Façade Grants Still Available to Bryn Mawr Businesses

Bryn Mawr businesses hoping to revamp their facades can apply for township grants that past recipients say have been useful.

About $22,000 remains for the year in Department of Commerce and Economic Development (DCED) funds for the Bryn Mawr, Merion-Cynwyd and Bala Village sections of the township, said Lower Merion Economic Development Specialist Eric Persson. (Ardmore has its own grant program, he said.)

The Commercial Façade Design Challenge Grant Program is designed to give business or building owners up to $5,000 in 50/50 matching grants to work with existing facades, Persson said. 

The owners are asked to fill out preliminary applications, with no commitment, so the department doesn’t over-commit to projects, Persson said. They’ve had several applications in the past couple of days, he added.

“Now’s a good time to plan so they have the opportunity to do work in the summer,” Persson said. “If you’ve ever been considering it, this is a good time to take advantage of it.”

Persson can also offer site and design suggestions if owners are unsure, he said.

Owner Susan Arizini said she especially wanted to take advantage of the program since she has a corner store in the middle of Bryn Mawr.

“The side wall was just a bare slab,” Arizini said. “I wanted to replicate the front and bring it around the corner.”

Arizini contracted an artist in Deruta, Italy to craft a 5-by-8-foot hand-painted ceramic tile mural, imported it in pieces and put it together here.

“It just looks like a little piece of Italy in Bryn Mawr,” she said. “When I first put it up, the response was overwhelming.”

Arizini said the program is great and noted design help is available through Persson’s office.

She also said any businesses with questions could contact her.

Store owner Bob Schwelm said the building owner worked with them to redo the façade last year. 

“Everybody else has awnings, and we have stripes to stand out a little bit,” Schwelm said. “We’re competitive people here—we’re runners.”

The company's facade improvements included switching from segmented window panes to full plate glass, allowing for better window displays, Schwelm said.

Building owner John Giacoccino called the process “pretty straightforward.”

They worked with Persson, got two quotes prior to the work, then provided documentation once the project was completed and paid to get their partial reimbursement.

“That was it, really,” Giacoccino said.

Other Available Funds

Grant funds are also available to help implement handicap accessibility, and a zero percent loan program is also available to improve facades.

For more information, contact Persson at epersson@lowermerion.org or at 610-645-6184.