POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- Window by window, volunteers worked to save Pottsville's Thompson Building Wednesday morning.
They washed the old, dirty windows and applied colorful geometric decals.
Their motto? Keep the sparkle alive.
"I learned years ago an old adage: all that glitters is not gold. all that glitters will be sold. The idea is to give this a little bit more curb appeal," said David Clews, President of the Pottsville Business Association.
The Thompson Building has stood at the corner of North Centre and West Market Streets for more than a century. Empty for years and in need of repairs, members of the city's business association hope someone takes notice.
"What I would truly love to see for this building is someone to purchase it, redo it, it is a historical part of Pottsville and I really would hope somebody would buy it, restore it and bring it back to life again," said Kimberly Leaswitch of the Pottsville Business Association.
The project to make the Thompson windows sparkle was planned in part by Patrick Murphy, vice president of the business association and well-known Pottsville jeweler. He was stabbed to death in New Orleans two months ago.
"Pat's one dream here in downtown Pottsville was to make Pottsville proud and carry on his legacy so there's most of the Murphy Jewelers team here in downtown Pottsville remembering him in the way he would want," said Christine Logothetides, manager of Murphy's Pottsville store.