Submitted photo The Philippi Convention & Visitors Bureau recently visited Midtown on Main and presented the owners and staff of the new Main Street business with a framed print of the Philippi Covered Bridge. From left are Kit Sweet, Tammy Stemple, CVB Board secretary representing Philippi Main Street; owners Jason and Susanne Frame, Jordon Russell-Garza, Karen Larry, CVB President; Coryn Kelly, Ed Larry, CVB Board member representing the BC Historical Museum; and Caleb Nolan, AmeriCorps member serving both the Historical Museum and the CVB.

PHILIPPI – The Philippi Convention & Visitors Bureau recently paid a welcome visit to Midtown on Main, Philippi’s newest Main Street business.

According to a CVB spokesperson, what the group found was a new identity for a former business… from a small location on the outskirts of town opened only on the weekends offering boba teas, sweets, periodic entertainment, and creative craft items, to an expanded business with a fresh identity.

An evolution, from BoTai Boba Tea in Mansfield to Midtown on Main, downtown Philippi’s breakfast and lunch café, entertainment venue, craft boutique, and gathering place for the area. Midtown on Main’s cafe focuses on breakfast specialties like breakfast burritos and locally baked breakfast pastries, lunches of homemade soups and sandwiches, a variety of hot and cold teas and coffees, still boba teas, beers and wines, homemade and locally baked cookies, scones and other sweets.

Midtown on Main is owned by the operators of the former BoTai Boba Tea, Jason and Susanne Frame. Over the time spent in the former business spot, the Frames knew they wanted to expand their beginning business to something more for Philippi and the area. They wanted to offer café style foods and seating; they wanted to offer more entertainment; they wanted to be more involved with Main Street.

A visit to Midtown tells visitors immediately they are in a café with many café style seating options, including a bar filled with a variety of goodies. The scents of freshly baking foods wafting from behind the three-quarter wall tells visitors of the foods being prepared. The Upcoming Events board shows a wide variety of entertainment offerings including the upcoming events for June, the Blue & Gray Reunion Ball, a mid-month Luau, and a comedy night.

The locally followed Sittin’ & Pickin’ Bluegrass Circle has begun playing regularly in Midtown, and Midtown was a host spot for the recent Philip Barbour High School’s prom, Night on the Town.

Additionally, Midtown on Main offers event rental space for gatherings of all types. The expanded stage footage was constructed to better accommodate larger entertainment groups. And the crafts that dotted the former shop now shine in the new location, which shows off the art and craft work of local artists and some international items as well.

Midtown on Main is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Their made-to-order foods are available until 3 p.m. Midtown can be reached by email at midtownonmainstreet@gmail.com or via the Facebook page.

While visiting the new Main Street business, the Philippi CVB presented Jason and Susanne Frame with a framed print of the Philippi Covered Bridge, the traditional welcome gift the CVB gives to new businesses. The print shows appreciation to the business for its confidence in Philippi as a great location for the business. The CVB Board of Directors began this type of welcome visit in 2021 and to date has visited and welcomed nearly 30 small businesses to the Philippi business area.

The Philippi Convention & Visitors Bureau’s primary purpose, according to the WV law and the Philippi City Charter under which it operates, is to enhance the economic climate of Philippi by developing and promoting the tourist resources and convention attractions.

The Board’s visits to local businesses have been undertaken to emphasize the importance of the businesses to the economic climate of Philippi.