Quaint, old, beautiful Lewisburg provides the students of Bucknell with everything they could hope for, with numerous coffee shops, clothing stores and other special gems that you simply cannot find anywhere else. There’s something about its small-town feel and proximity to railroads that gives Lewisburg its own unique feel. Although downtown Lewisburg doesn’t provide some of the classic fast food restaurants we might crave or a large mall to shop in,  there are upsides and downsides to the township.

I want to take a step back and compare Lewisburg to University Park, the town in which Penn State resides. University Park may hold many more fast food restaurants, including both the highly acclaimed Chick-fil-A and frequently sought-after Trader Joe’s, but does it still hold the same charm as Lewisburg? Are “college towns” changed by the students’ varying wants and needs, and is this a good thing?

I, for one, could not imagine Lewisburg becoming a strip mall town filled with the latest chains, nor do I want to. Bucknell is so closely intertwined with Lewisburg that it’s hard to imagine the development of the town without the school being part of it. If it hasn’t happened already, will it ever? Bucknell’s support of the arts has certainly led to a number of shops opening that cater to the student body’s needs, but this also helps the residents of Lewisburg who are looking to fulfill artistic pursuits. Certainly, Bucknell has allowed Lewisburg’s downtown to experience a special type of economic growth, but one that aligns both with the Lewisburg residents’ and Bucknell students’ interests.

Bucknell senior inhabitants of some of Lewisburg’s downtown homes are a different case, regarding those with concerns about rent being raised due to the incoming population. Yes, there is no way for Lewisburg to escape what can be referred to as “student gentrification,” which inevitably comes with Bucknell student’s wants and needs for certain amenities and shops, but the way I see it, if it hasn’t happened yet, it won’t happen now. 

Can you imagine a Lululemon or FreePeople opening up in Lewisburg? As much as the idea excites me, I don’t see it happening due to the culture of the town itself. The shops open in town are all local businesses, and due to Lewisburg’s remote location, I can picture them staying that way. Unlike other college campuses, which might have greater proximity to big cities or a larger student population to drive business, Bucknell’s small student population and remote location make it a relatively undesirable location for chains to open up more stores.  Lewisburg’s downtown is a charming and beautiful town, and I hope it stays that way.