Seventh Street Receives $500,000 for Pedestrian Lighting Improvements

The Morning Callreports that the city of Allentown received a $499,100 award for pedestrian lighting improvements along Seventh Street.

Seventh Street Nativity Featured on Channel 69

WFMZ's cameras captured Seventh Street's St. Luke's Lutheran Church live nativity:

The story of Christmas was brought to life at an event in Allentown.

Folks were treated to a live nativity at St. Luke's Lutheran Church on 7th Street Sunday afternoon.

The display featured alpacas, goats and burros, that were all brought in from a local farm.

This is the first year the church put together the live nativity.

Banking Switch on Seventh Street

Welcome to Seventh Street, Wells Fargo. (Wachovia was, of course, acquired by Wells Fargo back in 2008, but only now is the Wachovia name getting phased out.)

Happy Day for Happy Garden Chinese Restaurant - 501 N 7th Street

3 weeks after a fire closed Happy Garden's doors, they are set to open for business again this Friday, Novemeber 19. Please let's help them celebrate their doors opening again and order some great Chinese food! Their number is 610-432-9330.

MAKING PEOPLE SCREAM? ACTORS NEEDED!

Haunted House Creator, Steve Whol has created yet another masterpiece in the haunted house world. He has built countless mazes of fright in the past that included thrills that chilled the soul. This time he has created one on 7th Street in Allentown, Pa, as part of the Day of the Dead Festivities.
Mastermind Steve is looking for actors to round out his cast of ghouls and unknown things that will bump in the dark. Actors need to be 18+ years old and unafraid to make people scream. Some acting experience preferred but not necessary. The fun will begin at 4pm and continue until 9pm.
If this is you, contact Kathleen Kapila for more information at kkapila@caclv.org or call her at 610-433-5703.
The Day of the Dead Festival is on October 30, 2010.

Two side-by-side facades underway on Seventh

A pair of adjacent, well-loved Seventh Street eateries---Winston's (619) and Ecua Atlantic Seafood (621)---have just begun their own facade makeovers. Now stripped of their homely siding, the two restaurants will get the full Peter Lewnes treatment over the next month or so.

Save the Date: Day of the Dead Festival on 7th coming October 30

Save the date for the first annual Day of The Dead Festival:

---Saturday Oct 30th from 5pm to 9pm.

Come celebrate this traditional festival where we pay tribute to our ancestors.

There will be a haunted house, vendors selling cool stuff, palm readers and spiritual advisors all along the street. We will have a salsa tasting, music, and lots of great food from the restaurants on 7th Street! Come join us and have some scary fun!

If you are a vendor and would like to reserve a spot - call Sharon Smith at 610-433-5703.

MetroPCS coming to long-vacant space at 529 N. Seventh

The mobile phone provider metroPCS is opening a store at 529 N. Seventh, between Liberty and Allen Streets. The space has been vacant (with the occasional temp agency) for the eight years I've lived off Seventh---one of the last vacant storefronts left on the three-block stretch from the 400 to 600 blocks of Seventh.

a doozy of a facade begins

here's the reason for the season...removing aluminum siding to find a building in pretty bad shape but why we help. In a couple of years, there wouldn't be a building left...this one will be our first painted lady.

Even I'm impressed

Here's a before and after that I'm thrilled with...we started doing some residential facades and have taken this one back to it's original historic splendor...we have about 10 done this year with 20 more to go...stay tuned folks:

MAXED OUT Planter Exhibition at The BAUM School of Art tonight

Following up on our successful planter project last year, 7th Street was able to find large concrete planters on sale at the end of the season. ANDA youth group partnered up with the BAUM School of Art and engaged help of kids from the St Luke's Neighborhood Center and Boys and Girls Club to create 8 new uber colorful mosaic planters.A team of volunteers will be planting today and the planters should be out by this weekend - if you'd like to help - and we can always use your help, please call Kathleen Kapila at 610-433-5703. The BAUM School is hosting a photo exhibition of this project starting Thursday, July 8 from 6-8 PM which is open to all.The planters will be placed in front of storefronts along the 7th Street corridor to continue the greening of 7th Street projects. Along with the 18 planters last year, 7th Street has planted 36 new shade trees and planted a kiosk garden near Little Apple Supermarket this year.Special thanks to Pennsylvania Partners of the Arts, KNBT Bank and PPL for providing funding for this project. To find out more on what's happening on 7th, look us up at http://www.7thstreetallentown.org/ or find us on facebook.

