How Butler natives would spend a day in their city
Even when not hosting events on or around Butler’s Main Street, Butler Downtown aims to bring people to the area to experience the center and county seat of Butler County.
The organization’s mission doesn’t apply only to people living outside the city.
Two members of Butler Downtown’s board of directors, president Audrianna Bly and secretary Hannah Shannon, highlighted ways people could spend a “staycation” in the city, which could help even locals get the most out of the city.
Bly, who also works at Edward Jones on Main Street, said she has found through her work with Butler Downtown that people not knowing much about the city is not strictly applicable to out-of-towners.
“It's surprising every year the amount of people that come to the events like Sips in the City and don't realize how much is on Main Street,” Bly said. “There has definitely been a lot of change.”
Shannon, who also works at NexTier, agreed that despite the city being relatively small — it occupies only about 2.75 square miles — an entire Saturday, Sunday or even a weekend could be spent exploring the different shops and activities Butler has to offer. As people who work in the city, Bly and Shannon said they see the shopping potential of the city daily.
“If you are going into all the stores, it takes a whole day,” Shannon said.
Bly said people staying in or around Butler on a visit can pop in and out of the city for small amenities if they want. Bly said Butler Downtown considers “downtown” to be Main Street from Wayne to around Penn streets and the streets running parallel to main one block away and their adjoining streets.
She referenced the numerous restaurants on the street as a good starting point for newcomers and regular downtown visitors alike, and said people can fuel up at several locales in the city.
“Vintage Coffeehouse and Cummings definitely would be my pick for a staycation,” Bly said. “Maybe get one in the morning, one in the afternoon.”
Shannon, who also has a day job in downtown Butler, said no matter what time a person gets out of bed or gets in for the night, they can find something to satiate themselves on Main Street.
“The coffee shops open at 7, Canella Cafe is 7, so you can get breakfast places,” Shannon said. “There's also dinner at Natili's, the Chop Shop.”
The opening of the Penn Theater in 2024 also gives the city the potential for a nightlife, with Bly pointing out that people could spend an entire evening in the city by pairing a show with food and beverages.
“I would say get a drink at Tannin' and Tonic, see a show and then Johnny's after,” Bly said.
For those looking for shopping or even activity in the city, Bly said shops like Mystique Moon and Grows on Main offer lots to browse, and stores like Main Level Games and New Dimension Comics give people spots to buy gifts for themselves or others.
Additionally, gaming fans could spend a day in Your Parent’s Basement alone, Bly and Shannon agreed.
Bly said she didn’t use to think of Butler as a weekend town, but after working in the city for years, she noticed its potential to be a place to spend a Saturday. She added that the size of the downtown area helps make it pedestrian-friendly and the availability of street parking, garages and lots makes walking a preferred travel method by regulars.
The city being relatively small-scale also helps draw attendance at downtown events, which often see Main Street closed to vehicular traffic, allowing people to walk from nearby streets. Events that have closed the street include the Butler Italian Festival, the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, the Rodfathers annual car show and the Spirit of Christmas parade. Other events close portions of the street, like Carved in Ice in February, the Butler Fall Festival and summer’s Foodie Fridays.
Bly said many of these events offer good incentives for people to come downtown, and they often garner attendance from locals and visitors alike.
And while most of these events are not organized by Butler Downtown, Bly said they all serve the same goal of providing activity in a centralized location.
“The main thing is just coming downtown and seeing everything that is here,” Bly said. “Our main mission is bringing people downtown so they are able to experience it.”
Bly said Butler Downtown is different from organizations such as the Butler County Chamber of Commerce or Experience Butler County in that it is run entirely by volunteers and it doesn’t accept money from businesses. Bly explained that she and her fellow administrators speak with businesses and organizations in the downtown area to collaborate on any events or programs hosted by Butler Downtown.
So while Butler Downtown plans and hosts its own events like Foodie Fridays, Sips in the City and Small Business Saturday, it also promotes businesses in the downtown area with programs like the Fairy Door Trail and the Revolving Loan Fund. Downtown businesses voluntarily join in on these programs, but, Bly said, they also can benefit from the annual events like Foodie Fridays, which take place once per month in the summer.
“What we always tell the businesses downtown, even if you are a restaurant, we do get a lot of people who come to Foodie Fridays and people don't want to wait standing in those lines,” Bly said. “So they might come down there to listen to the band and maybe get some desserts in a smaller line, but then they'll go to the restaurants downtown and get food there.”
But Bly said long lines are not the norm for Butler restaurants, except for during events like Sips in the City, which brings people in from near and far.
“There are usually 18 to 20 vendors for that, some of them are from outside of Butler County so we ask that they share the event so that people can come visit downtown,” Bly said.
Most of the events that take place in Butler are advertised online or through word-of-mouth, which is where the volunteers with Butler Downtown come in. Shannon said members of the board of directors keep the downtown mainstays abreast of happenings mainly by speaking to them in person, which has its limitations.
“We are on the ground dropping off flyers. Some of them we can email, but it is a lot of dropping off flyers,” Shannon said. “We're always looking for more help.”
Bly, too, said that while Butler Downtown collaborates with volunteers from businesses and local organizations, the group could always use more help from people who also appreciate the city’s main street. She said Butler Downtown has many opportunities to help out, from its numerous committees to its biannual cleanup events.
“The most active is the organization and promotions committee, because those are for the events going on downtown and their promotions,” Bly said. “Make sure it's something you're passionate about, because then you’ll want to do it.”
