time marketing director.
"If the mall didn't have a manager, it would not be a successful place for business," Sterling said. "Good business owners put all of their energy into owning their business. We look at the big picture."
And the big picture in Lewisburg has been improving steadily since the inception of the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership in 1999.
At that time, the borough's Market Street had 13 vacant storefronts. Fast forward to 2004, and potential business owners were on a list waiting for one of the street's 100 storefronts to become available. In 2009, Lewisburg attracted seven new businesses and lost six, ending the year with a 2 percent vacancy rate.
This back-and-forth illustrates the vibrancy and the fragility of any rural, downtown business district, Sterling said, something the partnership is constantly working to address.
Funds raised through the Campaign for Lewisburg will be used to draw new businesses to Market Street, particularly in the entertainment, retail and dining genres, Sterling said, and to market and promote those businesses.
"Increased marketing, that is a really crucial thing, understanding and presenting the Lewisburg experience in a way that's compelling," she said.
The partnership's new website, which in 2009 received more than 60,000 unique visits, is under development and will include opportunities for visitors to share their stories and pictures about their experiences in Lewisburg as well as an interactive map and an upgraded business directory.
This is the second Campaign for Lewisburg fund drive. The first raised $300,000 to support the partnership between 2007 and this year.
Between 1999 and 2004, the partnership was supported by a state grant and matching funds from the borough, Bucknell University and private donors. Between 2004 and 2007, the partnership relied on community support and a reduced amount of state funding.
Since 2008, the partnership has relied solely on private funding, $95,470 of which was used in 2009 to support events like the Heart of Lewisburg Ice Festival, providing marketing to downtown businesses and organizing 15 promotional activities for Lewisburg area businesses.
Major donors to the Campaign for Lewisburg so far include the borough, which promised $60,000 over the next three years, Sterling said, and Bucknell University and Playworld Systems. Contributions also have been received from residents, businesses and all of the 14 members of the partnership's board of directors.
