Haddon Heights looks to boost business

Mike Ritzius, who has owned Sports Specialties in the commercial district of Haddon Heights for 20 years, knows firsthand about the recession troubling Main Streets across the country.

"People have stopped spending," said Ritzius, who added that his business was at an all-time low.

Though he's confident he will ride out the tough times because he owns his store, he worries for shopkeepers who pay rent.

"It's going to be a lot different environment out there in the next year or so," Ritzius said.

Mayor Scott Alexander recognizes the problems facing local merchants and is developing a plan to stimulate Haddon Heights' economy by promoting and improving the Station Avenue downtown district.

Alexander said the plan would include continued aesthetic improvements, such as refurbished sidewalks, and the development of projects that mix housing and businesses.

"Our town needs to reinvest in the community so we can enhance the well-being and quality of life in our town," he said.

Alexander, who has extensive professional marketing experience, sent a survey to all Haddon Heights residents in November, asking them to rate their satisfaction with the borough in 20 categories.

He said he figured: "Let's start to look at our borough in more detail and understand what the issues are in town."

Among categories that fell short of average satisfaction were "quality of Station Avenue Business District" and "amount and quality of economic development."

Alexander said that he considered borough residents customers and that the survey method was the best way to directly address their concerns. He said his economic-revitalization plan would be based on their feedback.

Alexander said his plan would aim to draw people to the quaint, historic downtown, which is lined with shops and restaurants.

The problem, he said, is improving Station Avenue without raising taxes or asking for more state aid. The answer is harnessing the financial potency of Station Avenue, he said.

His plan will have a public-relations aspect, getting people to "shop Haddon Heights first," Alexander said.

Alexander said many Station Avenue stores offered basic necessities. They might sometimes have slightly higher prices than some of the chains, but he wants to encourage residents to give local stores a chance.

"People have to spend," he said. "And if you're going to spend what you have to spend, spend it here."

Alexander is using the borough's publication, the Heights Report, to promote local shops. The free paper is delivered to all households.

The mayor is also considering selling some borough-owned empty lots and putting the profits into investment accounts that can be used to pay for downtown revitalization. Sidewalks have already been improved, and Alexander is looking to extend them farther along Station Avenue.

He would like to see more mixed residential/commercial properties along Station Avenue. He said other local towns had gotten economic boosts from similar strategies.

Karen Cilurso, senior regional planner with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, said the success rate of initiatives like Alexander's was usually around 50 percent.

"I think the success depends on the leadership," Cilurso said.

She said real change would have to be made through town zoning.

She said local towns had benefited from bringing in large anchor chains such as CVS or Starbucks.

As for some of the mixed-use development plans, Cilurso said: "There's no market there right now. People just aren't buying."

Still, she said, towns have to plan.

She also said new apartments would be valuable housing options in a more stable economic climate. She noted that many single-family houses in Haddon Heights were expensive and that apartments would be affordable options for families moving in.

The fact that Station Avenue already has apartments is a bonus, she said.

Cilurso added that her commission had named Haddon Heights a "Classic Town of Greater Philadelphia," highlighting it as a great place to live, work, and play.

She said that designation would help with Alexander's plan to attract new residents.

John Johnson, owner and operator of John's Friendly Market, said he liked Alexander's strategy. His grocery store, which he casually described as "a clearinghouse for town gossip," stocks many staples.

"Little shops in little towns like this are having a hard time surviving," Johnson said. He added that despite that trend, his business had improved.

He speculated that people were dining out less and were coming to rely on some of the quick-meal options his store offers.