Zelienople’s Main Street continues to persevere through generations of change
On-and-off periods of thunderstorms throughout a dreary Saturday afternoon in late August did little to deter shoppers from walking up-and-down and patronizing local businesses along Zelienople’s Main Street.
Main Street has seen decades of change since the quaint town that sits in the southwestern portion of Butler County was founded back in 1802.
Through it all, the town’s premier hub for local businesses and community events has served as the lifeblood of Zelienople and continues to blend the remnants of the past with the unmistakable features of the future.
“I really love it. I love my building, and I think I probably have the best spot,” said Cyndie DeLucia, a Mars resident who owns Scentcerely Yours Candle Studio. “I really adore Zelienople and have nothing negative to say about the area. Zelienople is a great place to be.”
DeLucia has run the candle-making studio at 201 S. Main St. since February 2023. Like all of the small businesses that reside on Main Street, foot traffic can be one of the best indicators for how economically feasible it is to survive in a more rural area.
As business trends shift and evolve year-after-year, the challenge of getting patrons to step inside a specialty shop without any prior knowledge of the business can be a difficult one to tackle.
“I’ve always been interested in candles,” DeLucia said. “We make candles and reed diffusers. We also do wax melts and car diffusers. It’s a different kind of business, so it’s a little bit harder to get people in.”
Most locally owned businesses understand that a number of residents possess a desire to shop local, but it isn’t always possible in today’s economy where big box stores eat up a lion’s share of the market.
“I would say that people like to support small, but sometimes they have to remember that small is here,” said Christine Border, owner of the Little Green Bookstore. “It would be helpful if people were more consistent with supporting the small business owners. Sometimes convenience outweighs the extra mile to come and park and walk down Main Street.”
Border said there’s an added layer of strain on a business like hers when she’s forced to face off with larger corporations who can easily afford to undercut prices.
There are of course other ways businesses that reside on Main Street have attempted to stand out and evolve in an ever-changing environment.
C.T. McCormick Hardware opened for business in 1964 on Zelienople’s Main Street. Jeff McCormick and his wife bought the store from his parents and have kept it running ever since.
“We’re holding our own I guess would be the best way to describe it. It’s just a sign of the times,” he said. “I’ve been here long enough to see buildings get torn down and new ones built. The town’s always turning over.”
Like a lot of local hardware shops that require a brick-and-mortar storefront to directly compete with brands like Lowe’s and Home Depot, there’s a necessity to differentiate and adapt to keep regulars coming in and to grow the customer base.
For McCormick, that has meant picking up a specialized hobby to coincide with the traditional hardware items.
“Thirty-plus years ago, we took on model trains as a sideline to the hardware we sell to help boost income,” McCormick said. “We have a website for the trains, so we sell those all over the world. Hardware is a little tougher since there’s a hardware store in every town, so it’s a little harder to get people to buy that stuff online. But the hobby side of things goes pretty well for us.”
In addition to practical stores that can help people complete a job or take home a souvenir, Zelienople’s Main Street also offers a unique entertainment option in a performing arts, film and community center known as the Strand Theater.
The Strand Theater Initiative, a nonprofit group that made it a goal to save the theater from being torn down, was started in 2001. Three men led by president and executive director Ron Carter purchased the facility in 2002 and an exterior renovation was completed in 2005. The initiative raised $3 million and performed major renovations before eventually reopening in the summer of 2009.
Fifteen years later, the center is still buzzing with visitors who can’t get enough of vibrant live performances from beloved artists, inspirational plays and a number of timeless movies.
“Business has been great,” said Jeremy Czarniak, who serves as one of the Strand’s directors. “This has actually been one of the biggest years that we’ve had. We don’t foresee it slowing down. We’re pretty excited about the current outlook.”
Czarniak said he believes that the entertainment hosted by the theater provides a significant boost to the local shops that surround it. As an example, a tribute group named ABBA Revisited was supposed to perform late in August and was expected to bring in hundreds of visitors. However the show was canceled because of an illness of one of its members.
“I’d like to think that we’re actually a help to (the town’s businesses),” he said. “We do bring a lot of people. The ABBA show we had planned had two sold out shows, so that would’ve been 500 people coming to Main Street today that may not have come if it wasn’t for that.
“I think it’s a very unique Main Street as far as other places I’ve worked or been.”
The mix of businesses on Main Street is a big reason why visitors from all around Western Pennsylvania continue to come — there is something for everyone of all ages to enjoy and shop for.
“I like that it’s a little town, and you feel like you really feel like you’re always supporting local businesses,” said Daniella Barnett, a Butler County resident. “I like the variety as well because there’s a little bit of everything. I usually shop local wherever I can, but Zelienople is pretty close to where I live. From just an outside perspective, I think it’s doing well because new stores are constantly moving in.”
Anyone walking Main Street will quickly realize the location is in demand. The only storefront with boards up recently sits directly across from Little Green Bookstore and will soon be turned into a unique café.
“I think Zelienople and especially the main drag is doing very well,” said borough manager Andrew Spencer, who has been around Zelienople for nearly two decades. “I would say that we see an extremely bright future.”
