Erie Downtown Partnership

Applications are now open for several volunteer positions on the City of Erie Government's authorities and commissions! These positions include openings on the Historic Review Commission, the Blighted Property Review Committee, the Zoning Hearing Board, the City Planning Commission, the Urban Forest Committee, and much more. If you are interested in applying for any of these openings, please visit the website below and click on the application link in the second paragraph: https://cityof.erie.pa.us/authorities-boards-and-commissio/

BUSINESS DEBT GOT YOU DOWN? EDP’s Economic Vitality Committee is a group of small business owners and community leaders that pursue initiatives to strengthen the economic growth and stability of downtown Erie’s small businesses. Some of you serve on this committee. Much of the committee’s work to date has focused on COVID relief + recovery efforts. Our outreach to small businesses has made us aware of a need to help small businesses with the debt load brought on by the pand...emic. As a small business located downtown, will you please help us gather more data to inform our approach to small business debt relief initiatives? This survey is for small business located in downtown ONLY. Your survey responses will be confidential. TAKE THE SURVEY https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W5TWY8P

Manus Sunoco would like to thank everyone for their concern and support after their gas station pavilion collapsed in the wee hours this morning. Thankfully no one was hurt and the Manus family are working with their insurance provider to get clean-up underway and the pumps back online ASAP. The store is still open to customers and they would appreciate your support in this trying time. They have been a minority-owned business at this location for over 30 years and want to continue to provide for their neighbors and community.

Happy Holidays from Erie Downtown Partnership! We'd like to thank all our generous sponsors for helping us light up Downtown this year: @Erie Insurance, UPMC Health Plan, The Perry Square Alliance, @Erie Federal Credit Union, Penelec, National Fuel, Cathedral of St. Paul, Plyler Entry Systems, Knox Law, and CAM Erie. Also a huge thanks to all the Downtown businesses that lit up and helped make Downtown Erie a destination for the holidays! Check out this video with footage by Corey Cook and CAM Erie highlighting the beautiful lights with music provided by the choir of the Cathedral of St. Paul Episcopal Church.

Stay calm and enjoy this stunning shot of the lighting installation on the 13th floor of the Renaissance Centre Downtown with music provided by the @Cathedral of St. Paul choir. Thanks to Monacella Massage & Kinesiology, Radius CoWork, Metalheads, and Professional Development Associates for their hard work in making this lighting installation possible. The letters on Erie's tallest building can be seen all the way from 20th Street! Video: Corey Cook

Join us for a special reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Erie’s Town Crier! Special thanks to Burch Farms Country Market and Winery, R Frank Media, and Brandi Linne for creating an oversized version of the book with original cover artwork!

The Plymouth Tavern is located at historic 1109 State Street and has been serving the Downtown community since 1973! Check out their website for holiday specials and gift cards: plymouthtavern.com.

Learn about how the First Presbyterian Church of The Covenant has been keeping parishioners safe and serving the Downtown community during the Holiday season from Associate Pastor Rev. Britney Knight. Stick around for a discussion with retired professor Michael DeSanctis about his intricate, large-scale nativity scenes on display in the Sanctuary and a stunning performance from organist Leslie Weber on the Church of the Covenant's Vicary Pipe Organ, the largest in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Cafe 7-10 is located at 7 W 10th Street Downtown and the mother-daughter duo of Thelma and Mabel have been baking up goodies for over a year now! Order online at facebook.com/cafe710.

Enjoy some of the best lights the City of Erie has to offer and stay safe during the Holiday season with this self-guided Google map on our website, linked below! Check out well over 100 of the best small businesses and residences that have decorated in the Erie region. If you know of a place that deserves to be on this list or want to show off your own lights, message us here and we'll add you to the map! Erie is a big place and this map is definitely not exhaustive. Thanks ...to Corey Cook for the amazing drone photos of our beautiful Downtown this past week! You can also check out our Spotify playlist of Holiday music linked on our page to play while you drive. Safe travels! https://www.eriedowntown.com/even/erie-holiday-lights-2020/

Erie Arts & Culture and its Cultural Service Partners are proud to present the End of Year Variety Show as part of this year’s United Arts Fund campaign! This show includes acts and segments presented by Erie Arts & Culture, the Erie Philharmonic, the Erie Playhouse, the expERIEnce Children's Museum, the Flagship Niagara League - U.S. Brig Niagara, the @Erie County Historical Society Hagen History Center, and other arts and entertainment organizations. The show was produced in-part by our friends at CAM Erie. Sit back and enjoy the show!

