Collingswood earns magazine’s praise

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A national magazine has cited this borough in its annual Best Places to Live feature.

Men's Journal chose Collingswood as the Best Place to Go Car-Free, noting its compact downtown and easy access to Philadelphia via the PATCO Hi-Speedline.

Economy poses challenges to downtowns

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Eric Spinner says his business, Health Haven II, is growing again in Medford -- thanks to a move away from the local business district.

And the Treehouse Coffee Shop reports similar success in Audubon -- after leaving the busy downtown of Collingswood.

Such shifts can hurt efforts to boost local economies through the development of vibrant business districts, which help ease property tax burdens, improve real estate values and attract residents.

But experts note ways to strengthen and maintain key street districts during tough economic times. They advise taking advantage of state assistance, creating parking near main streets and having landowners rewrite leases for valued tenants.

Medford officials are looking into joining the state's Main Street programs that last year helped 26 downtowns benefit from $107 million in private reinvestment. The programs produced a net gain of 513 full-time jobs and brought in 128 new businesses, according to a state Main Street coordinator.

"It would provide avenues that are very advantageous for us," said Medford Mayor Bob Martin.

Jef Buehler, director of Main Street New Jersey, said Medford's "quaint" shopping district is hidden from thousands of drivers that travel by for commuting, shopping and business purposes. He said his department looks forward to more talks with Medford officials and to implementing an approach to revitalize the downtown.

In the past few years, Medford's downtown has been stagnant with 23 vacancies, including Spinner's former shop, and eight businesses displaced from a 2008 building fire.

New businesses have opened in town, but at established shopping centers, like Ironstone Village on Stokes Road. Spinner moved to a site at Old Marlton Pike and Hartford Road, which he said offers more parking and traffic exposure.

Martin and new Historic Medford Village president Rich Lechner contend the downtown area has plenty of on- and off-street parking, with more than 50 spaces. But they say more signs and promotion are needed to get that message to the town's 22,000-plus residents.

"People will turn away from shopping centers and go to small-scale stores if there's a walking environment, so parking is critical with well-designed lots hidden from Main Street," said Richard Bickel, director of planning for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

After 17 years on Main Street in Medford, Spinner said he had to make the 1.4-mile move last fall or close his holistic business.

"I sometimes looked outside my door there and said, 'Where is everyone?'" Spinner said.

"Main Street was always quaint and charming and I hung in for the last five years out of loyalty to the other shops," Spinner said. "But I realized I wouldn't make it."

The Treehouse Coffee Shop was challenged by the steep rents and dense pool of eateries in Collingswood's downtown, said owner Randy Van Osten.

"I don't think we would've survived there," he said. His new Merchant Street site offers twice the space, 2,400 square feet, for half his former rent, or about $1,633 per month.

"We're pretty fortunate with two sides of the street for parking, less overhead and a couple hundred customers per day, including a lot from Collingswood."

The coffee shop's former site, at Collings and Haddon avenues, now holds Bistro AmericanA.

For landlords in high-rent areas who want to keep current tenants, Buehler and Bickel said it might be worthwhile to renegotiate leases during temporary economic downturns.

"That relationship is foundational for surviving and thriving," Buehler said. "The last thing they want to do in this economy is fill a vacancy."

Reach Jeremy Rosen at (856) 486-2456 or jrosen@camden.gannett.com

Litter lines South Park Drive

As the last snow piles melt following a hectic winter, residents anticipate the hint of spring blooms on what was hidden ground.

Something else that was packed beneath snow, and is now visible, is litter.

One issue reported on SeeClickFix, a web application where residents can report civic problems like pot holes and graffiti, is an area of litter along South Park Drive in Collingswood.

Read more about this issue, and view the photo gallery, after the jump...

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Street corner prone to flooding

As many InJersey users are aware, citizens are able to report local civic problems on our "Fixer Upper" page by using the SeeClickFix application on our Web site.

Click here to view the Collingswood InJersey Fixer Upper page.

One problem that was reported six months ago and appears to be an ongoing issue is the flooding street corner at the intersection of Crestmont Terrace and Maple Avenue.

Read more about this issue after the jump...

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Police rift grows between 2 towns

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With less than four months to go before a police-sharing agreement with neighboring Collingswood comes to an end, Woodlynne is working toward reinstating its own police department and withholding a payment to Collingswood because of concerns of police coverage.

The rift between the two boroughs has existed since April, when Collingswood announced that its police would stop patrolling Woodlynne a year before the agreement was due to expire. Collingswood officials said at the time that local police lacked the resources to cover both towns.

