Belpre’s business landscape is going through a period of transition — and opportunity — as familiar retailers move on, and others get a facelift.

According to Mayor Susan Abdella, Fruth Pharmacy has joined Rite Aid in closing its Belpre location, but Go Mart is renovating its entire Washington and Main location.

“It will be a whole new updated site that will look fabulous when you come into Belpre,” she said of Go Mart.

But what comes next, as residents and business owners and public officials “see the face of Belpre changing?”

Belpre is fortunate to have leadership that includes an economic development team capable of getting to work on such a challenge.

Abdella says that group will be looking at “What are we missing in our retail and commercial industries so we can start looking for businesses that we can recruit.”

There is potential and plenty of room for growth. There is opportunity in Belpre for savvy business owners ready to take a new step.

“We need to start looking at what would best fit in our market and what would fill our gaps, and we will recruit for that,” Abdella said last week.

It is encouraging to know that work is already beginning — and encouraging to know many of the people putting their heads together for this effort are the kinds of people who can move mountains and don’t often take no for an answer.

Here’s hoping it won’t be long before the right fits are found. But, for now, the possibilities are endless.