Mar 10, 2023 3 min read

I am so excited to bring you this edition that celebrates all that’s exciting and new in the heart of Waynesburg.

First off, I’d like to introduce a new feature in this edition, the chamber spotlight from the Greene County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melody Longstreth. The chamber spotlight is a recurring feature we introduced in our quarterly business magazine, Southwestern Pennsylvania Business Journal. In each edition, we rotate different area chambers of commerce and allow them to highlight the vital offerings they provide the community and their members. It’s been a great partnership for everyone involved. We’re piloting this same feature in this magazine, and it’s the perfect issue to do so.

I first came to the Observer-Reporter in 2017 as the Greene County beat reporter. I worked right off High Street, across from the courthouse’s side entrance on Church Street. I covered crime, courts, human interest stories and anything else I could get my hands on that would captivate readers. I drove all over the county. I met business owners, volunteers, public officials and just your average everyday person and came to love the area. I’ve always said that Greene County reminds me of home. I grew up not far away in Southeastern Ohio, in hills and hollers that feel just like the ones in Greene County. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart reserved for my desk in Waynesburg and the marvelous people I met, and I know I always will.

So I’m very excited to bring you this edition, with a story from C.R. Nelson featuring Farley’s Hotel Cafe and another from Katherine Mansfield about the growth of High Street more generally. There’s an energy in Waynesburg that I can only hope keeps growing.

Farley’s new space on South Morgan is part coffee bar, part ice cream shop and all heart. It’s been a labor of love years in the making. The building’s lower level also features the Hideaway Candle Bar. We profiled Sarah Eddy and showed off her beautiful space in last September’s edition. Now that Farley’s upstairs is open, I know there’s a trip to Waynesburg in my future. I know stepping back on those streets will feel just like coming home.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Greene County has a lot of love, and I am fortunate to showcase a slice of it in this magazine each quarter. Take care, stay safe and see you in the next edition.