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Halftime talk lifts Panthers

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Collingswood High School junior guard Nadirah Robinson enjoys rebounding the basketball, but she also has a knack for getting into the passing lanes and making big steals.

She did both very well Saturday afternoon in her team's 36-23 victory over Haddon Heights in a Colonial Conference Liberty Division game.

Robinson finished with a game-high 15 points and added seven rebounds and five steals for the Panthers (15-10). She and fellow starter Samantha Gregg, who added 10 points, helped their team outscore host Heights 22-13 in the second half, including 12-5 in the third quarter.

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Video: Collingswood Deals With Costs

Dave Schratweiser looks at how one New Jersey town will deal with serious financial pressures from record snowfall in the region.

via Video: Collingswood Deals With Costs.

No formula for thriving downtowns, experts say

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Joanne Mortimer remembers the hustle and bustle of Main Street in her lifelong hometown of Maple Shade. Mortimer, 59, said that changed about 40 years ago when malls were on the rise.

But the chairwoman of the town's "renaissance committee" believes the street can come back to life.

"I think it can be revitalized with the right stores coming in and a place for kids to go," she said.

Maple Shade's business association, a Main Street community group, township officials and other volunteers are working to build the downtown resident base, attract new retail and lure other businesses.

Maple Shade, Woodbury and Medford are three tri-county towns turning to the development of a cornerstone building to be a catalyst for main street regeneration. Other towns, such as Moorestown and Mount Holly, are also developing plans to spruce up their key avenue.

Successful main streets often define their towns.

They can stimulate and stabilize a town's economy, decrease property tax burdens, boost housing market values, create local jobs and attract and retain residents.

But experts say a constant struggle is shared among leaders who are pursuing their communities' unique main street identity.

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South American-style steakhouse coming to Collingswood

Collingswood’s shuttered Word of Mouth restaurant on Haddon Avenue will be replaced in early February by El Sitio, a South American-influenced steak and seafood restaurant.

It’s the first U.S. venture for Ecuador native Francisco Cabrera, who has two restaurants in his native country. The Cherry Hill resident, 53, has lived in this country for a year and a half and says he chose Collingswood for its proximity to Philadelphia and its small-town feel.

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Confirmed: Word of Mouth closed

We stopped by the former Word of Mouth restaurant at the corner of Washington and Haddon aves, and comfirmed that the windows are taped up, doors are locked, and phone is disconnected.

According to Chef Mark Smith, they were scraping off their logo from the window over the weekend.

Happy New Year, Collingswood! Welcome to 2010!

Kin Cheung/AP Photo

On behalf of Collingswood InJersey and the Courier-Post, I would like to wish our readers a Happy New Year! We appreciate you visiting our Web site and contributing here at InJersey.

We hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

Please comment, and let us know how you're celebrating in Collingswood, NJ.

If you would like to see how others are ringing in 2010, check out the Courier-Post photo gallery of celebrations around the world: 2010 celebrations around the world | courierpostonline.com | Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties Holidays | Courier-Post.

Hey, Collingswood, how’s life?

Courier-Post file

New Jersey: Great State or Greatest State?

A recent poll among NJ residents shows that they think life has been so-so in the Garden State over the past decade.

So we want to know from you, Collingswood residents, how's life been for you in NJ since the new millennium?

Take the poll, and then check out the article after the jump.

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Collingswood bank taps loan specialist

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Collingswood-based 1st Colonial National Bank has hired William Chilkotowsky as a Senior Residential Loan Consultant in the bank's Residential Lending Division. Chilkotowsky, a Mount Laurel resident with over 8 years experience in residential and consumer lending with Wachovia Bank, is a graduate of Shawnee High School and Rider University.

Gerard M. Banmiller, President and CEO of 1st Colonial National Bank, announced the hire, saying: "The addition of William Chilkotowsky to the Residential Lending Division builds on our proud and successful tradition of providing strong industry specialists in new home mortgage financing that enable us to offer a variety of loan products with prompt underwriting commitments and approval delivered with the personal attention that our customers have come to rely on."

Collingswood Night at the Flyers – Jan 28

AP Photo

Do not miss an exciting evening cheering on the Philadelphia Flyers with your friends and neighbors! Come out for the night on January 28 at 7 p.m. when the Flyers take on the Atlanta Thrashers.

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#SJTweetUp at Tortilla Press, Collingswood

SJ residents met up at Tortilla Press in Collingswood last Thursday to put a face with a name, discuss how Twitter can help business/personal life and sip margaritas. Not everyone was a member of the social networking site and some were new to it, but everyone shared their views on the site and stories about it.

12/10/09-South Jersey locals talk Twitter over food at Tortilla Press, Collingswood.-By Bobbi Lee Hitchon

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