The winter of 2013 brought record-breaking snowfall to Philadelphia, and with each storm the woes of local business owners rose as high as the snow banks.
Several business owners in Manayunk, a neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia expressed concern about how lost revenue in the winter would impact business for the remainder of the year. Now that summer has arrived, the true effects of the record snowfall are being felt on Main Street, the major thoroughfare of the neighborhood, with several businesses shutting down for good.
Bella Trattoria, once a mainstay for Italian cuisine in Manayunk, was one of the businesses that did not survive the financial ramifications of the winter storms. The restaurant closed in late July after a twenty-five year legacy in the neighborhood.
Residents reacted to the closure with disappointment, but as the summer progresses and businesses continue to close, for sale signs and shuttered windows may become the new normal for the neighborhood.