Downtown Butler in 1968 was the place to be.

People from around the county looking for shopping, dining, entertainment or business would flock to downtown.

“Everybody came into town on Friday and Saturday. The sidewalks were saturated, you had to zigzag through people to get where you want to get to,” said Merril Moses, founder of Moses Jewelers, which moved downtown that year.

Foot traffic and business growth may have been close to an all-time high in the late 1960s. But it didn't last forever.

The growth of suburban shopping plazas and shopping malls in Butler County would change how people shopped and what they did with their free time.

More recently, consumer habits changed again as many people now prefer to do their shopping online from the comfort of their homes.

But the downtown Butler business district is far from dead.

A crop of young entrepreneurs have seen the opportunity offered by downtown and opened up businesses here in recent years.

They join a number of longtime businesses that never left and the redevelopment done with the recently completed Centre City project in what many locals are calling a newly-revitalized downtown.

Downtown in 1968

Downtown Butler in 1968 was home to clothing and department stores such as Woolworth's, Montgomery Ward, G.C. Murphy, Worsley's, Troutman's, J.C. Penney and Jaffe's.

Places to eat included Natili's, Hot Dog Shop, Burger Hut and the Nixon Hotel and there were several theaters including the Penn Theater and the Butler Theater.

Miller's Shoes, Butler County Ford, Butler Eagle, Monday's Shoes, Natili's, Miller's Quality Meats, The Workingman's Store, Kenmac Rentals and Cummings Coffee and Candy are among the businesses from 1968 that are still around today, though some are now in different locations.

While many of the buildings lining Main Street in 1968 have changed, some iconic structures are still intact, including Cornerstone Commons at the corner of Main and East Cunningham Street, the Butler County Courthouse and the PNC Bank building.

Photographs from 1968 show the post office at the corner of Main Street and East Wayne Street was under construction.

The Penn Theater, while still standing, has not been used regularly since 2008. The Penn Theater Performance Company is raising money to repair and lease the theater as a venue for concerts and other events.

Jim Chiprean, co-owner of Miller's Shoes, said that 50 years ago families would spend the day in downtown Butler.

“They'd spend all day, they'd get a sandwich at one of the lunch counters and go shop or see a movie,” Chiprean said.

Former Butler Mayor Maggie Stock said she was a teenager living in Butler in the late 1960s.

Aland's Toy Store near the intersection of Main and Cunningham street was one of the most beloved stores in the city, Stock said.

Another popular shopping spot was Bill's Bargain Store, especially the day after Christmas when the toys were 50 percent off.

Before the advent of shopping malls and “big-box stores,” people would go to urban centers to shop.

“It was the same way all across the county. If you went to New Castle, Sharon or other cities, that's where all the retail action was,” Stock said.

Founded in 1949, Moses Jewelers moved from Lyndora to 115 W. Cunningham St. in 1968.

His building, which now houses A Notary, sat between Troutman's, a department store, which is now Cycle Warehouse, and a parking lot, which is now the tier garage. Downtown had about eight jewelry stores, but there were enough customers for all of them to succeed.

“I was the smallest guy on the block at the time,” Moses said.

Families would come into town on the weekend, but during the week downtown was bustling too, with lawyers and business people, Moses said.

“There were about 40 or 50 attorneys. With the courthouse here, it was the center hub. People came here to do their business,” he said.

The Moses family would open stores in Clearview Mall and Seven Fields, leaving downtown behind in 2008.

Businesses trends

Eventually, new trends in commerce and commercial development came along.

