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Peters Township open for businesses

By Rick Shrum for South Hills Living rshrum@observer-Reporter.Com 5 min read
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Uniting local businesses to support the betterment of all is, essentially, the central mission of a chamber of commerce. The one in Peters Township succinctly explains that on its Facebook page: “(We are) here for you – promoting the commercial, civic and general interests of the South Hills and northern Washington County!”

Brian Schill, executive director of the chamber and overseer of ribbon-cuttings and other business-related events, is pleased with the township’s business climate. “We recently finished three major events,” he said in early August. “Things are happening all over the place here. We’re also working on a fall plan.”

(A list of fall ribbon-cuttings and events, as of Aug. 9, is at the end of this article.)

Regarded primarily as an upscale residential community, Peters Township has also evolved into a vibrant, diverse commercial center. Chic restaurants, auto dealerships, groceries, financial institutions and more have located within the 19.8-square-mile municipality, many during the past decade.

And while commercial development has been heavy along Washington Road, it is not restricted to the Route 19 corridor.

“It’s a good business climate,” said Sam Fee, a Peters resident and businessman. He is the owner and brewer at Mondays Brewing Co., which opened in Waterdam Plaza in October 2020.

Setting up a taproom in the township was an easy decision, said Fee, a professor at Washington & Jefferson College, where he teaches classes in computer, web development, mobile development and digital media.

“I knew there were not a lot of places to go for locally crafted beer. I was looking to build the local neighborhood brewery model,” said Fee, strictly a home brewer until Mondays’ arrival.

“One thing I’ve been noticing is folks in Peters Township will come out and support local businesses,” he said. “People are looking for locally sourced products.”

Fee said the Mondays location off Washington Road has been advantageous in that it conveniently draws customers from Peters and points north and from Washington and communities to the south. “We’re at a nice little crossroads.”

But like most business districts during the COVID era, Peters’ retail/restaurant climate is not without clouds. Staffing shortages remain a profound issue, and interest rate increases have created havoc in the real estate market.

“Our business district has been ramping up, but space is at a premium,” Schill said. “And unless someone is asking a ridiculous amount, retail space is really tough right now. People are out looking to buy, but it’s tough, especially on the Route 19 corridor.”

Schill added that “staffing issues are affecting almost everyone. Foodservice is plugging along, but with limited hours, which is making it difficult. The summer has been pretty decent, but college and high school folks will be going back to school.”

Joe D’Amico can attest to work shortages. He is the owner/operator of Franco’s Trattoria in the McMurray Shops, which pre-pandemic was a popular lunch and dinner location. The restaurant’s hours now are 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“We’ve been here for 15 years, and the business climate here is very good. But we turn away a lot of business because we don’t have enough (employees to remain open at lunchtime). There is, and would be, a lot of lunch traffic for us. We probably turn away a lunch event every day – like a bridal shower or wake.”

Franco’s ability to operate a sustainable lunchtime business also has been affected by the vast number of employees at Southpointe, a few miles away, who have been working remotely during the pandemic. “The desirable lunch traffic isn’t there – the corporate lunches, in-house or corporate or delivery,” said D’Amico, whose restaurant served those clients. “Southpointe is kind of a ghost town, and the restaurants there are hurting too.”

D’Amico said there are “a lot of reasons why” staffing shortages exist. “The biggest,” he said, “is that people don’t want to work five days a week or on weekends. If we were open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, they would have more than enough.

“We’ll never be open on Sunday again. We hope to be open for lunch sometime.”

A number of businesses, however, have launched in Peters in recent times. Partners Adi Karamcheti and Fidel Valdovinos opened La Calera Mexican Bar and Grill on Valentine’s Day along Center Church Road.

Arlecchino Ristorante underwent an extensive 1,800-square-foot expansion, which added dining space, enlarged the kitchen and provided more parking. The project ended last winter.

Patsy Calabro, longtime co-owner of David’s Limited in downtown Washington, went from shuttering the clothing shop with his partner in 2020 to opening Pasquale Custom Tailor & Clothier for Men and Women in Lakeview Square about a year ago.

Primo Hoagies opened in Lakeside Plaza in early 2022.

Peters’ retail climate attracted Erin Bywaters to open a boutique dress store, Isn’t She Lovely Cache, in spring 2019. But the coronavirus arrived a year later and ultimately forced her to shut the bricks-and-mortar operation in spring 2021.

That did not crush her spirit, though. Working in that business climate motivated her to modify her business and reopen it online in March, which she runs from her Houston home.

Fall ribbon cuttings planned by the Peters chamber:

Stretch Lab: 8/12

ATA McMurray Martial Arts Academy: 8/26

Planet Roof: noon, 9/2

Fall events

Bowling “Fun”raiser: The Meadows Lanes, 8/2

After Hours Networking: Giant Oaks Winery, 8/18

Harvest Moon Celebration Dinner (with South West Regional Chamber): 9/16

Small Business Roundtable (with elected officials): 9/29

Virtual Mob: 10/4

Lunch Mob: PrimoHoagies catering at the Peters chamber office: 10/11

Magic of The Season Celebration Luncheon: 12/6

 

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