New, beautiful Kiosk Garden on Seventh!

Since mid-June, the thousands of commuters and sidewalk-bound pedestrians have enjoyed the newest addition to Seventh Street: the Kiosk Garden. Vibrant flower beds, surrounded by wrought-iron enclosures--between the old Sears building and the Little Apple market on the 600 block. Enjoy...

Maxed Out Planter Project on 7th

Following up on our successful planter project last year, 7th Street was able to find large concrete planters on sale at the end of the season. ANDA youth group partnered up with the BAUM School of Art and engaged help of kids from the St Luke's Neighborhood Center and Boys and Girls Club to create 8 new uber colorful mosaic planters.

A team of volunteers will be planting today and the planters should be out by this weekend - if you'd like to help - and we can always use your help, please call Kathleen Kapila at 610-433-5703.

The BAUM School is hosting a photo exhibition of this project starting Thursday, July 8 from 6-8 PM which is open to all.

The planters will be placed in front of storefronts along the 7th Street corridor to continue the greening of 7th Street projects. Along with the 18 planters last year, 7th Street has planted 36 new shade trees and planted a kiosk garden near Little Apple Supermarket this year.

Special thanks to KNBT Bank and PPL for providing funding for this project. To find out more on what's happening on 7th, look us up at www.7thstreetallentown.org or find us on facebook.

Casa Latina Gets a New Sign

Check out the handsome second story banner-sign for Casa Latina--the excellent Dominican restaurant at 527 N. 7th Street.

Seventh Street Has a Twitter!

You can follow Seventh Street at 7thStAllentown.

New Banners for Seventh Street

The new banners are up! Their vivid coloring is only partly captured by the photo; they must be seen in person.

7th Street Community Festival

The kids and I had a fabulous time at the 7th Street Community Festival on Saturday. The festival, held in the St. Luke's Church parking lot, was well-attended. Snakes and rodents of unusual size were on display from the Lehigh Valley Zoo. Face-painting, a water tunnel, the requisite bouncy castle: It was all there.

Seventh Street Praised in Call Article

The Morning Call's story on the new Main Street manager for Hamilton Street cites Seventh Street as the city's model:

The Main Street program has proven successful on Allentown's Seventh Street, which earned the designation in 2006. The once-gritty corridor now is bustling with the business of shoppers and diners. Storefront vacancies went from 40 percent in 2005 to 5 percent today, said Peter Lewnes, manager of the Seventh Street Main Street program. In securing the program for Hamilton Street, officials hope to mimic that success.

"It is very critical to have somebody to market and push the downtown," Mayor Ed Pawlowski said after the news conference. "We have had individuals off and on being able to focus on the area from their citywide duties as well, but we have not had one concerted effort focusing on Hamilton Street in many years."

Progress on Happy Garden's New Sign: Photo

Happy Garden, the excellent Chinese restaurant at Seventh and Liberty, is getting a new sign and street-level facade makeover. (The Liberty-facing brick paint and Seventh-facing upper-floor facade work was completed last year.)

A Tree Grows On Seventh Street

well actually there are many trees growing on 7th - there will be 36 more after this weekend and we can use your help.

In honor of Earth Day, 7th Street's committed volunteers will be planting Sugar Maples along the 500 and 600 blocks.

Sign up is 8AM on Saturday the 24th, St Luke's Church 417 N 7th.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

...just bought a gorgeous over the top mirror from my favorite local store on 7th - For Your Decor at Community Place Antiques - stop in and see what Loretta Beasley has been picking up over the winter - 411 N 7th Street, 610-914-6423

Let Me Call You Sweetheart....

