The Advocacy
At Venture Lititz, we’re all about the big picture.
We understand that what we do today needs to be in service of tomorrow.
Where Preservation Meets Progress
A town as special as Lititz needs a group of people who come together to write its next best chapter, to protect it, and carry it onward in a way that honors its past and respects the people who live and work within its borders.
That group is Venture Lititz.
Who We Are
In the simplest of terms, we love Lititz. We love it so much that we’ve dedicated ourselves to the work of safeguarding its magic and to looking at it with a critical eye, asking questions like:
- How could Lititz be better?
- What buildings need to be saved?
- What greenspace can we add or improve?
- How can we help merchants thrive?
- What new businesses can we entice to town in order to increase employment opportunities and maintain community services without tax increases?
- What events can we host or support that will nurture pride of place for residents and have visitors saying, “I can’t wait to go back?”
- And, always, is there a grant for that?
Projects of Venture Lititz
As a nationally-accredited program of Main Street America, our work finds its heart in economic development. Every strategic decision is weighed by its ability to positively impact our community. These are our projects:
Promotion: A town of 10,000 could never support the amount of retailers and restaurants that line our streets alone. We need visitors to thrive. That’s why Venture Lititz spends much of our time working to bring guests to our town while also fostering a pride of place among locals. We do that through our social channels, Downtown Lititz on Facebook and LititzPA on Instagram, this website, our Experience Lititz App, our monthly Experience Lititz Newsletter, and our annual Experience Lititz Visitor’s Guide. Our Lititz Shopping Dollars program allows locals and visitors alike to give the gift of Lititz. Very much like a gift certificate, Lititz Shopping Dollars can be spent in any of our downtown shops and restaurants.
Events: We love to throw a party and while it can appear that our celebrations are simply designed for fun, there’s an important economic strategy behind each one. Lititz Fire & Ice is designed to bring revenue to our downtown during cold winter months when Main Streets tend to be quiet. This event is essential for our merchants. Taste of Lititz is a celebration of the culinary arts – as well as performing and traditional art – in our downtown. We close Main Street and line our streets with live music and Lititz-area-only restaurants. Visitors are invited to “taste” Lititz. This is a great way to introduce all the great food we have within our borders – and to showcase our awesome art community! The Venture Lititz Gala raises funds for our orgs while promoting networking and our Apoca-Lititz 5K promotes healthy living and offers families a fun Halloween-themed activity.
Design: We have a designated committee of residents and business owners looking at the design of our town. Is it walkable? Bike-friendly? Where do we need benches? Beautification? This group is responsible for our wayfinding, public art aspirations, adding more green, and our celebrated Edison Bulb Project. With this initiative we partner with our friends at Stray Production Services to light our streets during the darker winter months.
Organization: We believe in bringing people together, both through events and through making the connections that can lead to important projects in our downtown. We work with borough staff and elected officials, property owners, business owners, and residents on business attraction and retention, grants, and more.
Mission Statement
The mission of Venture Lititz, Inc. is to enhance and sustain the social and economic vibrancy of the Lititz community.
Our Core Values
Community-Driven: Our work is fueled by grassroots community leadership and participation. We support the businesses, residents, and partners who power our local economy.
Supportive of Local Business: We support our local entrepreneurs and business owners, resulting in purposeful growth for our community.
Collaborative: We work together, foster open communication, and build caring and supportive
environments with our community partners.
Equitable and Inclusive: We commit to fostering a welcoming and safe community with inclusive engagement and equal access to opportunity, no matter a person’s age, economic status, ethnicity, gender identity, physical or mental abilities, race, sexual orientation or spiritual belief.
Preservation-Based: We commit to honoring the past of our built environment and cultural legacy. We do this by promoting adaptive reuse, celebrating community character, and valuing the common good of our community.
Resilient and Future-Focused: We facilitate access to resources and opportunities that will allow our community to better withstand challenges and crises that lie ahead.
Our Vision
Downtown Lititz is the heart of our community, where our locally owned businesses prosper and our residents from diverse backgrounds gather inside adaptively reused buildings, along art-filled streetscapes, and outside in the lush green space of our downtown parks and trails.
This is the work of Venture Lititz, and we’d love to have you contribute to our mission in any way you can. Please consider helping by donating financially, or by volunteering your time and talents.
Rich in History, Full of Promise
Learn The Story of Us