Thompson Residents, Business Owners Create Thriving Square
When Ledgemont High School closed in 2014, Thompson Township residents felt a loss of community and identity that continues to reverberate.
When Ledgemont High School closed in 2014, Thompson Township residents felt a loss of community and identity that continues to reverberate.
“A school is a town’s social center,” said Jim LaRosa, township road supervisor and former Ledgement High School football coach. “If a school goes away, the town kind of goes away.”
LaRosa, who has lived in Thompson since his childhood, spoke over coffee at Stockers by Anne, a restaurant on Thompson Square, with Trustee Erwin “Kok” Leffel on a recent Friday morning.
LaRosa and Leffel seemed to know everyone in the restaurant. An atmosphere of friendliness bubbled around them as owner Anne Pohto moved between tables with coffee refills and plates of eggs, pancakes and more.
Despite LaRosa’s fears, the diners at Stockers that morning seem determined to ensure Thompson doesn’t go away — and that it has a bright future.
“Because of its location, Thompson has always been a place people drive through,” Leffel said.
However, Thompson has not only endured but begun to turn a corner, as new businesses pop up around the square and established ones reach important milestones.
The efforts of passionate Thompson residents and businessowners have created a new path for the township and are helping make it a destination rather than a drive-through.
“We’re kind of off the grid, but if you come out this way, there’s so many things you can do,” said Robyn Gillett, store manager at Hemly Hardware in Thompson. “You can hit Stockers for breakfast or lunch, you can come here and shop, go over to (Thompson) Ledges for a walk or a hike, hit some of the wineries. You can have a full day, even though it’s a small town.”
Not only does Thompson offer plenty within walking distance of the square, but its people are deeply passionate about the town.
A group of residents and business owners have worked diligently to maintain, promote and share the benefits of a place that Leffel said has helped him lead a “life well lived.”
Thompson Square boasts food and drink options, places to shop and attractions that often surprise visitors who didn’t even know they existed.
While the school may be gone, Thompson’s community spirit is not — and that spirit is ushering in a new era of growth, one that builds on the town’s history while attracting new generations of business owners and visitors.
