78 meeting attendees

Marshall Snively was pleased to welcome everyone to our first meeting in 2025. He gave a special shout-out to the newcomers and encouraged them to attend regularly and bring a friend along. These meetings are open to all small business owners and non-profit leaders in the City of Lancaster.  

Marshall expressed gratitude to our legacy sponsors for their generous support in enabling these meetings.   

Dave Aichele extended appreciation to our Community Partners: Millersville University at The Ware Center for hosting our meetings, Discover Lancaster for sponsoring the merchant meetings, and Colonial Parking for providing parking in the lot across Prince Street.  

Marshall Snively introduced Elizabeth Peters with the Lancaster Asian American Pacific Islanders.  Elizabeth was excited to share that the Lunar New Year Festival is planned for February 2, from 11 am to 3 pm in both Ewell Plaza and Binns Park.  They are planning for food vendors, the traditional lion dance, a dumpling eating contest, live cultural performances, and face painting and games.  Sponsorships are available, and donations are welcome.  Consider making a donation to Lancaster AAPI to support their work.

Kathlene Sullivan was pleased to share that the Lancaster City Art Collective is planning an Art and Coffee Crawl on February 8 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Ten art destinations have signed up to participate so far. This event is free. Follow the Lancaster City Art Collective on Facebook for details. 

Marshall Snively introduced Savannah Capizzi, the “Stuff To Do Fair” organizer.  Savannah was excited to announce “The Stuff To Do Fair” is being planned on Saturday, January 25, from 10 am to 2 pm at 57 Laurel Street.  Browse over 25 classes, clubs, hobbies, and activities.  All are welcome to attend.

Alex Otthofer announced that the Holiday 2024 Lancaster City Retail Survey will be going out shortly. He encouraged everyone to take the survey and share it with their nearby merchants. You can find the 2024 Holiday Retail Survey here!

Introductions

• • PJ Milazzo introduced himself to the group. He is the owner of Mayhem’s Café at 102 West King Street.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for January 24th at 12 Noon. 
  • Jessie Tuno, owner of Butter and Bean, was pleased to announce she has started in a new role as Women’s Business Center Manager at ASSETS.
  • Chris Ballentine with Southern Market was pleased to announce that Cedric and Estelle Barberet will open Barberet Coffee Shop at Southern Market in late January. Willow Valley Communities will begin pre-construction site work for Mosaic, and the parking lot will be restricted.
  • Nichole Mussa Sabil with the Trust Performing Arts Center invited everyone to attend the Dali Quartet with Pianist Christopher Shih on February 22^nd at 7:30 pm.
  • Jenn Diaz with Leadership Lancaster announced that registration for the 2025 Executive Class is now open. You can find more information and register here.
  • Jesus Rodriguez with Three Legacies Wrestling provided flyers for upcoming events. Find all of the details here.  He also announced they are looking for sponsors for this year’s wrestling event at Clipper Magazine Stadium on September 6^th. 
  • Cori Jackson with The Ware Center encouraged everyone to check-out their upcoming events. A Family Fun Fest is being planned for Saturday, January 25, at 12:30 pm.  View a complete list of events here.
  • Nancy O’Halloran with YWCA Lancaster announced registration is now open for this year’s Race against Racism on April 26^th.
  • Kathlene Sullivan announced the Lancaster City Spring Restaurant Week is being planned for Monday, March 31 through Sunday, April 6.
  • Lori Johnson with The Candy Factory shared they offer conference rooms and venue space for rent. They will be celebrating their 15^th  anniversary this year.
  • Michelle Salinas with Your Language Connection was pleased to share she is celebrating her 25^th anniversary this year.
  • Tony Gorick with Decades encouraged restaurants to contact him to sign up for Spring Restaurant Week. Tony’s email is:  tony@decadesbowl.com.
  • Chandra McCombie with OWL Chiropractic was excited to share they will be celebrating their 10^th anniversary this year. On January 25, they are planning a Wake Up to Wellness event.  Register for this event here.
  • Ariana Garcia was pleased to announce she has a new position at ASSETS as the Training Coordinator.
  • Michael Wherley with Keystone Claws shared he is looking for a larger space for his business. If anyone has any possible leads, please let Michael know at keystoneclaws@gmail.com.
  • Emily Gonzalez with GEM’s Catering and Innas Pierogi Shop is excited to announce that she is planning the next Women’s Empowerment Event, which will take place on Sunday, March 9, from 5:30 to 9:00 PM. Women can register for this event today.
    
    
    

Member Spotlight:  The Snack Stand

Kathlene Sullivan introduced Marcie Natale, owner of The Snack Stand, located at 50 North Queen Street. 

View the full presentation here.

Presentation: 2025 Visitors Guide

DJ Ramsey with the City of Lancaster’s LOOP Office shared information on the 2025 Visitor Guide Listing Opportunities.  The basic listing is free but there are premium listings and advertising opportunities available.  Place your 2025 Visitors Guide order here!  All orders are due January 31^st. 

If your business was in the 2024 Guide, you still need to renew your listing to be included in the new Guide. 

The anticipated delivery date for the guides is early March. 

DJ Ramsey also provided an information sheet with 2025 At A Glance listing special events, monthly events, annual large events and Lancaster County Convention Center Event dates and attendees.

Special Presentation:  Zenkaikon 2025

Marshall Snively introduced Joe Howanski, Convention Chair and Xavier Warchol, Business Director of Zenkaikon 2025.  The Zenkaikon Convention will be returning to Lancaster March 20th-23rd.  The theme of this year’s convention is “Isekai” which is Japanese for “Another World”.  The convention has been coming to Lancaster since 2013. 

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available.  For more information, email sponsorships@zenkaikon.org

View the full presentation here.

Presentation:  Impact of Lancaster County Convention Center

Marshall Snively welcomed Kevin Molloy, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority.  Kevin shared a presentation on key findings from the Lancaster County Convention Center and Lancaster City Alliance joint business survey, along with highlights from the HVS/LCCC Economic Impact Study. 

View the full presentation here.

MIM Committee Report

Kathlene Sullivan reported that the Committee helps to advise on topics for future Merchant Meetings, delivers new business welcome packets and milestone anniversary awards, and coordinates special presentations.  The February meeting will feature Leslie Wireback, who will discuss “Protecting Your Business:  Navigating the HR Minefield.”  A presentation on PA Act 122 is also being worked on. 

Closing Comments

Marshall Snively thanked everyone for their attendance this morning. He encouraged everyone to mark their calendars for the third Wednesday of each month until November and bring a friend to share in the networking connections.   

Next Merchant Meeting – February 19, 2025 – The Ware Center