Congrats, Bristol! Bucks County borough wins $500K in small town competition

BRISTOL, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Bucks County town won a half million dollar prize, all to support local business.

It was a packed house at the Bristol Riverside Theatre Wednesday afternoon as community members waited to find out if Bristol Borough had won the Deluxe Corporation's Small Business Revolution.

And - the room erupted with cheers and hugs as a company spokesperson appeared on stage to announce Bristol won the $500,000 to help its small business community and be featured in a series that streams online.

"The town did it. You can see the enthusiasm here. The turnout today, they are fantastic," Bill Pezza, President of Bristol's Raising the Bar organization, said.

Bristol was among five small town finalists across the country.

This Bucks County community came together at schools and libraries, anywhere, to cast thousands and thousands of votes online on the borough's behalf.

"I had a feeling all along that we would be the winner. We just had an overwhelming response by the people who live in this town," Mayor Joe Saxton said.

Over the next few weeks, local businesses on and near Mill Street, the main drag through town, will apply to get business advice and be a part of the online show.

"Robert Herjavec from Shark Tank is a cohost of the show with me and he kind of compliments the business side of the advice while I help with the marketing advice along with my team at Deluxe," cohost Amanda Brinkman said.

"We've done facade programs. We put street lights in. We paved the streets, but we can't give them that individual business help that would be so helpful to them," Saxton said.

"It's definitely going to do great things for the town. The way that people now in Bristol are more united than ever," restaurant owner Robert Angelaccio said.

Bristol Borough was already on the way up. 16 new stores opened on Mill Street just last year.

They're hoping this grant and the attention they're getting will give this small town the push it needs to become even better.

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