Downtown Development 'People just like me': Transplants, young entrepreneurs energize city's business sector
Russ O Reilly, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
4 min read
Nov. 29—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Reggie Canal, a financial adviser in New Jersey, began to see his clients investing in Johnstown property.
So he visited.
"Harlem, New York neighborhoods, all those places are done," he said. "There are no opportunities there."
Johnstown excited him. He jumped into what he saw as the path of progress by purchasing a building a block away from the center of town in April 2020.
He's now refurbishing a few apartments for rent on the second floor and renovating the third floor for his own residence.
He also has a business tenant moving into the first floor of his building at 126 Market St. — beside George's Song Shop and across from the Alternative Community Resource Program's building — this spring.
It will be a shake shop operated by a millennial — a woman named Christian Beabes, who grew up in Johnstown and recently moved back from California.
Canal and Beabes met through a program of the Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce and Community Foundation for the Alleghenies that was geared toward attracting remote workers to help rebuild the area's economy.
The 2020 census has shown that Johnstown lost 12% of its population — again — over the past decade.
Anecdotally, there's a tangible effect of new residents moving into town since the census was taken.
Canal's clients who led him to Johnstown include Laquan Marshall and his business partners — who moved to Johnstown are revitalizing numerous properties downtown.
"The city is welcoming," Marshall said. "They are not putting up red tape, they are helping cut it down. Recently, half of our executive team — of Johnstown Capital Partners — moved to Johnstown this past year. We are here, we are transplants, and we are just looking to take the ride with the community."
Feeling the 'love'
Canal said he was surprised to be thanked by strangers on the street after completing only minor exterior improvements to the long-vacant Market Street property.
Canal said he didn't expect that. He's also received a warm welcome from existing businesses.
"I'm moving in from New Jersey, and when you are in a new town you don't know if you will be appreciated," he said. "I have not ever felt this type of love. Johnstown seems to have something I've never seen before."
Mike Malcanas isn't moving from the Pittsburgh suburb of New Kensington to Johnstown, but his real estate holding company, Hazak LLC, invested in four Johnstown properties in 2019.
All of them are on Main Street. A Voodoo brew pub has been announced for 526 Main St., at the former Hey Day Diner.
"COVID put things on hold," he said. "We are not full steam ahead at the moment."
The company is focusing on recovering staff at its Pittsburgh and New Kensington breweries.
"There's still a shortage of hospitality workers since the pandemic," he said. "We are trying to find daylight at the end of that tunnel. We are planning to move forward out there (Johnstown), but it's hard."
Flipping the narrative
Asked what initially attracted him to invest in Johnstown, he said it took some persuasion.
"You read about how Johnstown is dilapidated, overrun with housing that needs to be torn down, has the fastest declining population in the country ... still underwater from the 1977 flood," he said.
It was the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority's executive director, Melissa Komar, who convinced him to visit, he said.
"It was surprisingly a bit more vibrant than I was expecting," he said. "There are new businesses going there and it's still happening so, it (the brew pub) seems like it could still work."
The coming attractions to Upper Main Street that support Malcanas' plans include businesses opening by young entrepreneurs.
Elevate, a clothing retail company, is opening in the spring at 517 Main St. — another structure owned by Malcanas.
He is leasing the property to Elevate owners Kristy Hagan and AJ Eutin.
"We want to have clothing for the younger population, the same population to most likely go to Voodoo brewery," Hagan said.
Hagan also owns Flood City Café on Clinton Street, where she recently completed building a new banquet room for rent.
At Elevate, she said, there will be brand name clothing, items from local artisans, and a re-love section.
"It's something different I wanted to try," Hagan said. "We need retail here. I kept hearing that. It would be a good feeder for the café business as well.
"These buildings on upper Main have been stagnant for so long."
Another clothing business opened about two months ago on upper Main Street — Jay Did It Customs.
Owner Jason Johnson, 34, started painting sneakers and selling casual streetwear clothing from his home in Johns- town's West End before he secured the storefront at 542 Main St. A tradesman, he remodeled the store himself to pursue his artistic passion for clothing design.
"We have things that you can't find in the area," he said. "I like colors, tie-dyes, things that catch my eye."
He's taken notice of the signage across the street for Elevate, which is encouraging to him.
"There's a lot of businesses opening up from people just like me," he said.
