WHITEHALL, Pa.— On Thursday afternoon, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of yet another business in Whitehall this month.
Local government representatives, company officials and managers, and a few shoppers who happened to be in the area stopped by to watch Whitehall Mayor Michael J. Harakal cut the ribbon with a pair of giant scissors.
The building itself is at 1259 Whitehall Mall: previously, the local home of an ill-fated Sears, which once had 3,500 stores, and now has only twelve.
'This is going to bring more people back here'
Whitehall mayor Michael J. Harakal, has lived in Whitehall nearly his whole life. "About seventy years," he said.
Harakal says he's cognizant of the downward-trending retail revenues in the area, which used to be a bigger part of the local economy.
"This was the first mall-type thing in the area," Harakal said. "This was here in the late sixties, and it fell under bad times."
Harakal said attributes this to some management and maintenance decisions in the history of the Whitehall Mall, but also the rise of online shopping platforms, like Amazon.
"Well, you know, we're competing with those folks," he said. "But there are 150,000 cars that go through this intersection, and it draws people in."
"It's going to make us a lot of money," he added. "It's going to bring a lot of people back here."
'They take care of us, it's a good company'
Two store managers spoke at the grand opening: Brandon Keen and Ashley Eggleston. Keen is from New Jersey, and Eggleston is from Chicago.
Both started their careers with Floor & Decor in an entry-level capacity, and worked their way up to positions where the company has paid for them to move to a new state to run a new store.
"They take care of us," Eggleston said, when asked if she likes her job. "It's a good company."
When the two managers were asked if they would say on-the-record if they did not like their jobs, Keen laughed and chimed in, "It genuinely is a great company. I like them a lot."
Eggleston said they are excited to be in Whitehall specifically.
"The township has been great to us, and we're looking forward to serving the community," she said, and then added that they are hiring full-time and part-time staff. Hiring info is on their website.
"Keep those applications coming in," Eggleston said.
