http://wkbn.com/2015/03/06/downtown-bars-restaurants-part-of-hiring-spree/ (http://wkbn.com/2015/03/06/downtown-bars-restaurants-part-of-hiring-spree/)
Hotel Boom
http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/mar/08/were-having-hotel-boom-can-valley-sustain-it/ (http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/mar/08/were-having-hotel-boom-can-valley-sustain-it/)
I must confess that while I have been a critic of the direction that the downtown has been going that these two articles present a glimmer of hope provided that the hotel project at the Stambaugh Building becomes a reality by 2017. Certainly I would like to see more retail businesses open up downtown, and certainly the number of new jobs in the restaurant/bar industry downtown will not be huge, but these new jobs not only will place more money into the economy, but will also pump more tax dollars into the city treasury.
What types of shops would prosper downtown?
gift shop
pharmacy
grocery
Just to name a few...
I second the vote for Peggy's list of businesses, and also your sentiments
regarding the hotel Towntalk.
I have no doubt that Youngstown can support a hotel.
However the owners are smart to make the building a multi-purpose building.
As in ANY hotel business, as Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Marriott, etc will attest to, there are always slow periods.
But with the big events that the Covelli Centre is slowly, yet increasingly, drawing in, plus the Stambaugh has been drawing in big name concerts (one is coming up on March 28th) and popular events, in addition to YSU events, plus commencements, etc.... All of this draws out of town visitors, who will no longer have to drive to Liberty or Boardman to stay overnight.
Yay for us.
You hit the nail right on the head Peggy - any downtown worth its salt should
have at least one hotel. A name brand hotel adds to the prestige, too....