Small businesses are on the rise in Somerset County, industry officials say.
Matt Reckner, Startup Alleghenies’ director of entrepreneurship and innovation for Somerset County, said many people who had taken on seasonal roles in addition to their full-time jobs have now started small businesses at home. square.
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“People aren’t looking for part-time jobs as much to supplement their income,” he said.
“They turn their hobby into a business. If they work with food or something, they become bakers. They had something cool that they gave people as gifts and now they sell to the general public. “
Ron Aldom, executive director of the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce, said North Center Avenue, Somerset, has seen a recent influx of business openings and builds – and many of them are small businesses.
A new salon, Hair by Hayley, opened Nov. 18 in the Saylor Motors building along North Center Avenue.
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Larenas, a formal wear store at 1854 North Center Ave., opened in October under new ownership.
The BFS Foods convenience store and gas station is slated to open soon at the former location of the Hoss restaurant along North Center Avenue. A Burger King restaurant is also to be included in the new building.
A new car wash is also under construction along North Center Avenue near the bridge that crosses the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
“I don’t see otherwise,” Aldom said. “No closures. Only openings.”
He added that other business sectors in Somerset County are also doing well, including manufacturing, mining and retail.
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“Business is doing well by any measure,” Aldom said. “We are still going strong in most areas.”
Reckner added that he thinks most businesses in Somerset County need more employees, but not all are hiring.
“Most companies could use an extra person or two, whether they hire or not,” he said. “More people make do with what they have. They wish they had more, but many of them manage to figure out how to do it and make the most of their employees’ time.”
Pennsylvania is 10th in the nation for jobless claims, according to financial advice website WalletHub. For every 100,000 Pennsylvanians, 178 submitted unemployment claims.
In Somerset County, the five largest employers, in order, are the state government, UPMC Somerset, Vail Resorts, Chan-Soon Shiong Medical Center in Windber and the county government.
