Thumbs up for Anthology book store (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: for sale, lofts, condos)

[scrantonluna]

Just wanted to leave a quick word about ‘Anthology,’ the recently opened new/used bookstore downtown. I’ve never really cared for any of the ‘chain’ bookstores, and this independent one offers a good deal of what I’m looking for; lightly used hardcover books at low prices, and also a good selection of new releases. I got a copy of ‘Trafficking’ for four bucks. They also have a small selection of first editions in a display case, as well as some knick-knacky things for sale (greeting cards, magnets, note pads, etc.), and it looks like they have book readings and premiers there also. The only critique I have is that I think they would do better business if the coffee shop situated below would revamp a little bit; they use small tables and hard kitchen chairs for their seating, a far cry from the comfortable couches of Northern Light. Granted, I know their space is limited, but maybe a coffee bar would work better? I do think they have an advantage in warmer weather, though, as they have been given their own little outdoor area from the Center St. project, which they had been filling with cast iron umbrella’d tables, but it remains to be seen if the limited population downtown can support it; several times I have passed and the tables were sadly empty. I’m glad to see that the Times gave Anthology some press, both at the opening, and again in today’s paper; true friends of literature will be frequent customers.

[weluvpa]

The coffee shop, art gallery & bookstore are all owned by the same guy. He owns the entire building. Its probably safe to say that no matter what, he will keep them open even if one is paying for the other. Its the small shops that do have the resources like those places do that are not able to make it work in the downtown right now. The problem is that we have KOZ'd everything in our city so that these places will come in the downtown. When the tax free status of the individual koz's come to a end and they have to start paying the merchantile taxes and business and sign taxes they will have hardtimes in front of them. The state also allows small business' to write of their losses for the first three years that they are open which is the same amount of time that they stay around. Our admin actually has made it harder for business's to stay in the city because of their taxing. They sell it under the facade of a KOZ and then when its done the business' is done.
Its a shame but more time and energy should have been spent on reviving the neighborhoods and the tax situations so that we could make the city more appealling to companies and employees. The downtown is not where a family moving to the area for the comapny that their dad is employed by are looking for as a place to live. People with families want yards and playgrounds not condos in a dead downtown nor do they want to move into neglected neighborhoods. Where does that leave a city that has put all its eggs in the hopes that some empty nesters might just want to pay $325,000 for a condo in downtown Scranton?

I do wish them all the best and I hope for their sake that we get this city on the right track. Good luck Anthology your going to need it.

[scrantonluna]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Its the small shops that do have the resources like those places do that are not able to make it work in the downtown right now. The problem is that we have KOZ'd everything in our city so that these places will come in the downtown.

So some only last the three years and then go belly up; at least the store fronts are not ALL empty. Building owners are receiving rent, and I'm sure the stores attract people to NON-KOZ businesses while they are there. If not for the KOZ status given to a lot of these places, they would never even get off the ground, the downtown would be vacant, and the few busniesses there would fold. Good ideas remain, bad ideas disappear. While the downtown is a little bit of a gamble, look at Steamtown Cigar, Northern Light, Lavish; businesses downtown can obviously thrive if they offer the right service.

The downtown is not where a family moving to the area for the comapny that their dad is employed by are looking for as a place to live. People with families want yards and playgrounds not condos in a dead downtown

That is your thinking, don't forget. Some people LIKE to live in urban areas, despite all the drawbacks, and have never lived in any other manner. Granted, most people around here would prefer the white picket fence and all that goes with it, but these projects are not designed for locals, they are designed to attract outsiders. Personally, I think the 'condos' that were built across from Regina Manor on Greenridge are rediculious. Have they even sold one yet? All the more reason we need a 'big picture' plan, as has been discussed in recent weeks. Now, projects such as the Mill have been incredibly successful as well as a great means of revival, and I think they could do a few more before hitting saturation.

[ontheroad]

Shall I assume that this new bookstore is in Scranton?

[weluvpa]

Yes its a new store in the Scranton downtown. Northern lights has recently been sold for 1/3 what they were actually asking for the business. It was started with a loan from OECD and they had not even paid it off when they sold the business. This all happened after they had 4 different tax leins placed against the business for failure to pay state and federal taxes. That shop is actually hanging on by its teeth right now after the Starbucks was opened in the mall. Koz's are a great way to get these business's to open but we must remember that in order for them to stay we must have a city that is condusive to these business being able to survive after the KOZ is done and that we do not have in place right now. When the koz is over they must realize the over taxing ways that are currently in place in the city. You listed three business' in the downtown that have survived, thats really not much of anything when we currently have close to 50 empty store front/reatil spaces empty in the downtown. Hey the Scranton Times recently moved their business HQ to Wilkes-Barre to avoid our business taxes after a hundred years. The bigger plan does not exist and there is not one on the table nor is there really anything about it going on. Jerry Joyce wants you to think that the mill is full when it actaully is not. The empty lofts are being rented by corps that have teams in the area doing work. The construction crew for the bridge in Nay Aug and the team for the Treehouse were all housed in the mill. Some people do like urban areas thats true I myself have lived in some large cities here and abroad but I can you this, Scranton does not offer a true urban way of life and to really classify living in the dead after 5 downtown of Scranton as urban living is a huge stretch of the term. I love this city but unfortuantely the direction that it is going right now is terrible for those of us that do live here and our lives are being affected in a negative way in the hopes that they MIGHT COME here to live. We need to put our resources behind our neighborhoods so that we can fix what is wrong for us the backbone of the city then and only then could we fiscally attempt to revive the downtown. We have to stop putting the cart before the horse in hopes that we will built it and they will come. This is not a field of dreams, but more of a city of reality and the reality is that we have more important issues here to deal with then the mayor's crony developers and their attempts to get their hands on state funding to build their fields of dreams.

