The Tarentum Business Area Advisory Committee has chosen Fox's Pizza located at 407 E. 6th Avenue as its 2nd Quarter Downtown Recognition recipient for 2011. This quarterly downtown recognition is an opportunity for the committee to recognize notable individuals, businesses, or groups who have contributed to our community's downtown efforts in some positive way.

We are pleased to have Matt Fryer, owner of Fox's Pizza and this long-standing, Tarentum business in our central business district. We appreciate that Matt has chosen to operate his business in our community and thank him for his commitment to Tarentum.

On behalf of the Tarentum Business Area Advisory Committee, we congratulate you on this honor and thank you for your support in our community's revitalization initiatives.

For more information or to contact Fox's Pizza, the store can be reached at 724-224-6923 or www.akvalleyfoxspizza.com. Hours: Sunday 12pm to 11pm; Monday to Thursday 11am to 11pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 12 am.

It’s nearly impossible to think of Tarentum and its character without conjuring up images of one of its most well-known retailers—Gatto Cycle Shop.

Gatto’s isn’t just a Tarentum business, it’s become a Tarentum institution since George Sr. and Loretta Gatto relocated their New Kensington motorcycle store to Sixth Avenue in 1967. 

Back then, Gatto’s was an authorized dealer of Suzuki, Triumph and other various brands of motorcycles. Today, the store carries many brands, including Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Polaris, and, of course, the iconic Harley-Davidson brand, which they added in 1981.  

The retailer’s expanded inventory now goes well beyond motorcycles to include bicycles, exercise equipment, dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, scooters and more.

Despite an extensive inventory of well-known brands, products and service for nearly anything on wheels, it’s Gatto’s reputation as a first-rate Harley-Davidson dealer that has helped to cement the retailer’s stellar reputation.

“We don’t sell commodities, we are in the business to provide an extraordinary experience. We consider ourselves to be the Nordstrom or Saks of the motorcycle business” says George Jr., who now manages day-to-day operations, along with brother Mark. It’s a philosophy that Gatto’s shares with Harley-Davidson one that most certainly has contributed to the business’ endurance that spans more than four decades.  

In its best years, Gatto’s sells more than 1,500 bikes and requires a team of more than fifty to meet demand during peak spring and summer seasons.  

But Gatto’s impact in Tarentum cannot be measured in annual sales and job creation alone. To support the company’s growth, Gatto’s has purchased numerous buildings over the years to expand their inventory and services and, just as importantly, to protect some of the borough’s oldest buildings.

Most notably, in the 1980s, when the YMCA on the corner of Seventh and Ross was slated to be torn down, George Sr. purchased the building in an effort to save it, despite a challenging layout for retail and extensive renovations, and moved the bicycle shop into the space while renting out the upper floor to a gymnastics center that today houses their Honda products. 

The family also purchased the former library building on Sixth Avenue, a former auto dealership on Seventh and numerous other buildings.  In fact, the influence of the Gatto family in Tarentum even extends to the local dining scene.  In 1993, George Sr. bought, restored and relocated a 1940s era diner to the lot adjacent to their Harley-Davidson dealership on Sixth Avenue.   

 “We love it here in Tarentum,” says George Jr. “Not just because it is ideally situated at the intersections of major crossroads, but you can talk to the mayor, the manager, the police chief, everyone knows you on a first-name basis and issues are taken care of. You’re dealing with people, not bureaucracies. I can’t imagine doing business anywhere else.”   

“I don’t know if anyone could have foreseen back in 1967, but the arrival of Gatto’s gave the borough more than a new business. Tarentum gained an invested loyal partner and a protector of our history, our architectural treasures and our way of life,” says borough manager Bill Rossey.

The Tarentum Business Area Advisory Committee has chosen to recognize Blackburn Pharmacy as its 4^th Quarter Downtown Recognition recipient for 2010.  They are being honored for the work they recently completed on their property. The renovation of their parking lot is an attractive addition to the Corbet Street section of our downtown.

