WILKES-BARRE – An online search for “SOMA Arts District” will display 10 pages of links for destinations in San Francisco and Little Rock, Arkansas, but Downtown Wilkes-Barre’s is turning into a real up-and-comer.
Like Little Rock’s, Wilkes-Barre’s SOMA Arts District moniker is derived from its general location along a stretch of South Main Street. (San Francisco’s is South of Market.)
It’s bordered by Northampton, South, Washington and Franklin streets, it’s a three-minute walk from Public Square, and it’s been home to the Wyoming Valley Art League’s Circle Centre of the Arts for decades.
It’s also home to Marquis Second-Floor Gallery, above Marquis Art and Frame, which has been on South Main Street for 40 years. And Wilkes University’s relocation of the Sordoni Art Gallery to South Main Street about eight years ago solidified the makings of an art district in the quadrant.
Five murals also have been painted on the sides of buildings in the district over the past few years.
“There are some characteristics about that district of downtown that are fairly important. One of them, obviously, is the fact that there are a cluster of existing arts venues – visual arts venues – in that one block,” said Larry Newman, executive director of Diamond City Partnership, the Downtown’s nonprofit management organization.
“It became apparent several years ago, when the Sordoni relocated to that block, that we had an opportunity to build off of this critical mass of arts venues and do some additional programming,” Newman said. “That’s what we have been doing ever since,” he said.
‘Critical mass’
Newman noted that Diamond City Partnership is the administrator of Downtown Wilkes-Barre’s Main Street Program, a designation granted by the state Department of Community and Economic Development at the end of 2020.
“That designation is based on a strategic plan that was submitted to and approved by the state. It’s essentially the strategy that we’re using to guide Downtown Wilkes-Barre’s recovery from the economic impacts of the Covid pandemic, but there’s a larger strategy that transcends that,” Newman said.
“That’s the basis for what we’re trying to do in the second block of South Main Street and along Livingston Lane and that first block of East Northampton Street,” he said. With that “critical mass” of arts venues and the proximity of Wilkes University and King’s College, DCP officials saw an opportunity “to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts.”
DCP launched its “Sunsets on South Main” outdoor shopping and live entertainment series in the Midtown Village courtyard at 41 S. Main St., just a half block from the official arts district, in 2021.
This past May, hundreds of people attended the Downtown Arts District Block Party between South and Northampton streets to celebrate the official opening of Building Blocks Learning Center’s latest location on the ground floor of 116 South, a high-end apartment complex at 116 South Main St., and other improvements on the block.
DCP and its partners are looking at ways to continue to improve the quality of the public environment in the district for residents and visitors alike.
“For example, it’s not just the creation of new public spaces like the courtyard alongside 116 South, where DCP installed and maintains the planters and installed string lighting,” Newman said. “We are looking at ways to continue to add public art in that quadrant of downtown, along with our partners.”
A smaller footprint
In addition to arts venues and programming, the district needs a variety of businesses that will cater to shoppers, art lovers, entertainment seekers and downtown residents.
One of the things that makes the downtown quadrant significant is that it has the largest collection of surviving older commercial buildings in the city.
“If you look at the history of downtown’s development, following the 1972 flood, there was urban renewal. Most of the commercial core of downtown was rebuilt with new buildings around Public Square, the first block of South Main Street, etc. The area that we’re talking about here, however, was one that saw a lot of the older buildings survive,” Newman said.
“Those older buildings have the character that is appealing to many of the new retail tenants, but they also provide an opportunity for newer tenants to have a smaller footprint. And what we’ve seen over the last couple of years is that the average size of desired storefront retail footprints has been shrinking,” he said.
DCP, city and Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce officials have been marketing the district to potential owners of businesses that would be a good fit, and existing merchants also are encouraging such businesses to locate there.
Plans coming together
The strategy seems to be working.
“Since the start of 2024, the new businesses that have opened just in this quadrant of downtown, what we have started calling the SOMA Arts District, include Wavy Daisy, All Belgium Waffles, Evergreen, The Burnt Norton, Amber Indian Express, Building Blocks Learning Center and Cowboys in Paris, just in this short area,” Newman said.
“I think what we’re starting to see is some real momentum building in terms of street-facing retail and services in this quadrant of downtown. I think that the potential of the second block of South Main and Livingston Lane and this first block of East Northampton Street, as we pull it all together, is just going to continue to build,” Newman said.
One thing that also helped some of the new businesses open in the district was the Spark Program.
The brainchild of Mayor George C. Brown and administered by the chamber, the program offered grants of up to $10,000 for rent or lease assistance in the first year – more for businesses with a large number of employees – as well as guidance from the Small Business Development Center.
Jaclyn Savage, who opened vintage clothing shop Cowboys in Paris on South Main Street in January, and Jennifer Shubilla, who opened vintage decor shop Wavy Daisy directly behind Cowboys on Livingston Lane in July, both said the Spark grants made opening their shops possible.
Mayor George C. Brown said All Belgium Waffles also received a grant, as did six other businesses within a block of the arts district.
“We’re bringing back that part of the city, that second block, as you can see. There’s been heavy investment from the city with the Spark program into these businesses, and it’s paying off,” Brown said.
“There’s definitely more foot traffic, cars and people parking, going into the businesses. It’s bringing back a lot of people to that area, and I’m happy to see this. We are so happy to be a part of bringing back this neighborhood,” he said.
A ‘perfect fit’
Many new businesses, such as Building Blocks, opened without the help of a Spark grant.
Subeena Saeed, the owner, recognized there was “a vision to revitalize this area and really saw there’s a need for (child) care here,” said her daughter, Medina Saeed, a director at Building Blocks.
“When the opportunity came, it just seemed like the perfect fit,” Saeed said. “There’s a lot of fresh businesses coming in and people seem to be really excited about it. It’s been nice to see the buzz kind of going around.”
And some of the new retailers have incorporated gatherings and events at their storefronts into their business plans, which draws even more people to the district.
“We sell house plants and local gifts. We have over 20 local artisans from the region that sell out of our shop on consignment,” said Holly Pilcavage, who co-owns Evergreen with Sara Crolick.
“We also host local community workshops that are either led by Sara and I or other community members,” Crolick said. “We just had a stained glass workshop. It sold out so quickly that we had to add a second day, and that sold out also – in under 24 hours.”
“I think that there’s a lot of incredible energy. It’s a good time to open a business here,” Crolick said. “There’s this good energy to be part of the change and the movement of bringing more life back to downtown, especially post pandemic.”
Downtown living
Another important success factor is the residential development that has taken place in the district.
In 2010, Susquehanna Real Estate opened Elevations Lofts at 14 E. Northampton St., offering 21 high-end apartments.
And just within the last 10 years, D&D Realty has completed five new residential developments there:
- Hampton Park East at 45 E. Northampton St., 12 units in 2014.
- Alleghany Building, 94-96 S. Main St., 16 units in 2016.
- Hampton Park West, 39-41 E. Northampton St., eight units in 2016.
- Hampton Park East, 27 and 33 E. Northampton St., 18 units in 2022.
- 116 South, 116 S. Main St., 34 units in 2024.
Newman said there are over 1,000 more downtown residents now than there were 10 years ago, according to the U.S. Census., which helps support the businesses that have located there.
“It will never be the same as it was years ago, but it’s continuing to become more and more vibrant,” Newman said. “We are returning Downtown to a mixed-use neighborhood where people live, where they shop, where they work and where they play. We’re not gonna stop till we get there, and we’ve got some good momentum.”
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