For more than 100 years Charleroi has been termed, 'The Magic City,' originally because of it's rapid industrial growth and development.
'As soon as the land that is now Charleroi was sold, building began,' explained Charleroi Chamber of Commerce director Debbie Keefer. 'It sprung up so quickly it was said to happen like magic.'
As industry developed, company houses were constructed and the town was established. Retail shops opened to meet the needs of residents. Eventually, the 'Magic' applied also to retail business that grew in Charleroi, bringing people from miles around to shop. It became the shopping mecca of the area.
Today, it's a different kind of magic. Renovations to old buildings are taking place and it's a mixture of old and new. One thing has stayed the same, though - the commitment of the people who live and work in Charleroi to their community.
If you doubt that, just to look to Armando's Pizza. A fire there last year left the shop in need of a new location. Its owners didn't look far, opting to stay in Charleroi.
More than 30 years ago, Donora natives Armand and Mary Ann Forlini opened the business. At a time when other businesses were leaving the area, Armando's remained.
'The community has been good to our family all these years,' said Benjamin Forlini. 'Yes, some businesses have left, but the people are still very good.'
Armando's continued its tradition of hand-tossed crust. It's not uncommon to watch dough fly through the air as the crust is stretched before being placed on pizza pans.
'If I could change anything about Charleroi, it would be to get more businesses in the empty buildings,' said Forlini.
Tom and Cora Ducoeur are among those still in business. They say they feel that providing the best possible customer service has been the secret to staying in business all these years.
'I can remember when we stayed open here at Orange's until 11 p.m.,' he said. 'Now most places are closed by 6 p.m.'
Cora Ducoeur added, 'When the steel mills closed that's when the hardest times entered the area. In the 1960s and 1970s, at Christmastime we'd put jewelry on the table in boxes because we didn't have time to get the boxes for the customer. We used to go to Pittsburgh every Sunday to buy more jewelry to supply us for the week. Unfortunately, we don't do that anymore.'
Charleroi is definitely going through changes, the couple noted.
Orange's, which incorporated in 1893 - three years after the borough did the same - is one of the first businesses to come to the community.
'There was a frog pond, according to Tom's aunt,' said Cora Ducoeur. 'The drugstore was on the corner and the pond was between Orange's and the drugstore.'
Orange's was originally established as a fruit market by Tom's maternal grandfather, Ulysses Simpson Ducoeur. The addition of a lunch counter added to the business.
'They sold homemade candy and ice cream,' said Tom Ducoeur. 'The ice cream was made in the building where the fire department parks their trucks. I used to watch them make the ice cream as well as popsicles.'
Today, Orange's is a card and gift shop. The second floor houses many collectible items, such as the Department 57 products on sale.
The Ducoeurs also own Ducoeurs Furniture and Shoe business, which was started by Tom and his father, Fernand Clarence Ducoeur.
'My dad was encouraged to go into the furniture business,' said Tom Ducoeur. 'It began strictly selling recliners. Then shoes were added when my dad went to an auction and came out owning 1,000 pairs of baby shoes. It's grown from selling only recliners to what it is today.'
Another example of Charleroi's growth can be found inside the walls of Model Cleaners, owned and operated by the LaCarte family.
'Model Cleaners was a big business back in the 1940s and 1950s,' said John J. LaCarte. 'Owned by the Hostetler family, it had a number of trucks in operation. The drivers would go to people's homes to pick up cleaning and deliver it back. I still have customers who say they remember those days.'
As the story goes, according to LaCarte, the business went to Jack Tadlinger, who married Hostetler's daughter.
'They lived in the apartment above the business on Second Street and Lincoln Avenue,' said LaCarte. 'The day would start about four or five in the morning. His wife did the tailoring and helped at the counter. They had a few employees and were content to keep it small.'
In 1986, the business came available and LaCarte's dad, John D. LaCarte, decided to purchase it. At the time the new owner was a plant manager for Rock Tenn; today he's the general manager.
'He'll tell you that within two weeks he felt making that purchase was the biggest mistake of his life,' said LaCarte. 'There wasn't a lot of dry cleaning in the area. Not many people wore suits, shirts and ties.'
It was a suggestion to look into industrial cleaning or uniform rental that took the business in a different direction.
