Dry towns like Haddon Heights and Moorestown are banking on booze for downtown revival

When residents of Haddon Heights voted last month to end a 120-year-old de facto ban on liquor sales, the borough became the latest South Jersey community to bid goodbye to dry.

As brick-and-mortar retailing continues to face challenges, some Garden State communities that do not allow liquor sales are looking to do so to boost downtown businesses.

“Twenty years ago we were pretty much bone dry, but we’ve been somewhat dry-in-name-only for a while,” said Mayor Zachary Houck, a supporter of liquor sales in Haddon Heights.

He noted that loopholes in state alcoholic beverage regulations have enabled retail and restaurant sales of wine bottled by New Jersey vintners, along with brewpubs that produce beer on site, even in otherwise dry towns, such as Moorestown and Pitman.

The vote in favor of alcohol sales on Nov. 5 made national headlines, with the New York Times and the Washington Times assigning reporters to write about the sea change in a picturesque little Camden County suburb.

Houck said he expects the two licenses would become available next spring. A public forum will be scheduled in January, and the mayor said the borough would make sure that prospective buyers of licenses would create restaurants in suitable locations within the borough’s redevelopment zones.

Joe Gentile, who owns Tanner Brewing Co. on West Atlantic Avenue and the Local Links Cafe on Station Avenue, attributed the shift in local sentiment toward booze in part to the success of public events like “Rhythm and Brews” and “Sippin’ on Station” that he and others have staged downtown featuring local brews as well as food trucks, vendors, and entertainment.

“Am I a supporter of having liquor licenses? Yes, of course,” said Gentile, who also is a partner in the Reunion Hall indoor/outdoor tavern on Haddon Avenue in Westmont.

“If liquor licenses are rolled out correctly, and there is a plan in place, I believe [restaurants with liquor licenses] could be a boost to wherever they land,” he said.

Making more, and more affordable, liquor licenses available statewide was a goal of legislation Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law last January. The measure was touted as an unprecedented reform of New Jersey’s liquor laws, long described by critics as arcane and antiquated.

“By easing restrictions and boosting the availability of licenses, we are creating new opportunities for small businesses, especially mom-and-pop establishments, to expand and facilitate development on main streets across New Jersey,” Stella Porter, a spokesperson for the governor, said.

The legislation does not provide for an immediate adjustment in the number of available licenses by loosening the population-based cap — one license for every 3,000 residents. Nor were the reforms concerned with dry towns.

But New Jersey’s continuing interest in expanding access to alcohol statewide suggests how far the state has come from the “blue law” restrictions of the past.

The N.J. Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control “does not track dry towns,” noted Alison Inserro, public information officer for the state Attorney General’s office, under which the ABC operates. State law requires that a dry municipality hold a successful public referendum in order to begin making the change, she noted.

Traditional and online media put the statewide number of dry communities at around 30, compared to about 40 a decade ago. Many of those remaining are in South Jersey, particularly in substantially rural Cumberland and Salem Counties.

South Jersey suburbs like Moorestown and Pitman — each with long dry traditions — have held successful referendums to allow for liquor sales at restaurants since 2011. The Moorestown Mall now boasts several dining spots, and a long-unused swimming pool at the township’s landmark Community House is being converted into a microbrewery.

» READ MORE: Microbrewery is planned in formerly ‘dry’ Moorestown

In Pitman, “we have two restaurants with liquor licenses, and they add to the vibrancy of our downtown,” said Barry Owen, who chairs the borough’s Economic Development Committee.

With deep roots as a Methodist Camp Meeting at Pitman Grove, the borough was resistant to even the remote possibility of becoming a party town.

“It seemed like nobody wanted there to be liquor licenses, but over a couple of years, the attitude changed,” said Owen.

» READ MORE: Historically dry Pitman looks to sell its first liquor license, but some say the price is too high

“I believe the general feeling became that we didn’t want bars, but we did want places where people could enjoy a mixed drink with dinner,” he said.

Meanwhile, Haddonfield and Collingswood, both officially dry, allow for BYOB and have brewpubs, which have helped animate their downtowns.

» READ MORE: Ever-evolving Collingswood considers whether liquor licenses could bolster its business district

Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley said the borough has more than 20 restaurants, many of them downtown, but would be eligible for only three or four liquor licenses under current state allocation standards.

He also said that while he understands why many restaurants in town would love to offer alcohol, “it’s part of our scene here that Collingswood is a BYOB town. It helps distinguish us.”

At least one new business has moved to Haddon Avenue, Collingswood’s main street, because of the borough’s dry status: Mercantile 1888, where a zero-proof mocktail bar is the centerpiece.

“We’re a curated zero-proof bar and bottle shop,” said Amanda Lewis, who co-owns the business with her partner, Stephanie Kinney.

“Being in a dry town, we’re not competing with alcohol [bars]. We are a bar setting where there aren’t any bars,” Lewis said.

She said the demand for mocktails is on the rise, especially for young bar-goers.

“We’re don’t have a downtown like Collingswood or Haddonfield,” said longtime Haddon Heights resident Bob Hunter. “We’ve got a two-block downtown, and parking is an issue.”

A site on West Atlantic Avenue — of which Tanner Brewing is a part — would be large enough to accommodate a large restaurant able to afford a liquor license, he said.

According to Houck, a site on the White Horse Pike near the borough’s border with Barrington also might work.

“Wherever [the licenses] land in our redevelopment zones, they are going to speed up redevelopment,” said the mayor.

Borough Council President Chris Morgan said he would like as much input from residents as possible during the entire process, noting that a substantial portion of the electorate voted no on liquor licenses.

Scott Alexander, a lifelong resident and a former mayor of Haddon Heights, is deeply skeptical about the level of public enthusiasm for “such a significant [and] transformational cultural change” in a community known for its historic charm, family-friendly atmosphere, and distinctive identity as a dry town.”

He questioned the value of liquor licenses as an economic development tool.

“This decision also risks attracting chain restaurants instead of fostering local, community-focused businesses that have always defined Haddon Heights.”

Ocean City — another South Jersey town that identifies as family-friendly — has no plans to allow BYOB, brewpubs, or wine sales, let alone liquor licenses.

“It goes beyond branding,” said Doug Wagner, the city’s public information officer. “It’s good business. And people like Ocean City the way it is.”