Porterville sees big business growth

PORTERVILLE, Calif (KFSN) -- Officials of one South Valley city say it's on the verge of a business boom.

Downtown, and around town, change is happening and there's hope Porterville will continue to grow and attract new business.

Stafford's Chocolates is one of Porterville's older business's, beloved by loyal customers from around the Central Valley for their handmade confections.

But in a strip mall next to Save Mart, the rent is high and owner Rob Taylor says they need more space.

The solution was downtown and the time is now.

"I found that now is the time to invest in Downtown Porterville and get down here before it's too late," owner Rob Taylor said.

So, in a little more than a month Stafford's will move back Downtown, into a 100-year-old building on Main Street.

Taylor says other local businesses are thinking about doing the same in hopes of revitalizing Porterville.

"So, when you do walk Downtown you're feeling something different than you did just a few years back," Taylor said.

The feeling is also different along Henderson Avenue.

While Taylor is leaving, the second busiest thoroughfare in Tulare County, four commercial developments are in the works there. Including one next to a new apartment complex.

Ulta Beauty is being built, Baskin Robbins is about to open and a new Applebee's has been pretty successful so far.

"So a lot of new development that came to the community and we continue to work on that here," Porterville city manager John Lollis said. "There's other tenants that have expressed an interest in locating here. Just a matter of trying to find that right space, and the properties that work together for their interest.

The city has rebounded back from recession years, and, perhaps, what's most exciting is what hasn't even been officially announced.

Lollis says an unnamed manufacturing company could move to Porterville and eventually offer up to 1,000 new jobs for the area.