Mike Hanna Jr. walked slowly down the brick sidewalk in Wyomissing late Thursday morning, followed by a small mob of chattering people.

They were pointing things out to the executive deputy secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development as he strolled. They showed him small parking lots, a UPS Store and a coffee shop.

The group slipped into a few of the stores along the 900 block of Hill Avenue, a mixed retail and residential area known as The Block. They visited Vintner’s Table wine bar and restaurant, Club Pilates and Kinya Ramen — each business within a few steps of each other.

Terry Brett, left, owner and CEO of Kimberton Whole Foods in the Knitting Mills shopping, center, talks with the state Department of Community and Economic Development Executive Deputy Secretary Mike Hanna Jr., state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz and state Sen. Judy Schwank during a tour of small businesses in Wyomissing on Thursday. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

“This is a model for other communities,” Hanna said, pointing out the first-floor stores and restaurants topped by apartments.

Hanna stopped by for a tour Wyomissing to check out what he called a vibrant and vital downtown commercial district. He was pleased with what he found — a place where people can live, eat and shop — and said it’s the type of thing he hopes to see blossom in other communities across Pennsylvania.

And he’d like the state to aide in that effort.

Hanna’s visit was part of a statewide tour to check out Main Street areas across the commonwealth and to push for increased state funding to support them. His boss, Gov. Josh Shapiro, has called for $25 million in funding for the state’s Main Street Matters program to be included in the 2024-25 state budget, which is due at the end of the month.

“Downtowns are the lifeblood of a community,” Hanna said of the administration’s desire to support Main Street initiatives. “It’s where people come to gather, to meet their neighbors, to eat and drink, to visit hair salons.”

Hanna said an increase in Main Street Matters funding — the program only had $6 million in funding in the current state budget — will allow the state to help Main Street efforts across Pennsylvania thrive. He said the money helps support things like facade improvements, beautification efforts and getting communities organized.

“We want to make sure we have vibrant areas like this everywhere,” he said.

State Sen. Judy Schwank, who accompanied Hanna on his tour, said she was excited and proud that he came to visit Wyomissing. She said The Block, as well as the nearby The Knitting Mill Complex, are examples of how to breathe life into a downtown.

“For my constituents, shopping, apartments, eating are a part of the quality of life they want,” she said.

Schwank said she is glad the Shapiro Administration recognizes the importance of supporting downtowns.

“There is a good understanding by the state that Main Streets matter,” she said. “This is where a lot of our economic growth comes from.”

The state Department of Community and Economic Development Executive Deputy Secretary Mike Hanna Jr., left, talks with Marco and Andrea Folino, owners of the Vintner’s Table, during a tour of small businesses in Wyomissing on Thursday. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Schwank said that while the addition of a large industrial or manufacturing site — like, for example, a computer chip plant — are great and make a big splash, small businesses like the ones that fill Wyomissing’s downtown are the ones that really provide jobs and improve the quality of life in communities.

And that, the senator said, was why she was so proud to help show off Wyomissing.

“We’re starting to get some juice,” she said. “We’re starting to get some things going.”

During his tour, Hanna spoke with local leaders such as Wyomissing Mayor Fred Levering, borough manager Michele Bare and borough council members. He also spoke with small business owners, trying to get a sense of what the state can do to give them the support they need to be successful.

“It’s always good to get out of the fourth floor of the Keystone Building and meet some real people,” he said with a laugh. “I want to know what we can do for them.”