By Dean Wells
Warren, Pennsylvania was like most small towns in the 1970s—busy, filled with locally owned stores, a hub for the community and surrounding rural county. The sidewalks were packed with shoppers.
Going downtown was a social event.
When a local mall opened, it was like someone pulled the plug in a bathtub.
Retail stores in the downtown vanished overnight. What stores remained hung on or eventually closed. A holding pattern of stagnation became the new norm.
And then a strange thing happened.
A brewery opened on a hill north of town and began to build a following. It quickly outgrew its building and relocated to an empty factory along the Allegheny River at the edge of Warren’s business district.
A cigar shop opened along the main avenue. And then a second brewery with a wood-fired pizza oven,
More businesses followed, enhancing several local restaurants that were already staples: a florist, a wine bar, a boutique clothing store, a protein shake shop, a climbing wall center, gift shops, an ice cream shop, a wellness center. The city approved the placement of cast iron tables on the sidewalks for outside dining.
Suddenly, Friday nights downtown were busy again.
“Look at all the businesses that popped up. It kind of started with the breweries,” said Wendy McCain, owner of the Twig and Vine wine bar.
McCain opened her business downtown in April 2024.
“I think Bent Run (Brewing) really set the stage,” McCain said. “They cultivated their business before they came to Warren so when they opened, they already had a crowd.”
Bent Run Brewing owner Phil Caudill called the move to his company’s current location “a big leap of faith.” According to Caudill, the original plan was to put a sales counter in the city to accentuate Bent Run’s existing brewing facility outside of town.
“It didn’t need to be big. We just wanted to get our feet wet, see if there was any interest.”
Caudill found a space in the former Loranger’s Manufacturing facility that sat empty for years. He made a connection with a local developer, who agreed to build out the location to house a new brewery and restaurant.
“The building hadn’t been used in years,” Caudill said. “It was overgrown. It needed a ton of work and it was huge, but it was a decent location.”
The brewery already had a successful neighbor, Allegheny Outfitters, a long-time canoe and kayaking outfitting company.
Other new businesses arrived to add to a sudden sense of synergy.
“It’s really been a cross-pollination,” McCain said. “In the last few years, people have started taking that business risk. The only way to elevate Warren is to elevate its businesses. Having a vibrant downtown is crucial.”
“The wine bar was Wendy’s idea,” said Lincoln Sokolski.
Sokolski owns a local manufacturing company. He agreed to invest in McCain’s new business after she approached him with the idea. Lincoln and his wife, Salsa, also own a clothing boutique that recently relocated downtown—Salsa Soleil Butik.
“It was a new concept for this town, but I’ve seen it work elsewhere,” Sokolski said of the wine bar. “I questioned (McCain’s) building choice at first, but it really is a great location. We thought this block was the best one for us.”
Twig and Vine opened after a year-long massive renovation. McCain tore out the existing foyer and stairs, removed the second floor, stripped the walls down to the bare brick, sanded and sealed them. The results were a visually stunning interior.
“The idea was to be a little like Greenwich Village,” McCain said.
At the same time McCain was ripping her building apart, Salsa Sokolski moved her clothing boutique from a location outside the business district to a spot four doors down from the future wine bar.
“We wanted a more natural retail location,” Lincoln Sokolski said. “What we had was off the beaten path. (Since the move) business has increased tenfold. She renovated the place to be a great shopping experience.
“When you visit Ellicottville or any town that’s really happening, you see people on the streets. You see options and activities. We’re starting to have that.
Aaron Burdick, owner of the Arbor Coffee House, said he is witnessing the increase in retail synergy in Warren’s downtown since purchasing the business last summer. He said he recognizes the coffee shop’s roll as a community gathering place. “It’s absolutely the number one thing I’m trying to promote. People come in and they engage with one another. We’re busier and we’re getting good feedback. I’m confident we can continue to grow bigger.”
“It’s been a very synergistic effort,” Warren Mayor David Wortman said of the recent growth in the downtown. “There’s a lot of foot traffic, a lot of reasons to be here. We’re right along the Allegheny River—the three-time DCNR (Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources) ‘River of the Year.’ There’s canoeing, there’s kayaking.”
Wortman said a planned riverfront boat landing location should only enhance things further.
“I think it that’s a huge project that will be able to help the momentum to help keep bringing people to our downtown.”