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The Commons, located in downtown Ithaca, serves as the city's centerpiece. Offering everything from local handcrafts to European porcelain, eveningwear to camping gear, and educational toys to electric guitars, no two stores are alike. A block away is a historic building known as the Dewitt Mall. Once a public high school, the building was saved from demolition and now features such mixed-uses as distinctive shops, restaurants, and both commercial and residential space on its upper floors.
Deciding where to dine in downtown Ithaca is no easy task with more than forty downtown eateries that are varied enough for every taste. There are sophisticated cafés and quaint taverns with continental specialties, all manner of ethnic cuisine, and the most famous Moosewood Restaurant of vegetarian cookbook fame. Lunch on international snacks in the food atrium in Center Ithaca, dine al fresco on summer evenings, or turn a bagel into a meal anytime. American, Chinese, European, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Mexican, and Thai are but a small sampling of culinary delights that await your taste buds.
Downtown Ithaca is a bibliophile's paradise, with more than seven independent book-sellers stocking 250,000 volumes – rare first editions, your favorite Dr. Seuss, and new titles on topics from regional lore to area studies, cubism to mysticism. Local authors, many world-famous, often read from their works, and every October Ithaca's passion for books becomes an outdoor pastime when hundreds camp out overnight for the Friends of the Library Book Sale.
The Downtown Ithaca Alliance, formerly known as The Ithaca Downtown Partnership, is a State of New York chartered not-for-profit organization charged with the revitalization, development, promotion and management of downtown Ithaca. The Downtown Ithaca Alliance can assist businesses and investors interested in downtown Ithaca projects. All services are offered at no charge and all inquiries are handled with strict confidentiality. They can help in the following ways:
- Available retail space
- Available office space
- Properties for sale
- Working with developers and investors to find & craft projects
- Business recruitment & attraction
- Helping existing businesses expand and grow
- Providing market data
- Providing start-up business assistance
- Retail needs assessment
If you are serious about starting a business in downtown Ithaca, call Gary Ferguson at The Downtown Ithaca Alliance, (607) 277-8679.