Strawberry Square - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - retail shopping center and business center for Harrisburg

Located in Pennsylvania's capital city, Strawberry Square is a retail shopping location and business center for visitors to Harrisburg. This city block has been authentically restored to include a number of atrium shops, restaurants, and office buildings. This square also plays home to the Harrisburg campus of Temple University and the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, as well as the Shakespeare Theatre and a number of annual special events.

Many visitors to Strawberry Square come specifically for the shopping. Some of the stores included at this location such as Bake & Price Jewelers, The Candy Store, Cue-Nique Lottery, Dress Barn, GNC Live Well, Hobson's Choice, Ideas and Objects, La Femme Jolie, Michael Boyd, Modern Jewelers, Mobile Pro, Pealer's Flowers and More, Plum Sport, and the Strawberry Parch. In addition, there are a number of services here, including Center City Chriopractic, Fitness U, Mark Cleaners & Newsstand, and the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union.

Moving away from Strawberry Square, shoppers can find "Shops on 3rd at Strawberry Square.'' These five upscale shops move away from the center of the square along Third Street. They include CETUSA, a non-profit organization that focuses on helping cultures learn to live together, as well as RAE's Tobacco Shop, an exclusive full-service store with experienced tobacconists and places to sit and smoke while enjoying a coffee.

Along with shops and services, visitors to Strawberry Square can enjoy the Popcorn Hat Players, the area's premier children's theatre group that interacts with their audience to tell Fairy Tales with a twist. This is part of the square's Gamut Theatre, which also includes the Shakespeare Festival, a non-profit professional theatre group.

A number of restaurants and snack shops are also located on the square, giving shoppers and local businessmen great places to eat for lunch or after work. Some of the places where people can eat on the square include the following: Arby's, Bagel Lovers Cafy, Bill's Big Burgers, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Chef Chen's Express, Santa Fe Taco Facotry, The Creamery, Gingerbread Man, Sakura Tokyo Express, Subway, and Two Brothers Pizza.

The square is also home to a number of special events every month. These include performances from area musicians, holiday events, book signings, inaugural events, awareness tables and fundraisers for local charities, festivals, and art or craft shows.

Hours for shopping and restaurant locations vary, but all of the business are open during square hours at minimum which are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Monday through Friday and 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays. The square is closed on Sundays, through some locations may remain open to accommodate weekend shoppers, especially around the holidays.

Strawberry Square is part of the Harristown Development Corporations, which was established in 1974 to help restore and re-energize the downtown area of Harrisburg. In addition to the square, they're also responsible for helping to renovate the Hilton Harrisburg and Towers, Market Square and Market Street, the Washington Square Townhouses, the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, and the Strawberry Arcade. Through two phases, the HDC spend over $22 million to complete this historic renovation, and many of these buildings are now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.