Again I would love for this shop to work but the reality is that small business' have a difficult time surviving in the downtown when it shuts its doors at 5pm.

[scrantonluna]

Let's all just buy a book and help the nice people out...

[weluvpa]

Sounds good to me.....I would love to get a unabridged version of The Count De Monte Cristo. Scrantonluna I'm on board here, I just have seem too much of it go wrong, sorry for the long winded reply.

[ontheroad]

Thanks for the clarification; I suspected as much judging by the poster's name.

New to the general NEP region; haven't made it over to Scranton, yet, but intend to in the next week or two.

I'll search out this bookstore; none here in rural NEP at all and wish it well.

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Yes its a new store in the Scranton downtown. Northern lights has recently been sold for 1/3 what they were actually asking for the business. It was started with a loan from OECD and they had not even paid it off when they sold the business. This all happened after they had 4 different tax leins placed against the business for failure to pay state and federal taxes. That shop is actually hanging on by its teeth right now after the Starbucks was opened in the mall. Koz's are a great way to get these business's to open but we must remember that in order for them to stay we must have a city that is condusive to these business being able to survive after the KOZ is done and that we do not have in place right now. When the koz is over they must realize the over taxing ways that are currently in place in the city. You listed three business' in the downtown that have survived, thats really not much of anything when we currently have close to 50 empty store front/reatil spaces empty in the downtown. Hey the Scranton Times recently moved their business HQ to Wilkes-Barre to avoid our business taxes after a hundred years. The bigger plan does not exist and there is not one on the table nor is there really anything about it going on. Jerry Joyce wants you to think that the mill is full when it actaully is not. The empty lofts are being rented by corps that have teams in the area doing work. The construction crew for the bridge in Nay Aug and the team for the Treehouse were all housed in the mill. Some people do like urban areas thats true I myself have lived in some large cities here and abroad but I can you this, Scranton does not offer a true urban way of life and to really classify living in the dead after 5 downtown of Scranton as urban living is a huge stretch of the term. I love this city but unfortuantely the direction that it is going right now is terrible for those of us that do live here and our lives are being affected in a negative way in the hopes that they MIGHT COME here to live. We need to put our resources behind our neighborhoods so that we can fix what is wrong for us the backbone of the city then and only then could we fiscally attempt to revive the downtown. We have to stop putting the cart before the horse in hopes that we will built it and they will come. This is not a field of dreams, but more of a city of reality and the reality is that we have more important issues here to deal with then the mayor's crony developers and their attempts to get their hands on state funding to build their fields of dreams.

Again I would love for this shop to work but the reality is that small business' have a difficult time surviving in the downtown when it shuts its doors at 5pm.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Sounds good to me.....I would love to get a unabridged version of The Count De Monte Cristo. Scrantonluna I'm on board here, I just have seem too much of it go wrong, sorry for the long winded reply.

I'm a huge fan of legal-related fiction thrillers (I know I'm a dullard!), and I can't wait to check out the offerings that Anthologie has. From what Scrantonluna said the prices there are much more affordable than a place like Borders or Barnes & Noble, so perhaps this place might be able to make a go of it downtown. It's a slippery slope, Dan, to assume that every niche business that opens downtown is on a cycle that means it will die in three years or so. People probably thought the same thing about places like Buona Pizza (which I tried last week and actually liked), Brixx, Thai Rak Thai, etc. when they first opened, but now all three of these businesses (along with many others) are turning a profit. I'm not sure if a place like Poochie can survive downtown in the long-term, as even if more people move downtown to support downtown businesses it will be very unlikely that they can have pets in their condos. It will be a bloody shame to see Poochie close those because the woman that owns it is always such a pleasure to converse with when I stop by.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

Thanks for the clarification; I suspected as much judging by the poster's name.

New to the general NEP region; haven't made it over to Scranton, yet, but intend to in the next week or two.

I'll search out this bookstore; none here in rural NEP at all and wish it well.

Welcome to Northeastern Pennsylvania, OTR! Are you in-town for "The Office" Convention, or are you just passing on through en route to somewhere else?