Joy Ashley, Executive Director of Mainspring of Ephrata, hosted me for a tour of downtown Ephrata and all it has to offer, including quaint shops, unique storefronts, and delicious homemade desserts.
Mainspring of Ephrata is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Ephrata community through increased economic opportunity. They strive to celebrate the unique history, landscape, and blended cultures of Ephrata by cultivating a memorable, multigenerational, and thriving community.
The tour included multiple stops in the heart of Ephrata:
Casa Huerta, a Latino-themed grocery in Ephrata, where owner Omar Huerta imports fresh produce and products directly from Mexico and Central America. I tried a mamey, a fruit that’s native to Mexico and Central America that tastes a little like a peach – delicious!
The gorgeous and historic Windsor building in Ephrata, which recently underwent extensive renovations to accommodate the 45 employees of GR Klinefelter Underwriters, Inc.
Referred to as ‘The Grand Lady of Main Street,’ the Ephrata National Bank building is rich with history, including stunning architecture and exhibits with mortgage paperwork, currency, bank history articles, and more. Ephrata National Bank has served the local and surrounding communities for 140 years.
Read more on the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County’s website here.
Dan Gotwalt & Kris Kauffman, owners of the Brossman Building in Ephrata which formerly housed The Main Theater, shared their plans with me to renovate the 3rd floor of the building to create Airbnbs with the hopes of bringing more tourism to Ephrata.
I enjoyed visiting and learning more about the mission of City Gate Ephrata from facilitator Kim Warner. City Gate serves the Ephrata community with 200 boxed lunches every Saturday, and has locations in Columbia, Lititz, New Holland, Lancaster, and Duncannon. Learn more about City Gate here.
Eric Bair, former Marine and owner of Sports Barber in Ephrata, has helped with Toys for Tots for 14 years by collecting bikes so that kids wouldn’t have to choose between toys or a bike. His first year he collected 7 bikes, but in 2023 he collected an impressive 318 bikes! All the bikes stay in Lancaster County and benefit our communities.
Kathy and William Dukeman, owners of a consignment shop in downtown Ephrata called Abundant Treasures which carries a variety of donated merchandise, showed me their store which has been in business for 28 years!
Jason and Laura Will, owners of Scratch Bakes in Ephrata and Lancaster, recently showed me around their bakery which serves delicious, handcrafted baked goods all made from scratch. They even offer sweet treats for dogs! Learn more about Scratch Bakes here.