We had a great time at last night's live cut tree sale in Perry Square! Thanks again to Mason Farms Country Market for partnering with us on this awesome event!

Ember+Forge will be celebrating their 3rd Anniversary on December 7th and the coffee shop has already become a cornerstone of activity and connection in Downtown Erie. Check out how they’re celebrating the holidays with beautiful window art and how their walk-up window has been keeping customers and employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sammi's Heartfelt Treasures, LLC. is located at 25 W 9th Street and has tons and tons of local and handmade crafts for sale! With over 70 vendors, there’s bound to be something for those on your shopping list.

We have an exciting weekend coming up in Downtown Erie! Tomorrow we are hosting a live cut tree sale in Perry Square with Mason Farms Country Market from 5-9pm. Trees of all sizes and wreaths will be for sale across the street from the stage along with Ye Ole Sweet Shoppe goodies! Attendees must wear a mask. Ember+Forge and Glass Growers Gallery have also extended their hours TONIGHT so you can enjoy a nice evening of shopping and sipping great coffee while checking out our amazing lights in Perry Square and down State Street. Please remain safe while enjoying Downtown. The best way to #supportlocal is to shop safely! #eriepa #visiterie #eriespots #downtownerie

We are proud to share the following WQLN-produced video celebrating the life of native Erieite Harry T. Burleigh on what would be his 154th birthday. Burleigh was classical composer, arranger, and professional singer who trained at the National Conservatory of Music and performed as a soloist for St. George's Episcopal church in New York City for 52 years. He popularized and arranged numerous African American spirituals in classical form, shaping the very development of American music. Thanks to the Harry T. Burleigh Legacy Alliance for working tirelessly to preserve the story and music of Burleigh and for programming the 2nd Annual Harry T. Burleigh Week! Visit burleighlegacyalliance.org to learn more about his career and music through their Heritage@Home program.

Ye Ole Sweet Shoppe is located at 402 State St and has a wide variety of baked treats for your Holiday celebrations! Check out their online ordering form and get treats delivered at www.yeolesweets.com.

Learn about how the expERIEnce Children's Museum is keeping visitors safe and how they are still able to provide an engaging, hands-on learning experience for kids during the pandemic. To see membership deals for the Holiday season, visit www.eriechildrensmuseum.org.

Check out how Cathedral of St. Paul Episcopal Church has been keeping parishioners and community members safe with online services, music, and community outreach efforts!

We'd like to thank the Erie community for their unwavering support during a very different #SmallBusinessSaturday in 2020! Not only did we meet our goal of selling $10,000 in Downtown gift certificates in just 11 hours, but local shops and restaurants Downtown were alive with activity this afternoon! Business owners and employees Downtown are taking all necessary precautions when serving you so please remember to be safe while you support them! Wear masks, stay 6 ft. apart, and wash your hands often. The best way to support local is to shop safely. Thanks again to all who purchased gift certificates and received the 100% match, together we generated over $20,000 that will flow back into the Downtown economy this Holiday season! #shopsmall #shoperie #supportlocal

The Holiday lights in Perry Square are officially turned on! Stop down and walk or drive through the park to see the 30 ft. Downtown tree and tons of other spectacular lighting!

A special message from Jenny Weigold-Geertson of UPMC Health Plan at the Housing and Neighborhood Development Service (HANDS) Boston Store!

UPDATE: SOLD OUT! Thank you so much for supporting local this year! Our gift certificate incentive pot of $10,000 has been spent down IN JUST 11 HOURS and the sale is now over. With your help we will inject over $20,000 into the economy of Downtown Erie this holiday season! All gift certificates will be mailed this coming week. We are overwhelmed with the amount of support from the Erie community! We are still accepting regular orders still through our website ordering form! ...All orders made through the website will not receive the extra incentive starting at 12:00 noon on Saturday, November 28th. If you want to take advantage of this flash sale, do so now as once the $10,000 is exhausted the flash sale will end. Thank you for the huge support of downtown's small businesses! https://www.patronicity.com//downtown_get_10_give_10_gift_

