Talk of the town: a rooftop restaurant rises in revitalized Perkasie

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A roughly $4 million investment culminated in the opening of a rooftop lounge in downtown Perkasie on August 5. 

 The Ram Perkasie offers those 21 and over wine, cocktails, light fare and dessert on the rooftop of its restaurant and a star-lit bird’s eye view for miles around. 

 “The rooftop as been the talk of the town,” said Aaron Clark, Perkasie borough councilman. 

 “It brings something new to the borough we haven’t seen before,” he said. 

 The last phase of repurposing the roughly 100-year-old building in the downtown has been about six years in the making. The Ram, located next to Perkasie Borough Hall, occupies the former Thompson family hardware and general store, which opened about 1926.  

 The Ram’s outdoor dining is a premium service option for patrons looking to socialize during the coronavirus pandemic. 

 The restaurant, with roughly 9,000-square-feet of space on three floors, is expected to employ up to 70 full and part time workers, once hiring is completed, said Joe Wade, founder and president of 606 West Chestnut Street LLC, which operates The Ram. 

 “The Ram is an excellent example of how economic development truly works in communities… [positively] impacting many other Perkasie businesses and residents,” said Stephen Barth, Perkasie’s economic development consultant and president of Barth Consulting Group in Doylestown. 

 Wade said about 90% of the contractors and trades people who completed the renovation live and work in the Pennridge School District community, which includes Perkasie and its nearest neighbors: Sellersville, Hilltown, and East and West Rockhill townships. 

 “And 95% of the employees in the restaurant come from within the 18944 zip code,” he said.  

 Perkasie has made shopping and buying local a priority, even before the coronavirus pandemic, including shop-local initiatives aimed at residents and visitors to the downtown, said Andrea Coaxum, Perkasie borough manager. 

 Until The Ram is completed staffed, Wade expects limited rooftop hours.  

 For now, patrons may buy drinks and light fare, which are served in the street-level restaurant space and adjoining outdoor tables. Wade said he has no plans to levy a “bottle or VIP fee” to access the rooftop lounge. 

 The rooftop will be limited to those 21 or older, first come, first served, unless booked for a private party or event.  

 With expansive views of the downtown and adjacent farmland and woodlands, the Ram’s rooftop lounge is well situated for viewing events like the annual Christmas tree lighting, a perennial favorite borough event, and socialize under the stars. 

 The Ram Perkasie also offers catering for events including funeral lunches, rehearsal dinner and private parties, and an outdoor beer garden, known as The Ram’s Beer Garden, which is open during community events, and the weekly Perkasie Farmer’s Market held on Saturdays into October.  

 He said business has already exceeded his 2021 sales expectations.  

 Wade owns and operates two additional eateries in Bucks County: the Station Tap House in Doylestown and the Jamison Pour House in Jamison. All of his eateries are geared toward families. 

 A 20-year veteran in the restaurant industry Wade said construction began at The Ram before the pandemic started, and suffered some delays and supply chain issues, along with every other business sector since March 2020. 

 Wade’s current redevelopment plans include the renovation of the former Perkasie Train Station property, located at 6 South 7th Street. 

 Borough officials are keen to have existing building renovation in the downtown. 

 From permits to economic development resources, Coaxum said the Ram was a boost to the downtown’s revitalization efforts 

Rising from the ashes 

 Clark said Perkasie’s phoenix-like resurrection after the Great Perkasie Fire of 1988 was an inspiration. 

 “How many municipalities have the opportunity to come from a great tragedy like the fire in the late 1980s to have a clean slate and work with a comprehensive plan and keep plugging away at it,” Clark said. 

 The Great Perkasie Fire leveled about 15% of the downtown, and caused roughly $9 million in damage, consuming many century-old store fronts and buildings. 

 The fire started at the former Shelly & Sons lumberyard at Seventh and Market streets, and was started by two children playing with a lighter on the property. 

 Perkasie’s revitalization efforts since then have resulted in recruiting and opening a variety of new businesses, a focus on its comprehensive economic development plan, a thriving farmers market “incubator” which has grown current brick and mortar businesses like Papa’s Cupcakes, and the opening of the Pennridge Airport Business Park, a Class A industrial development complex. 

 Pennridge Airport Business Park, which includes land in both Perkasie and East Rockhill Township, is a multi-phased industrial complex with corporate airport facilities. 

 The park offers build-to-suit space for production and warehouse facilities for a range of industries including pharmaceutical and integrated businesses, the Pennridge Airport Business Park website said.   

 “A classic American downtown that is intentional is something special,” Clark said.