The Last Customer In Allentown

The 700 block of Hamilton Street was the core of Allentown shopping for over 150 years. Even during the heyday of Hess's, it was located between Allentown's department stores. In the last twenty years of center city shopping, it became the primary block. Even in it's last few years, when the demographic changes resulted in a much poorer clientele, an enormous amount of merchandise was still being sold. The Family Dollar store was one of that's chain's most successful locations. As the politicians and newspaper promote the Transformation, foot traffic and resulting walk in business virtually no longer exists. When the new offices and their workers are up and running, what will really happen business wise? Although there will be more mouths to feed during the lunch hour, that will be the extent of the Transformation's spinoff. The former stores and commerce of Hamilton Street will now be occupied by an enormous white elephant, dormant most of the time. Any upscale ventures will learn that the new office workers have no time or interest, beyond feeding their face, during lunch hour. The hotel will transition to apartments, as the folly of that idea becomes quickly apparent. The remainder of Allentown will continue to be ignored, as more and more resources are directed toward the Transformation, to disguise it's failure. A handful of developers will profit enormously, because of the unprecedented use of state tax funds by the NIZ. The remaining taxpayers of Allentown will supplement the folly with increasing property taxes, and punishing water and sewage rates. They will discover the true cost of their local political apathy.