Downtown business owners worried that each new shopping plaza and shopping mall built in the area meant doom for the downtown business district.“That was supposed to be the kiss of death to downtown,” Chiprean said.The Greater Butler Mart on Route 8, the former Butler Mall on New Castle Road in Butler Township, Clearview Mall in Center Township, Point Plaza and eventually Butler Commons and Moraine Pointe Plaza in Butler Township all were built and developed over the course of the last 50 years.However, in 2018 many shopping malls have vacant storefronts. Around the county, large retail stores such as Kmart, Sears and Trader Horn have closed in recent years. Most recently, Friedman's Freshmarkets closed its four grocery stores in Butler County, including one downtown.Some business owners say customer service and specialization are keys to staying afloat.Miller's Shoes, family owned for 125 years, has survived by gaining the allegiance of its customers, Chiprean said. In some cases, five generations of Butler families have gotten their shoes there, he said.Moses said that whether they are located in downtown or a mall, specialty stores, such as jewelers, can't be replaced by an online store.“You deal with a local person and they take care of you, there's no guessing games. You'll see it, you can touch it and try it on,” he said.2018 and beyondThe recent revitalization of downtown Butler may have been kicked off by the Centre City project, a redevelopment project supported by a $2 million state grant awarded in 2013.“We're energized by new infrastructure with the new 239-space parking garage, Rite Aid and Marriott Springhill Suites for the revitalization of this downtown,” said Chiprean, who is also the city's parking manager.Many people also credit Reclamation Brewing and Butler Brew Works with helping grow the city's nightlife and attract people.“I see a shift in momentum,” said Jared Sullivan, president of Butler Downtown. “The breweries are huge, the Chop Shop has been great and other small businesses are opening. That's really huge for our town right now,”Stock, who worked on the Centre City project during her tenure as mayor from 2006 to 2013, said that people are interested in spending time in quaint downtown shopping districts.“People want experiences. I think it's stunning that we have a couple micro breweries in town, they offer a unique experience. That's something that people like to do when they visit a city, trying local beer,” she said.For visitors to the city, there is also a lot to see just by walking around, Stock said. In addition to unique architecture, the city boasts a collection of unique murals, 10 of which were painted last year by the Walldogs, who were brought to town by the Butler County Historical Society.Stan Kosciuszko, president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, said the new crop of entrepreneurs in downtown Butler support each other, often featuring each others' products or services.“What they have developed is sort of a camaraderie and a good symbiotic relationship among themselves,” Kosciuszko said.While many county seats have moved out of their downtowns, Butler has benefitted from the county government center staying put, which keeps many of the nearby office buildings full, Kosciuszko said.While numerous businesses have opened up on the street level, there has also been a trend of businesspeople renovating the upper floors of buildings downtown to make upscale apartments.Engineer and construction consultant Joe Gray bought the Oddfellows building at the corner of Main Street and East Cunningham Street in 2003.Gray, who now owns seven buildings on or within one block of Main Street, said he has seen the gradual progress since then of more people visiting downtown and more people living downtown.

Gray's business since 2003 has renovated numerous buildings, adding apartments on the upper floors, and has seen success attracting young professionals.“We had nothing to base our decision on because there was no one else that had done that,” Gray said about the decision to renovate. “We've been consistently full ever since we built them.”Gray said he believes in the model of having small businesses on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors of buildings will help the businesses survive and will help the city get tax revenue.“I think cities are going to continue to be a place for the small business, the Ma and Pa businesses. I think the malls are getting hurt by the Internet more than the cities,” he said.Butler Downtown is exploring different options to keep the city an inviting place to shop and eat, including funding some streetscape improvements, Sullivan said.A streetscape plan proposed by the group in 2015 called for planters, more benches, improved lights and improved crosswalks.One of Butler Downtown's goals in 2018 is to get the word out to people who may not have visited downtown in a while about the new attractions, Sullivan said.“Our motto for this year is safe, clean and green. We want people to realize Butler downtown is a safe area, clean and green,” he said.One way the group is doing this is by holding outdoor events on a weekly basis.City council in February granted permission for Butler Downtown to use the North Main Street parking lot on Fridays from May 31 to Aug. 31 to hold a series of concerts and other events, including Foodie Fridays, bike nights and car cruises.