Saxonburg thrives on small businesses, local events
What you will find when you walk down Main Street in Saxonburg is a collection of small-business owners who are proud of the atmosphere they’ve created in the same borough where wire rope was invented a century and a half ago.
“I think Saxonburg just has more of a ‘Hallmark Christmas movie’ feel to it that the other towns lack,” said Brooke Wamsley, vice president of the Saxonburg Museum. “And we also have that historic part to it that really makes it a very charming town.”
Today, the vast majority of Saxonburg’s business district is populated with small business owners who would rather be nowhere else.
Some have just set foot in the borough, such as Lee and Annette Uncapher, who purchased the century-old Hotel Saxonburg last year. Others have been in business in the borough for decades, such as Wain Landscaping, which is headquartered in Saxonburg and is now celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Another Saxonburg lifer is Nancy Zacherl, an insurance agent who has more than four decades of experience working in the borough. She recently moved her practice into a new office on Main Street. Her former location was across the street from the volunteer fire department.
“Saxonburg is booming,” Zacherl said. “I am lucky to have found a business location that has a big parking lot, because sometimes it’s hard to park on Main Street.”
Nancy Alberth, owner of Red Door Antiques, says that the key to Saxonburg’s success is the sense of community between business owners.
“I think all the businesses work closely together. We run events together,” Alberth said. “It's not a competitive community. It’s a united community because we all want to be successful, and we want people to come and enjoy this beautiful town that we live in.”
Those who are looking to get in on the action in Saxonburg may have to wait a while — according to borough manager Steven May, all commercial real estate on Main Street is currently occupied.
“We once had a few available storefronts,” said May, who moved to Saxonburg in late 2022. “Now, I don’t have any available storefronts for rent.”
The sense of community in Saxonburg is highlighted by the multiple organizations dedicated to helping small businesses thrive. These include the Saxonburg Area Business Association and the Little Shops of Saxonburg.
“All the businesses here have formed a group called the Little Shops of Saxonburg,” Alberth said. “Sherry Rankin from the (Saxonburg) Tea Room started the Little Shops, and we’re all part of it. We work very closely to make these events super successful because we need to have them to help support all of us here.”
Alberth also sits on the board of the Saxonburg Area Business Association, a group founded in 1990 to promote the economic interests of the borough and organize local events.
More than any other municipality in Butler County, Saxonburg relies on parades, parties, and other local events to keep money flowing through the borough and its small businesses.
Throughout this summer, Saxonburg’s Main Street has been closed to traffic for a major event at least once per month, with the popular Mingle on Main taking place on the third Thursday in May through September.
“The once a month with Mingle really helps (businesses) out,” May said.
Saxonburg also played host to the first Artisan Market on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8, which continued the decades-long tradition of an arts festival of some kind taking place each year in the borough. The new Artisan Market is the successor to the previous Saxonburg Festival of the Arts, which was later succeeded by 2023’s Minglefest.
In addition, the borough hosts a series of major parades during the year — the annual Memorial Day parade, the Fireman’s Parade in June, and the holiday parade in November. The Fireman’s Parade is the main event of the annual Fireman’s Carnival, a weeklong fundraiser for the local volunteer fire department.
While it is a nonprofit entity and located on Rebecca Street, Wamsley says that the Saxonburg Museum also relies on special events to keep the lights on. The museum set raising funds to restore its miniature-scale replica of the Brooklyn Bridge. John Roebling’s wire rope workshop is also a restoration project.
“We really rely on events such as the Artisan Festival. We actually have the museum open all weekend for self-guided tours, and people can donate to the museum that way,” Wamsley said during the festival. “This is how we how we make our money, and how we can keep getting the word out and advertise for Saxonburg and the history behind it.”
“I think these events are very important to the area, because they bring people from far and wide into Saxonburg,” Zacherl said.
Their importance was further emphasized during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, when events such as the Fireman’s Carnival and Penn’s Colony were canceled. This deprived small businesses of a much-needed source of income in a time when many were already struggling to stay afloat.
“For two years during COVID, we didn’t have the events, and our businesses really were at a standstill,” Zacherl said. “So it is very refreshing to get everybody back out to come in person to an event.”
“If anything, COVID-19 brought us together,” said Doug Sprankle, the owner of Sprankle’s Neighborhood Markets on West Water Street.
Sprankle opened the grocery store amid the pandemic.
“We wanted to support local. We wanted to continue to promote local,” he said. “There were some businesses that didn't survive that time, but it left space for new businesses to begin.”
