The Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce appears to have settled into its new digs rather comfortably.

Vanessa Gerhard, administrative assistant, said the chamber has been housed at its current address at 37 W. Broad St, Suite 101 since the end of April.Since 2007, the chamber had operated from out of the building at 114 W. Broad St. The move to its new location was twofold, according to Gerhard."The Historical Society was taking over the (114 W. Broad St.) building, expanding their museum into that space," Gerhard said. "And we needed more space."Though not perfect, the transition has mostly been smooth, Gerhard said."We don't have a real sign yet, so there's been a learning curve for the public to figure out where we are," she said. "Our phone number, our email, hasn't changed."MembershipGerhard said the group currently has about 125 members.That figure is on target with when Gerhard began her assignment in January, at which time she said the chamber had about 120 members."Last year, we did get some new members," she said. "We're always looking for more."Gerhard said the chamber will begin its membership drive sometime after the start of the new year."We will be sending it out again to all the local businesses," she said. "It will explain the member-to-member benefits."Membership in the chamber is open not only to businesses, but also service organizations, local governments and individuals.EventsGerhard said the chamber is able to sustain itself through the various fundraisers it holds throughout the year.The chamber receives a disbursement from the borough, while the Annual Tamaqua Chamber of Commerce dinner is its biggest fundraiser of the year, Gerhard said."It's wonderful to have so much going on in this town and the surrounding areas," she said. "We have a great board of directors who organize everything."Gerhard said the chamber's board of directors meets at 8 a.m. the first Thursday of each month at 37 W. Broad St.No plans to mergeDespite several chambers merging in recent years, Gerhard said the chamber is content with where it's at."It does come up in meetings, but the current board doesn't feel the need to do that," she said. "The chamber has been doing fine on its own."For the chamber, that means continuing as a member-based organization dedicated to promoting and strengthening the economic, industrial, professional, cultural and civic welfare throughout the Tamaqua Area, and managing Tamaqua's Main Street Program."We're here to support the local businesses, promote them, get their name out through social media and the Times News," she said. "We want to promote and support the businesses in the Tamaqua area, which gets their name out there."For more information on the chamber, contact them at 570-668-1880, or

chamber@tamaqua.net.