Jess Kunkle is on a twofold mission: to pursue her lifelong career aspiration and help revitalize the business scene in Greensburg, the town she has called home for nearly a decade.

“I wanted to help put a business back into downtown Greensburg,” Kunkle said, “because downtown Greensburg has been kind of dying for many, many years, and it’s finally starting to revitalize and new businesses are coming into it.”

Under the leadership of a new executive director and guidance of its first strategic plan, the Greensburg Community Development Corp. is helping lead the charge toward bolstering the city’s business portfolio.

The nonprofit is working toward an accreditation through Main Street America, which would open the door for state funding to execute commercial improvements and attract developers to the city.

Westmoreland County’s population, standing around 350,000 people, has declined slightly over the past three years. But Kunkle is hopeful the addition of new businesses — including her dog grooming salon, Smooches for Pooches LLC — will attract more people to lay roots in the region.

“I wanted to be a part of that, contribute to that and add to the community,” Kunkle said.

Smooches for Pooches joins at least two other businesses newly established in the Greensburg area — a bubble tea shop and a princess and superhero party company.

Smooches for Pooches

Kunkle discovered her love of working with animals through her high school job.

“My first job when I was 15 years old was a dog bather,” she said, “and I absolutely fell in love with dog grooming and became obsessed with learning how to groom.”

She stuck with the job for eight years before pursuing a contracting business with her partner, which they ran together for a decade.

Stepping into her lifelong passion, Kunkle opened the dog grooming business May 27, inviting four-legged friends in for haircuts, baths and nail trims. She practiced her “pawdicure” skills this past week, painting rainbow colors on the nails of her 4-year-old toy poodle, Lillith, in honor of Pride Month.

In the future, she would like to sell dog products from local businesses at the salon.

Smooches for Pooches is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is at 317 S. Main Street. To reach the salon, call 724-875-5539.

Honeybee Bubble Tea

When Justin Aion took his daughters, Harper and Brynn, to visit family in Philadelphia a year and a half ago, he bought them five bubble tea drinks over the course of three days.

“It was one of the things that we did when we went out to visit,” said Aion, of Southwest Greensburg, “because there really aren’t bubble tea places here, so it was one of those location-based special treats.”

That’s when Aion started to wonder if a similar business venture would perform well in the Greensburg area. He launched Honeybee Bubble Tea out of a food truck in May 2024, bringing his signature beverages to local markets and community events.

But the goal for Aion has always been to expand into a brick-and-mortar store, which he accomplished May 31, opening business doors along Greensburg’s Main Street.

“There is a severe lack of community spaces for kids,” said Aion. “Greensburg has a considerable number of bars and coffee houses and restaurants, all of which are fantastic.

“But if you’re 14, none of of those are places for you.”

Aion aims to make Honeybee Bubble Tea a safe gathering place for nearby Greensburg Salem students, including his daughters, who will both be in high school next year.

The shop’s “Lavendar Meadow” — a matcha milk tea with lavendar syrup — and the “Hey do you guys have coffee?” coffee and horchata milk tea have been popular among customers so far. But the “Bomb Pop,” a blue raspberry and lemon refresher with cherry bubbles, is a perfect fit for the approaching summer season, inspired by the flavor of the Bomb Pop popsicles.

Aion is still bringing the food truck to local markets. He has also started offering catering, delivering pre-made drinks to private events.

The store is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Thurdsay and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is at 41 N. Main St. To reach the store, call 724-757-6623.

Princess and Superhero Parties Pittsburgh

Victoria Brady may be new to the Greensburg business scene, but she is no stranger to entrepreneurship.

Brady of Wexford established Princess and Superhero Parties Pittsburgh in 2010, drawing on her experience of portraying a character at a popular amusement park. She was going through a divorce and searching for a way to provide for her son with $12 in her bank account.

“I had conceded to being a stay-at-home mom for the rest of my life, and that was it,” Brady said. “I came up with the idea because of being at the lowest point in my life and wondering how I’m going to take care of my 2-year-old little boy.”

Brady, a Plum native, raised $20,000 to start a princess and superhero portrayal company by hosting a dinner theater event modeled after the former Conley Inn Dinner Theater, where her parents used to work.

“For many years, it was just me making my own costumes from scratch, because we didn’t have access to all of the different avenues that business owners have now, like Amazon or Etsy,” said Brady, reflecting on the early years of the business.

Unless she could find a children’s version of a popular character’s wig at Target, Brady had to dye her hair to look the part.

“So if I played Elsa one day and Ariel the next,” she said, “I was bleaching my hair on Friday and dyeing it red over top for Saturday.”

Princess and Superhero Parties Pittsburgh has grown to an 85-actor staff spread across five states — Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Florida and Colorado — with plans to expand to Michigan. Nearly 40 actors work up to 22 events — ranging from children’s birthday parties to weddings — each week in the Pittsburgh area, West Virginia and Ohio.

Actors practice “Star Wars” lightsaber choreography and learn to swim while wearing 35-pound silicone mermaid tails to accurately portray their characters.

Now, the company is branching into the Southwestern Pennsylvania region, including Greensburg and Latrobe.

“I noticed that there isn’t anything like this in those areas, from where I grew up,” Brady said.

Even though the business requires Brady to work long hours, often coordinating events until 11 p.m., she sticks with it to create meaningful memories for children.

“I am a very tough CEO who, over 15 years in business, has become very unemotional,” she said. “But when it comes to the kids, I will be reduced to a blubbering, crying, sobbing, dramatic mess over a child or their event not being perfect.

“That’s what keeps me doing it.”

To schedule Princess and Superhero Parties Pittsburgh, visit pittsburghprincessparties.com.

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