The Tarentum Business Area Advisory Committee has chosen Lehman Flower Shop as its 3^rd Quarter Downtown Recognition Recipient for 2010. 

When Lehman Flower Shop opened its doors at 208 Corbett Street in downtown Tarentum, Herbert Hoover was president, Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller were popular entertainers of the day and the county was in the throes of the Great Depression. 

Today, more than 80 years later, the shop remains an anchor tenant along the busy retail street.   Joyce Williams of Allegheny Township took over the business, located in a building owned by her husband, from the previous owner 28 years ago.  She decided to forego a name change due to the shop’s reputation and long-standing history in the region.   

Today, Joyce offers a full-service shop with professional floral designs, silk arrangements and plants and offers delivery service to areas as far north as Sarver and south to St. Margaret’s Hospital. 

“I really appreciate doing business here.  Tarentum is a very friendly town and I’ve always met the nicest customers,” she says.

Much has changed in Tarentum in the last 50 years but one constant in the borough’s retail sector has been the presence of Carl Garrett & Son, Inc. which opened its doors on January 1, 1960, thanks for the efforts of founders Carl Garrett, his wife, Garnet, and their son, Don.  

More than five decades later, the Fifth Avenue building situated near the railroad tracks is still home to the 12-employee heating, air conditioning and plumbing contractor.  

Today, the company is operated by Don Garrett and his son, Skip, and Mike Thimons, with quality and service as their number one priority.  

Each day, a fleet of Carl Garrett & Son service vehicles travel within a 25 mile radius to service residential customers, who appreciate the company’s attention to exceptional customer service and care. 

Dianna Roney didn’t plan to open an antique and gift shop in Tarentum when she purchased a building at 122 East Fourth Avenue in 2005. 

Her plan to use the location to store and repair antiques that she would eventually sell at a Verona antique shop quickly evolved when passersby with some frequency came in to inquire about purchasing various pieces.  “It was clear that there was a demand and interest in Tarentum for antiques and that I was in a good position to capitalize on it, “Dianna admits.

In October of 2006, Dianna and four other dealers opened the doors to Diamond Antiques & Gifts, a well-stocked shop known for its inventory of country, cottage, primitive and Victorian furniture, artwork, glass and jewelry.

It didn’t take the shop long to capture the attention of local antique collectors and bargain-hunting dealers from as far away as Virginia.  The shop’s clientele grew rapidly, as did interest from other antique collectors and dealers.

As the business continues to grow, Dianna has capitalized on a new grant program designed to encourage Tarentum business owners to improve the exteriors of their properties with architectural elements, signage and lighting, befitting the borough’s 19^th century history and efforts to create a vibrant and inviting business district.

In fact, Diamond Antiques has the distinction of being the first Tarentum business to complete façade renovations through a grant program administered by the Allegheny Restores program.  By working with Dotty Roddy, the business development coordinator of Tarentum Business Area Advisory Committee (T-BAAC), Dianna received a grant that covered half of the cost of her exterior renovations.

Today, Diamond Antiques boasts a new awning that mimics “the storefronts of yesteryear,” vintage lighting and a new sign that meets the guidelines developed by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks foundation, an organization that is working with the borough to develop design guidelines. Several other Tarentum businesses will soon be following suit.

“This is a great example of the benefits of being among the first communities selected to participate in the County’s All Together program,” said Bill Rossey, Borough Manager.  “Local businesses have a great opportunity to capitalize on this grant program that will not only increase the value and appeal of their businesses, but will serve to make Tarentum’s business district more inviting to new businesses, residents and visitors.”

Business owners interested in applying for a grant can contact the borough for an application and information.

Tarentum Borough would like to thank Dianna Roney for her work in organizing and promoting the first Antiques in the Park event, a fundraiser for the Allegheny Valley Historical Society that featured antique dealers, food vendors and a vintage car show this past fall.