UPDATE 11/28: THE GIFT CERTIFICATE FLASH SALE HAS ENDED. The Erie Downtown Partnership had committed $10,000 in gift certificate match for this campaign, which has been claimed in one day! All certificates will be mailed out on or before December 4th. Make sure you use your gift certificates at a downtown business as soon as you receive them. Thank you to those who purchased through the Patronicity campaign. ... You can still purchase gift certificates through our web site as usual, but no additional promotions can be offered at this time. THANK YOU! _____________________________________________________________________ Happy #SmallBusinessSaturday! Shopping small is more important now than ever. This year, support your favorite small businesses in Downtown Erie with the purchase of a Downtown gift certificate, redeemable at over 50 locations. From today through Tuesday, December 1st you can buy a $10 downtown gift certificate and get $10 free, up to a limit of $50! Please visit the link below to purchase the gift certificate through our Patronicity campaign page. This makes an excellent gift for others, or, you can buy them and spend them like cash at all participating locations. Because we’re still working from home, we will be mailing these out to you as soon as we receive the orders. You will get them in plenty of time for your Holiday shopping. Shop local, support local! #eriepa #shoperie #shopsmall #eriegram #erie https://www.patronicity.com//downtown_get_10_give_10_gift_

Sharing the awesome display from the headquarters of our Downtown neighbors and d'Lights sponsor Erie Insurance! Thanks so much for the support this year and for being a continuing partner in Downtown development. Check out this special holiday lighting projection and the rest of the lights in Perry Square starting tonight!

A special Thanksgiving message from City of Erie Government Mayor Joe Schember.

A special Thanksgiving message from Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper.

Andora's Bubble is located at 516 State St, Erie, PA and has several Small Business Saturday online-only specials at AndorasBubble.com/order: ~T-shirt and $5 gift card for $25 ~Long-sleeve shirt (preorder) and $5 gift card for $30 ~Holiday pack of 5 loose leaf bundles with ball tea infuser for $25 ~Holiday pack of 6 spices, one base loose leaf tea, and ball tea infuser for $10 ... ~Spend $30 or more on snacks, loose leaf teas, and/or merch and get free next day delivery within the city of Erie! See more

floral gallary and rose garden caffe is a full service flower shop, cafe, and antique shop with tons of great holiday decorations for sale! Open 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM seven days a week at 815 State Street.

Glass Growers Gallery is an art gallery and gift shop with TONS of wonderful, unique gift options. Glass Growers is located at 10 E 5th Street Downtown and open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Shop online anytime at glassgrowersgallery.com!

Monacella Massage & Kinesiology is located on the 13th Floor of the Renaissance Centre at 1001 State Street. For more information, gift cards, or to schedule an appointment, visit monacella.massagetherapy.com.

20 Days of d'Lights: Community Access Media: CAM Erie helps Erie County residents create and produce content like professional videos and podcasts! For membership information visit camerie.org.

A special holiday message from Gannon University!

Chippers Seafood & Southern Fusion is open for lunch and dinner at 1023 State Street in Donwtown Erie! Check out their menu here: https://www.chippersseafood.com/menu

Big thanks to Millcreek Township Government for inviting us to speak with Jessica James Stutzman about our Holiday season plansat WQLN studios ! Check out our interview below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Wfwwz3Rls

Gone Local has Erie-themed Holiday boxes for sale online featuring local makers and small businesses! Visit www.gonelocalerie.com for more info and to see everything else Gone Local has to offer! Pre-order ends November 22.

Radius CoWork is located in the Renaissance Centre at 1001 State Street, #907. To learn more about coworking and to check out membership options, visit www.radiusco.work.

The Downtown Tree is going up in Perry Square! Thanks to WeissEarley Landscape Design and Contracting for decorating our Downtown again this year!

Victoria Inn is located at 401 Peach Street. To make a reservation, visit www.victoriainnerie.com.

Molly Brannigan's is open Tuesday-Thursday 11:30am-9pm and Friday-Saturday 11:30am-10:00pm at 506 State Street!

We're incredibly excited to announce our #20DaysOfDLights campaign! The 20 Days of Downtown d’Lights will highlight small businesses downtown in a series of videos sharing their specials, safety procedures, and how they have decorated for the Holidays starting this Sunday, November 15 and running through Friday, December 4. Learn how businesses are keeping you safe and make Downtown Erie your destination for holiday shopping this season!