I'm being the good son and just ordered flowers for Mom for Valentine's day from my local 7th Street florist - Paradise Floral Designs...

Owner Anthony Rodriguez is ready and willing filling out orders and has the most gorgeous arrangments going out the door. If you haven't already ordered your flowers or forgot your sweetheart...it's not too late!

Call Paradise Floral at 610-433-2305!

Beat The Winter Blues tonight on 7th

Tonight on 7th, the Seventh Street Development Committee is offering a chance to Beat the Winter Blues if you are currently experiencing any.

There will be a chance to meet your neighbors, hear a review of all the exciting things that have accomplished on 7th this past year and learn about what's in store for 2010 and how you can get involved.

Plus there will be yummy food from a few of the great restaurants on 7th and raffle prizes!

Please come for a bit...we'd all love to meet you.

Facades Carry On In Freezing Temps

Just in case you were all wondering what I focus on during the winter or better yet worrying that facades weren't being worked on in freezing temps...check out the new happy garden sign. It's still at the shop waiting for the facade to get done but has really come out great.Located at 501 N 7th Street where the old 7th Street Glass used to be, Happy Garden serves up great authentic chinese meals every day, 7 days per week. They have the greatest lunch specials at $4.95.

Part of the design was to include a pictogram of the words Happy Garden

Seventh Street on WFMZ

Seventh Street's successes—and our role as likely future host for an Italian culinary school—were featured in a WFMZ story. Check out the video.

Seventh Street in the News

Here's Peter Lewnes, quoted in a Morning Call article from January 3rd:

Peter Lewnes, manager of Allentown's Seventh Street Development Committee, attributes Emmaus' success in part to its attractive storefronts and low vacancy rate -- the more occupied shops a town has, the more other business owners are apt to move in.... "We went from a 40 percent vacancy rate [on Seventh Street] to about 100 percent occupied,'' Lewnes said. ''In this economy there has been a lot of forward movement.'' He said there has been a push for years to create a similar program along the Hamilton Street corridor, but funding for that has not been available.

And today, from Michael Molovinsky's blog:

Peter Lewnes has been doing an excellent job of filling in the gaps on 7th Street, and applying facade grants in a seemingly appropriate way. On Saturdays one is hard pressed to find a parking space. I believe that his enthusiasm, and a growing community's ambition, has finally awakened 7th Street from a long sleep.

Draped in Flags

Have you noticed the wind-whipped flags that now mark many Seventh Street businesses? They feature the city's seal, and fly above businesses and properties that have received facade facelifts through the Seventh Street Development Committee.

2010 Make 7th Street Sparkle Contest Winners

Our Winners!

VQUEZ Party Supplies - 144 N 7th Street for best storefront. If you have not visited there, Norma and Luis Vasquez have everything under the sun for a party.

The Condolaria family in the 800 block of 7th Street won for best residence display. They received gift certificates for Winston's West Indian and American Restaurant and Hardware Plus as well as a floral arrangement from Paradise Floral Designs.

thank you to all the merchants and residents that participated in making 7th Street sparkle with holiday decorations this year!

Sparkle Sparkle Everywhere

that's right folks...for year three we ushered in the cold weather in strict 7th Street style...with hot cocoa and cider, good cheer and holiday lights along the corridor. Approximately 50 volunteers made it to our Make 7th Street Sparkle event...this year with a competition for best holiday displays - residential and storefront.

our tree - newly planted and sustainable...it will grow as 7th Street continues it's growth!

not just the decorations were sparkling...check out everyone's smiles...thanks guys

(Sarah Fulton, Duane Yodi Vaden, Miriam and Mike enjoying themselves)

more revelers

Organization Committee's Kathleen Kapila making sure everyone knows we are set to sparkle...Thanks Kathleen, Becky and the rest for making this event a great success!Pastor Lamb and friend from St Luke's Lutheran Church...thanks to Leslie Talago - newly appointed 7th Street Board member and great all around community advocate for all your help in pulling this off!