Women business owners recognized in Monongahela

Monongahela’s Main Street Program brought 19 of them together for a group picture.

The Monongahela Main Street Program once again brought together the city’s women business owners to celebrate their role in the community’s downtown district.

For the second year in a row, the organization gathered local women who own or co-own businesses in Monongahela for a group photo — a visual tribute to the large number of female entrepreneurs who drive the area’s small-business economy.

This year’s photo was taken by Kaitlyn Woodburn of Kaitlyn Woodburn Photography in Monongahela.

Nineteen women representing Monongahela businesses participated in the photo.

The gathering was organized by Karen Langol, owner of Noel’s Primitive Shop and Gifts and president of the Monongahela Main Street Program’s Board of Directors. Bonnie Brand, who appears in the front row, is also a board member. About half the women or their businesses are among the organization’s charter members.

Langol said the goal was to highlight the strong presence of women entrepreneurs along Main Street.

“It’s not always easy to get everyone together — most of these women spend their days running their businesses — but this is a great way to recognize their impact on our downtown,” she said.

Founded in 2015, the Monongahela Main Street Program is a locally based, nonprofit organization following the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach to downtown revitalization: Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Vitality. MMSP is an accredited member of Main Street America and a recognized member of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.

The group’s motto — “For a Thriving Downtown and a Fully Engaged Community” — reflects its mission to strengthen the historic West Main Street business district through collaboration among residents, organizations, schools and local government.

The program’s vision statement emphasizes community engagement, historic preservation and full business occupancy in Monongahela’s downtown — creating a district where “new business entrepreneurs want to locate” and a “thriving economy” is achieved through involvement by all sectors of the community.