The Square is located in Dublin, PA, and is one of Bucks County’s newest community hubs. The Square is restoring the “town square” concept in a new and refreshing way, bringing together, “quality food and drink, local makers and retailers, health and wellness experts, and commercial office space all under one roof in the heart of Bucks County.” The Square can be found on 123 Main Street and has much to offer. From its various small businesses, event spaces, outdoor patio, health and wellness center, and exciting upcoming projects, there are so many aspects to explore. 

The Square brings a fresh and innovative experience to our area while simultaneously maintaining Dublin’s small-town community feel. It’s located in an old, beautifully restored factory building, which allows for a vintage atmosphere that draws people in. However, what keeps customers coming back are the businesses that give life to The Square. “Each business offers its own style and personality… which makes it such a cool environment to walk into,” says Rachel Runta, a student here at PHS and an employee at Farm to Toast, a café in The Square. The Shops located at The Square are home to vendors like Farm To Toast, a gourmet toast and wellness café, Wildflower Valley, a bohemian-style boutique, The Novel Baker, a cake boutique, Pineapple on Main, a store that offers a variety of home, baby, and gift items, Manes on Main, a hair and beauty salon, MAKERS Vintage + Handmade, a market that showcases a collection of locally handmade goods, and Wheat and Vine Provisions Co., a store that offers high quality, unique food items. However, these extraordinary retailers aren’t all that The Square has to offer; it also has The Offices that are home to a plethora of startup companies and other local small businesses. The Square is even home to a Health and Wellness Center that offers a variety of services from dance, karate, massage therapy, yoga, and more. 

We interviewed a few employees at different shops at The Square to get a feel for what it and its businesses are all about. Rachel Runta, who works at Farm to Toast, says that it, “has an amazing atmosphere right when you enter the door,” for both customers and employees. She elaborated that, “there, the public can expect to feel very welcomed and prepared to enjoy super gourmet food that has many benefits to it. From the mural on the wall, the bright light fixtures, huge chalkboard menu, and friendly employees, the vibe of Farm to Toast is very unique and creates a great overall experience.” Farm To Toast is owned by Robyn Anderson, who has always dreamed of opening a café. Robyn brings a fresh perspective to her café, as she lived in Hawaii for fifteen years and loves to incorporate all of the delicious flavors from Hawaii and her travels around the world into her food. Farm To Toast is one of the few healthy food cafés in the area. They specialize in, “various gourmet toast recipes both familiar and unique, superfood smoothies, and coffee selections.” One of the café’s key strategies for building up traction for the business and bringing in customers has been social media advertising. “Robyn has been constantly posting new items and other things about the café to bring people in. She also has local news sources planning to soon come in to highlight Farm to Toast, which will hopefully bring more attraction to the business.” This strategy certainly seems to be working, and you can check out all that Farm To Toast has to offer on their website, Instagram, or Facebook pages.

Sabrina Pappas is a sales stylist who works at Wildflower Valley, owned by Allie Foley. Sabrina was able to provide some great insight into what the atmosphere is like at Wildflower Valley. “We as a team strive to make guests feel welcomed and comfortable the entire time that they are in the boutique… We always try to create a fun, relaxed, and comfortable environment for customers to shop.” Like many shops at The Square, Wildflower Valley strives to sell locally made products and spends a lot of time meticulously choosing what items will be sold in the store, making sure that they have a purpose there. Allie Foley, the boutique owner, puts a lot of time and care into purchasing merchandise, ensuring that all of the products are either “handmade, US-made, fair trade, for a cause, sustainable, or women-owned… The style inspiration [that is mainly sold] is modern-boho!” The sales stylist went on to add, “Allie also picks and re-purchases products that are very popular and sell quickly. She also takes polls on social media asking what customers want to see more of each season.” The boutique uses social media as a key marketing tool, and Allie and her team are very skilled at promoting the shop. 

Sabrina shared, “When creating a post, you always want to try and think of the customer and what they are seeing from their end. Thinking about what looks cute, what looks appealing to the eye, etc., is important. You also want to include products from the store as well as any sales, store hours, etc.” Many of the posts on their Instagram and Facebook pages include outfit inspiration, accessories, and modeling and try-on hauls. Sabrina also informed us that the boutique has recently started a new form of social media advertising through a TikTok page she is in charge of running. “I try to keep up with some ‘trendy’ dances and post about our latest clothing arrivals!” Wildflower Valley is one of many shops at The Square run by a team of hard-working individuals that love what they do. These small businesses are the heart of The Square and are definitely worth a trip to Dublin. Most importantly, it’s always important to try to support small businesses!

The Square is an energetic and exciting new shopping center that is a must-see in the heart of our community. It continues to incorporate new businesses and is in the process of making an addition to the building. The new space will be a type of marketplace, housing a brewery, ice cream shop, and other food vendors. We have The Dublin Town Center (DTC) Investment Group to thank for The Square, as well as its soon-to-be next-door neighbor, Station 23. Station 23 will be a new and unique food and drink venue that will encompass local culinary favorites inside an old service station. The Dublin Town Center helps bring new life to the borough, and the community can’t wait to see what their plans have in store.