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Mayor Stephen R. Reed will officiate a formal ribbon-cutting
ceremony at 6 p.m. in front of the new shops. The Grand
Opening will also feature a champagne reception, live entertainment
and strolling models showing off the great new looks available
at the shops. Capping off the festivities will be the drawing
for a $1,000 gift certificate good toward any of the Shops
on 3rd.
"We're tremendously excited about this latest effort
to continue to re-establish traditional street marketing
in downtown Harrisburg," said HDC President and Chief
Executive Officer Russell C. Ford. "This project represents
an important next step, begun with Strawberry Square, to
build a downtown district that will cater to the shopping
needs and wants of our existing clientele along with our
growing population of young professionals and city visitors."
"We are delighted to welcome these distinctive new
retailers to downtown," said Harrisburg Mayor Stephen
R. Reed. "The expansion of retail shopping opportunities
is a critical element of our overall downtown improvement
efforts. We have done quite well in recent years with over
a dozen new restaurants opening, and the addition of such
new signature attractions as Whitaker Center, the Imax Theater,
Susquehanna Art Museum and many more. The "Shops on
Third" are a terrific addition to this effort!"
The idea for the project came from longtime successful downtown
fashion retailer Isaac "Ike" Mishkin, proprietor
of The Plum at 210 Walnut Street and board member of SSDC.
Mishkin helped recruit the retailers and will help foster
their individual selling efforts.
The project is targeted to attract downtown daytime pedestrians,
destination shoppers from the suburbs and transient traffic
from the nearby Hilton Harrisburg and Towers and the Crowne
Plaza Hotel. Banners and other signage bearing a newly created
"Shops on 3rd at Strawberry Square" graphic identity
are being used to direct motorists and pedestrians to the
area. SSDC has remodeled the spaces to complement each merchant's
personality and display needs. Large window display areas
create a row of eye-catching window-shopping.
"Our goal is to continue to create the feel of what
a pedestrian would expect to find while strolling through
the downtown area," said Ford. "Part of what we
enjoy about cities is the unexpected, the multiplicity of
things we can find by simply walking up the street and around
the block. These seasoned retailers each bring their own
unique, colorful threads to the urban fabric we're trying
to weave."
The five new shops include: LaFemme Jolie, owned by Anita
Karl, which will provide upscale semi-precious jewelry,
accessories and related items, including clothing and giftware.
The shop will occupy the space next to Achilles Heels on
Third Street.
Next door on Third Street is Michael Boyd, owned by Michael
Green, a longtime successful York area clothier. This shop
will provide fine imported men's tailored suits, casual
sportswear, accessories and other tailored clothing.
Emporium Luggage will provide handbags, business cases,
luggage, leather accessories and travel-related items. Owner
Diana Bair is expanding her original Susquehanna Township
business into a second location.
Mishkin's son Shawn has moved his Mechanicsburg shop, The
Plum Sport, to occupy the corner space at Third and Market.
This offshoot of The Plum offers women's upscale casual
wear, including sportswear, geared toward the younger shopper.
Kiss The Frog, owned and operated by Lisa Jacobs and Sherry
Mann, will offer one-of-a-kind children's clothing, furniture
and gift items, along with a full range of creative decorative
services including wall murals. The shop will occupy the
space next to The Plum Sport on Market Street.
Existing shops include Achilles Heels, providing fine shoes
and apparel for men and a variety of leather goods and accessories
for both men and women; Phillips Office Plus, a full service
office products store specializing in fine writing items,
gifts, office furniture and other office products; Omega
World Travel, a full-service travel agency; and RAE's Tobacco
Shop, providing fine cigars, cigarettes and accessories.
Sparky and Clark's coffee shop will expand their successful
Second Street shop into a second location.
HDC was organized in 1974 to find ways to revive Harrisburg's
downtown area and reestablish the Harrisburg core area as
the heart of the city, the economic and cultural center
of the metropolitan area, and as a thriving capitol area
for all of Pennsylvania.
SSDC was formed in the mid `80s by HDC to head up the development
of the Strawberry Square National Historic Register project
located along Third and Market Streets.
Over the past 25 years since the inception of the Harristown
Urban Renewal Project, the formation of HDC, and the election
of Mayor Stephen R. Reed, downtown Harrisburg has seen dramatic
economic, cultural, and community development with the realization
of numerous projects undertaken and completed by HDC in
partnership with city, state and federal governments and
the private sector. Major completed projects include Strawberry
Square, 333 Market Street, the Hilton Harrisburg and Towers,
and most recently, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.
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