NANTICOKE, Pa. -- In recent years, one Luzerne County community has struggled to keep businesses operating in its downtown.
Nearly a dozen empty storefronts sit along East Main Street in Nanticoke, but that could soon change. One of the larger vacant buildings was just purchased.
If you take a look inside the old Nanticoke Villa Personal Care Home on the corner of East Main and Walnut streets in Nanticoke, you can still see what's left from when it was last occupied five years ago.
The property was just bought for nearly a half-million dollars by a real estate company.
"Truthfully, it needs some help. It's good to see somebody come in there because it's an eyesore," Mike Masakowski of Nanticoke said.
FCLN Real Estate bought the property from the Nanticoke Municipal Authority.
Nockley Family Pharmacy and Cawley Physical Therapy will both be moving in either to this building or a new one erected in its place.
"It's huge. I mean they've been talking about bringing health care in for how many years, and finally, they're doing something about it," Andy Drury of Nanticoke said.
"Hopefully it will revitalize the city a little bit. We could really use it down here," Masakowski said.
This building is one of many in Nanticoke that are vacant. People here hope this is the first step in bringing new businesses to town.
"I think that our town deserves to be lifted up like all of the other towns in the area. I mean, it's a nice place, so we deserve it," Kristen Cunningham of Nanticoke said.
It's not clear when these businesses will be able to move in or when construction will begin. However, officials said there is more retail space available in the building.