Sen. Matt Smith said he recognizes the importance of small business districts such as Sewickley.
“Part of what makes our area so special is that we have a lot of wonderful small towns and communities,” said Smith (D-Mt. Lebanon), during a tour Thursday of some of Sewickley's businesses. “It is a wonderful aspect of western Pennsylvania.”
Smith took office in the 37th state Senate district in January. He replaced former Sen. John Pippy after his resignation.
During the tour, Smith heard from business owners and managers, some of whom talked about challenges they face in a tight economy and from national retailers.
“We started off slow, and we've grown,” said Fun Buy The Pound owner Brenda Fisk.
“Our biggest season is Christmas. Our slowest time really is June. People want nice weather, so they want to get outside. By July, it picks up again.”
Fisk said her store competes in August with back-to-school clothes shoppers.
Its location in the business district and variety of educationally focused toys are appealing to Fisk's customer base, she said.
At Penguin Bookshop, manager Kate Weiss-Duncan spoke of the competition it faces from online retailers such as Amazon.com.
“A big part of my job is actually educating people about why the books are more expensive here,” said Weiss-Duncan, adding that the store's “expert” sales staff is how the independent store differentiates itself from other, bigger retailers.
“The whole industry is changing so much,” she said. “Sometimes it's hard. We just can't compete.”
Smith said small business districts are unique, but share similarities.
“There's a lot of small businesses that make our communities very successful. One of the great things about an area like Sewickley or Mt. Lebanon is the main street.
“You have independently owned shops … who really provide the fiber of the community. That's what makes locally-owned businesses so special. They're invested in the community, they want the community to be successful. It's a really unique aspect about communities.”
Bobby Cherry is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-324-1408or rcherry@tribweb.com.
