Today we had the incredible opportunity to visit Connellsville and hear directly about the impressive work that the Fayette County Cultural Trust does toward economic development in that community. Learning about their initiatives has given me a much deeper appreciation for how small towns can revitalize their main streets by leaning into what makes them unique. The Trust has been remarkably successful in taking local history, heritage, and regional assets and turning them into real economic momentum for local businesses.
One of the key aspects of their endeavors is how they leverage existing regional attractions, particularly the Great Allegheny Passage trail. Instead of seeing Connellsville as just an old industrial borough, the Trust recognized the huge economic potential of trail town tourism. By encouraging businesses to cater directly to the thousands of cyclists passing through every year, they created a steady stream of foot traffic that supports local shops, cafes, and bakeries. On top of that, programs like the STEPP FORWARD Entrepreneurship Training Program offer aspiring business owners structured planning, mentorship, and micro-grants. This combination of physical asset-based tourism and direct support for local entrepreneurs has helped build a healthy, resilient business environment that serves both visitors and longtime residents
Hearing about the Connellsville model got me thinking about how these exact strategies can inform our consulting recommendations for Carrigart. While Connellsville and Carrigart are located in very different parts of the world, they share similar underlying challenges as small, tight-knit towns trying to support local retail and retain consumer spending.
First, Carrigart can adopt a very similar approach to asset-based tourism by capitalizing on its location along the Wild Atlantic Way and its proximity to Rosapenna. Just like Connellsville tapped into trail traffic, Carrigart can create intentional reasons for passing visitors to stop, linger, and spend money in town rather than just driving through. Second, Connellsville shows that filling vacant storefronts requires more than just low rent, it requires a pipeline for local entrepreneurs. Pairing temporary pop-up spaces or artisan markets in Carrigart with mentorship or small startup grants would lower the barrier to entry for locals looking to launch a business. Finally, having a strong central organization like the Trust is essential. Recommending a dedicated community-led group in Carrigart would ensure that there is always a passionate team on the ground turning big strategic ideas into real, lasting change for the town. Getting to see this model in action has made me even more excited for our upcoming trip to Ireland. Seeing how a dedicated community trust can completely transform a town’s trajectory gives me so much optimism for what my group and I can help achieve for Carrigart.