Congrats to Chippers Seafood & Southern Fusion for the grand opening of their Erie location Downtown at 1023 State Street! Curtis Jones Jr. and Sr. are serving up an eclectic mix of Cajun, Southern, and soul cuisine at this new, family-run Downtown restaurant. Chipper's is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday 11-7 and Saturday and Sunday 12-8, dine-in or carry out.

Have a coat to give? Leave it in Perry Square and help someone stay warm this winter.

We had an awesome time at the 2nd Annual #DowntownFallFest! Thanks to our partners The Oasis Market and THE BOX as well as all the vendors that braved the chilly conditions yesterday in Griswold Park! Thanks also to all the attendees for complying with safety regulations and for coming out to support our hard-working vendors and Downtown businesses.

Pride of place is so important, and storytelling through visual art is a key piece of communicating our history and vision for the future. A few downtown projects are featured in this look at murals in our city with locations including Dobbins Landing, 7th/State Streets, Methodist Towers, and the train underpass at 14th/Peach Streets. Thank you to all the artists and partners, such as Erie Arts & Culture, who bring vibrancy to our downtown.... https://www.goerie.com//murals-erie-region-bea/3682791001/

Check out the list below for a full run down of the vendors that will be at Sunday's 2nd Annual Downtown Fall Fest! We're looking forward to some awesome food, crafts, and goodies in Downtown: The Oasis Market, Burch Farms Country Market and Winery, Legacy Hydroponics LLC, Sundae, Ye Ole Sweet Shoppe, Cafe 7-10, Grounded Print and Paper Shop, Dragonfly Lake Scents, LLC, Sammi's Heartfelt Treasures, LLC., Mucktails, Designs by Dawna, The Yawning Yorkie Craft Shop, Erie Maidin Candles, White Rose Fiber Company, Artlore Studio, The Que Abides, The Brewerie At Union Station, Majestic Baking Company, No Dirt Farms, Schaefer's Auto Art, Erie PA, Loveinpennsylvania, Tuxedo Dogz and Catering, Picked Fresh Produce, Wayward Tattoo Studio, Anxiety Cosmetics, Metalheads, and more!

Our 2nd Annual Downtown Fall Fest with The Oasis Market is Sunday, October 25th! Join us from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm in Griswold Park for our Fall Maker's Market and fun, socially-distanced kids' activities. All attendees must wear a mask to walk through the event.

TAKE OUR NEW SURVEY BELOW! The Erie Downtown Partnership, in partnership with the Thomas B. Hagen Fellowship, has developed a survey to help inform our new Community Relations Plan! The survey, available online in English, Spanish, and Arabic, asks questions about access to information and barriers to community engagement and public input. Data from the survey will help the Erie Downtown Partnership facilitate better communication between partners, the public, and key stakeho...lders in Downtown Erie’s development. The plan will also help to outline processes for equitable development downtown and build better relationships with diverse and marginalized populations within the Erie community. The survey only takes about five minutes to complete and includes an optional chance to be entered to win Downtown gift certificates! Follow the link below to choose a language: https://www.eriedowntown.com/survey/

Molly Brannigan's is open again downtown! Lunch begins at 11:30 am with dine-in and online ordering options for pickup and delivery via their website #downtownerie #erieeats #eriepa

Check out this opportunity for local Erie artists! The City of Erie Government is requesting qualifications for a new public art commission to design vinyl wraps for the City's two bandwagons, used at nearly 40 local events every year! For more info visit www.erie.pa.us/bandwagon or join Erie Arts & Culture for an info session on October 21 to ask questions before submitting an application. Link to register below: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/information-session-city-of-er

The YMCA of Greater Erie is offering a free 6-week community challenge designed to help strengthen your spirit, mind and body! Learn more below and sign up below before October 19th.

We want to thank HarborView Mini Golf for the 18 years of affordable, family fun they have provided to this community! HarborView Mini Golf is a super fun 18-hole course located at 36 State Street with stunning views of the Bayfront and great Erie history facts at every hole! We also extend much appreciation for their investment and commitment to Downtown Erie. This weekend will be their LAST WEEKEND in operation due to the planned construction by the Erie-Western Pennsylvani...a Port Authority of a new connector road, the West Front Street Extension, from Sassafras Street Extension to State Street in the City of Erie. Please join us in thanking them by playing ONE LAST ROUND of mini golf this weekend! Hours are: Thursday & Friday 4pm to 9pm, Saturday noon to 9 and Sunday noon to 8 (weather permitting). Thank you Teresa Stankiewicz for creating memories for so many in downtown Erie!