'Once we learned the concept, we realized we had the equipment and decided to pursue the possibility,' said LaCarte. 'We literally walked out the door from Second Street, one block to the old Amoco station on Fallowfield Avenue. I asked Bill Gillingham who cleaned his uniforms. From there we were in the uniform rental business.'
Model Cleaners now services three states for uniform rental. What began in 1987 with a handful of customers has grown to more than 1,000 weekly customers in eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. However, it didn't stop there.
Besides John, brothers Michael, David and Joseph have all joined the business after college. Dan, the youngest, is currently in college.
'When I came to the company full time in 1992, we had eight employees,' said LaCarte. 'We've continued to grow and currently have 110 employees.'
'We compete against some big national companies,' said LaCarte. 'We're the only local business of its type. There's one other in the Pittsburgh market that does what we do. The key to our success has been the four of us working very closely. We each have very different skills.'
John D. LaCarte still owns the business that is run by his four sons. Model Cleaners is no longer just a dry cleaning business, but has become a model in the use of technology by including computers in just about every aspect of the business.
About four years ago a new division, Model Apparel, embroidered apparel including hats and tee shirts, came about.
'We saw that besides uniform rental our customers were buying a lot of embroidered products for giveaways,' said LaCarte. 'There were also people in the organization that didn't want to wear work clothes, but wanted a shirt, for instance, with the company name.'
That division has branched out to the Internet.
'We started building on-line catalogues for our customers to order their products over a web site,' he explained. 'We did $1.5 million last year on the Internet.'
Model Cleaners recently purchased A and S Enterprises, a local Internet server, now called Mid Mon. Patrick Schoaf, a former partner with A and S Enterprises, is now employed by Model to oversee the Internet division of the organization.
Location in Charleroi has been one of the competitive advantages, according to LaCarte.
'In this area we have been able to put together a high quality work force,' he said. 'We can find people to do the work and do it right. That's the secret to our success.'
Like many western Pennsylvania towns, Charleroi has seen the decline in business and population. However, the magic has not disappeared. Today's magic is in the unique.
'More and more unique stores are coming into the area,' said Main Street Manager Donn Henderson. 'Memory Tree, a scrapbook business owned by Heidi Hoffman, is an example. These are the kinds of shops that can't afford to go into the strip malls with the kind of rent they want, but can come into small towns.'
Henderson added, 'As we develop our program, tax and building incentives along with second floor improvement incentives, among other programs, will be put in place. We want to make it attractive to those who are interested in opening businesses in small towns.
The Charleroi Chamber of Commerce director added, 'Today is a different kind of magic with the renovations taking place on the old buildings. The Country Cottage is an example of what can be done. It's magical the difference.'
'Old is good,' concluded Keefer. 'Look at all the old charming places people go to vacation, especially the young professionals. The older it is the more they like it. You get a whole town with that flavor and atmosphere, they will come.'
Another transformation is the annual Belgian Dayz Festival, based on the history of Charleroi, which is named after Charleroi, Belgium, which at that time was the largest glass manufacturing center in the world. Glass is one industry that is responsible for the new Charleroi.
'We've come from Magic City Days festival to Belgian Dayz, which is more than a few booths and entertainment,' said Henderson. 'Belgian Dayz Festival presents the origin of the community with some of its unique characteristics. Slowly it's becoming a well-known festival.'
The festival is held the first weekend in May. Last year more than 4,000 visitors participated in the event.
An addition to the downtown area will be the Magic City Parklet Square with a permanent stage and seating area coming soon. Events are in the planning, such as race cars from Motordrome and lunch in the square programs with various entertainment.
Charleroi has a retail space area that comprises 13 blocks over two streets. Currently, according to Henderson, there are 180 businesses in that area, including professional services as well as the unique shops.
Some other unique shops in Charleroi include Tom's Sports Shop, gunsmith; Charleroi Sweeper Center, a combination sweeper sales and Lionel Model Train outlet; and, Jeff's Archers and Anglers, that includes video archery.
'We're on a swing back,' said Henderson. 'It's a gradual thing. Our idea of redevelopment is to refill the empty buildings, find new uses and have the incentive programs to achieve that.'
