Downtown Carlisle

Vibrant business community features wide range of options for shoppers, diners

December 8, 2009

Downtown Carlisle, decked out for the holidays, offers a wide range of dining and shopping opportunities.

Holiday shoppers can put Carlisle on their short list of destinations thanks to a blend of unique businesses that have set up shop, moved to new locations or changed ownership since January.

“Downtown is just packed with stores offering great selection and prices beyond what is found at generic mall stores,” said Glenn White, main street manager at the Downtown Carlisle Association. “You should be able to find something for everyone on your holiday shopping list.”

Here are some of the changes to the historic downtown business landscape over the past year:

Argosy, 110 S. Hanover St. This shop, in a Victorian-style house, is filled with unique gifts including more than a dozen jewelry designers, candles, quilts, copper, purses, clothing, custom greeting cards, embroidered linens and more, all made by local artisans. Argosy has artists who can design wedding jewelry, invitations and other special-event items.

50’s Malt Shoppe, 110 S. Hanover St. This old-fashioned malt shoppe is in the same building as Argosy and features ice cream sundaes and food, including Ghirardelli chocolate and cold and hot sandwiches.

Nancy Stamm’s Galleria, 2 N. Hanover St. The gallery has moved to this new location after operating in two smaller venues over the past 15 years. It features a complete line of custom framing and fine art, specialty mounting of objects, custom designs, shadow boxes and frame repair. The gallery also features restoration of fine art including watercolors, paper, invisible weaving for torn canvases and removing insoluble soils such as smoke, fungicides and mildew.

Yarn Garden, 52 W. Pomfret St. Formerly at another location on West Pomfret, this store features yarn and knitting supplies.

L Weibley & Friends Craft Gift Shop, 10 W. Pomfret St. Formerly on 152 South Hanover Street, the move has enabled the owners to expand floor space.

Chaparrita’s, 105 N. Hanover St. This Mexican restaurant and store offers selections of Mexican tacos, nachos, sandwiches and classic dishes. The store offers a variety of ethnic foods, including Mexican candy, snacks, soft drinks and spice mixes.

Carlisle Crossroads, 109 N. Hanover St. Under new management, Carlisle Crossroads serves lunch and dinner.

Georgie Lou’s, 22 N. Pitt St. This store features more than 440 kinds of candy with a focus on retro or nostalgic candy, as well as a selection of vintage-inspired gift items.

Café Bruges, 16 N. Pitt St. This restaurant features authentic Belgian cuisine for lunch and dinner.

Deutsche Doggy Bakery, 45 W. Pomfret St. Dog and cat toys and treats.

For more information and a comprehensive list of businesses in downtown Carlisle, visit: www.downtowncarlisle.com.