We're glad to welcome Emily Ernes to the Downtown neighborhood as the new owner of Glass Growers Gallery on 5th Street! Emily is a new entrepreneur whose interest in the arts was sparked by her grandfather and by taking arts and cultural electives in college. She saw an article in the paper that Glass Growers was for sale and reached out to the previous owner to make some connections to local artists. Emily took advantage of the City of Erie Government Enterprise Zone Financi...ng in collaboration with ErieBank. The Enterprise Zone Revolving Loan Fund (EZRLF) provides low-interest financing to creditworthy businesses that contribute significantly to the area’s economy, land and building acquisition, construction and renovations, machinery and equipment purchases, and other expansion projects that result in the creation or retention of jobs that qualify for funding. See more

Don't miss this Sunday's Downtown #FarmersMarket with The Oasis Market in Perry Square from 11 am to 3 pm! Come shop for harvest produce, soaps, candy, handmade crafts, flowers, decorations, baked goods and much more. The Downtown Farmers Market also accepts SNAP/EBT and Farmers Market Vouchers for produce sales. Patrons must wear a mask.

We were incredibly excited to see our neighbors Erie Downtown Development Corporation announce the new Flagship City Food Hall vendors this morning! Lots of diversity and variety in the dining options coming soon to Downtown Erie. There's still one slot open! Apply to be a vendor at the link below: https://flagshipcityfoodhall.com/

Join us in Perry Square for our final FREE yoga class tonight at 6:00 PM!

Thanks so much to all the hard-working volunteers that participated in yesterday's Downtown #CleanAndGreen Workday! 12 volunteers removed 16 bags of trash and debris totaling 105 pounds from our Downtown streets! Stay tuned for more volunteer opportunities and thanks to Erie Insurance for helping us to reward volunteers with $10 Downtown gift certificates.

Join us tomorrow morning for another volunteer opportunity and a chance to earn a $10 Downtown gift certificate! We will be meeting in Perry Square at 8:00 AM, please wear masks to sign in. Gloves and trash bags will be provided!

The weather looks great tonight for another FREE yoga class in Perry Square! Join us at 6:00 PM by the Stage for an hour-long class led by Patricia Gradler for all skill levels. Please bring your own mat and wear a mask before and after the class.

Today was a beautiful day for the Downtown #FarmersMarket in Perry Square with The Oasis Market! Vendors Cafe 7-10, Burch Farms Country Market and Winery, Sundae, Legacy Hydroponics LLC, Tuxedo Dogz and Catering, Sammi's Heartfelt Treasures, LLC., and Dragonfly Lake Scents, LLC helped us ring in the Fall season with lovely crafts, fall harvest produce, delicious baked goods, and more! The Downtown Farmers Market also accepts SNAP/EBT benefits and Farmers Market Vouchers for produce sales. Our next market is Sunday, October 4th from 11 AM to 3 PM in Perry Square.

This evening Erie Arts & Culture held a beautiful dedication ceremony for the new mural honoring Luther Manus at the Manus Family Sunoco Gas Station at 12th and French Streets. Erie artists Antonio Howard and Ceasar Westbrook transformed Luther's life story into a stunning mural spanning the entire East-facing retaining wall of the parking lot. Luther is a 92-year-old Army veteran, educator, and businessman who has dedicated his life to serving the Erie community and our coun...try. The new mural is a fitting tribute to his life of service and continues the transformation of our 12th Street corridor with beautiful public art. If you'd like to help save the Manus Family Sunoco, a Downtown staple for nearly 30 years, please consider donating to the GoFundMe linked below to help the family raise money for new gas pumps: https://www.gofundme.com/f/aauazj

Don't miss tomorrow's #DowntownFarmersMarket in Perry Square! The market runs from 11 AM to 3 PM and our vendors have stocked all your Fall favorites! The market also accepts SNAP/EBT benefits and Farmers Market vouchers for produce sales. After tomorrow, there are only two markets left in the 2020 Season: October 4th and October 18th!