Op-Ed: Does Mt. Airy Need a Little More Developmental Drama?
Debating whether a controversy over a proposed new business might be good for the community.
Mt. Airy is, for better or for worse, sandwiched between two dramas.
When Pat Burns talked about putting a Save-a-Lot and a Dollar Tree in Chelten Plaza in Germantown earlier this year, he was met with an ire that continues to persist throughout zoning hearings and community group meetings. Neighbors generally seemed to feel like they didn’t want another dollar store in their community, but it looks like it’s probably going to go in to the newly revitalized shopping area, even as many continue to object.
News that a new Wired Beans Cafe would also inhabit a space inside the plaza did assuage some of the anger activists had directed at Burns, but they’re continuing to fight aspect of the developer’s plan. They’re clearly not entirely happy with the way things worked out.
Chestnut Hill, meanwhile, is experiencing its very own neighborhood kerfuffle. Richard Snowden’s plan to bring a condominium and retail development to the 8200 block of Germantown Avenue—complete with a large parking lot—has, in a sense, divided the community. Some favor the grocery store plan, saying it will draw people into the business corridor to shop there and at other local businesses nearby, while others, like supporters of a relatively newly opened Weavers Way (the co-op branch opened in 2010), say it will create an unwanted large-scale development in an area where smaller establishments are the norm and believe it will hurt the other food purveyors nearby, like the co-op and the Chestnut Hill Farmers Market.
Mt. Airy, meanwhile, has generally stayed away from longstanding dramas of this sort in the past year or so. Sure, there was tension recently over an art expo that unexpectedly closed down the 7100 block of Germantown Avenue during a prime fall shopping weekend, and community leaders are still dealing with the fallout associated with that. But that issue is more about a one-time event that, for the most part, isn’t affecting the community right now. The Germantown and Chestnut Hill issues, meanwhile, could—and probably will—have long-standing effects on those neighborhoods for years to come.
Neighborhood leaders in Mt. Airy often marvel at how the community is very good at coming together on a variety of different matters. That’s true, for the most part, and it sort of speaks to why there often seems to be less overt drama here than in other places. (Go to a Chestnut Hill Community Association meeting, then head to an East Mt. Airy or West Mt. Airy Neighbors gathering, and you’ll quickly see that’s the case.)
But there’s a slower-moving, definitely pernicious drama of other sort being played out in Mt. Airy’s business corridor right now, and if you’ve simply walked up and down Germantown Avenue for the past year on a semi-regular basis, you’ve seen it. That’s the fact that small businesses and galleries appear to be closing at an alarming rate.
Johnson’s Barber Shop. Jean-Jacques Gallery. One Salon & Boutique. Blackbone Gallery. Little Herban Spa. Artista. Past & Present. Dirty Girl Brigade. Black Olive Restaurant (whose owners were charged with stealing federal money to run the establishment) and Black Pearl Restaurant (which isn’t closed for good, according to its owner, but is temporarily shut down because it’s not up to code). All of those businesses have something in common—they’re on either the 7100 or 7200 block of Germantown Avenue, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that doing business right now in a place of prime real estate in Mt. Airy isn’t easy.
Let’s be fair—a number of businesses have also opened recently there. A dog grooming spot is now welcoming customers, as is BellaNOR Boutique. But it seems to be overwhelmingly true that’s it’s harder to open up shop here than it once was.
You can say what you want about the Germantown and Chestnut Hill proposals. There’s no question they’re problematic, and the jury’s still out, obviously, on whether they’ll be good for the community. But at the very least, they’re attempts to bring new, established businesses to spots that have certainly been hit by the recession.
And maybe that’s something Mt. Airy needs. If a larger, well-known store or restaurant with name recognition—like Iron Hill Brewery, for example, which has locations throughout the region and will open a new one in Chestnut Hill in the next few months—managed to move into this neighborhood, I’m sure there would be some opposition. Mt. Airy’s all about grassroots innovation and the little guy; I can imagine people saying it doesn’t need a chain store or similar business. But I think it would be a great thing if something like that brought in people from outside the neighborhood and kept them shopping at other local businesses while they were here. After talking to Mt. Airy business owners, I'm even more convinced.
You could call that the Night Market effect—when the Food Trust’s now-famous evening bazaar came to Mt. Airy in August, businesses and restaurants were packed with people who hadn’t generally been frequenting the neighborhood. I think a business with name recognition could have a similar—if less dramatic—impact.
We can all be thankful that we don’t have major disagreement within the community over large-scale developments like our neighbors do. But if a little drama goes a long way toward making sure that the Germantown Avenue business district remains viable, then a tad more tension might be something we need.
In This article
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Wired Beans Cafe
6734 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA -
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Weavers Way Co-Op Market
559 Carpenter Ln, Philadelphia, PA
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Market at the Fareway
8229 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA -
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East Mount Airy Neighbors
7301 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA -
West Mount Airy Neighbors
6703 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA -
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Black Pearl Restaurant
7200 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA -
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BellaNOR Boutique
7117 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA -
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Meenal Raval
8:37 am on Tuesday, December 6, 2011
We need to ask ourselves what takes us out of Mt Airy, and work to bring those enterprises local. There are many, and they needn't be large recognized names from the outside. For starters, we sure could use a shop for new and/or used books, new and/or used clothing (Bella Noir isn't for all sizes), a hardware store...
Would love to hear what others think is missing from our strip of the Avenue.
Eric Sternfels
11:10 am on Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Killian's in Chestnut Hill is retail store & high service gem that we in Mt. Airy should support, but what about a store in Mt. Airy that specialized in well-designed home goods: Linens, housewares, small appliances (not trendy /cheaply made items and not Walmart).....something like Foster's Urban Hardware or the way Pottery Barn started out decades ago.
I would love to see a good Vietnamese Restaurant here.....the nearest one may be in Olney.
Frankly, I think any new retail depends on visitors in vehicles, so adequate available parking is essential as well.
Marie-France Cyr
4:03 pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I believe a decent movie theater at the Sedgwick would be great.
Heather Fletcher
11:28 am on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
@Marie-France Cyr: There's a more than decent movie theater right there. Next door to the Sedgwick, in the Little Theater at the Video Library, Medium Rare Cinema's been bringing movies to Mt. Airy that aren't available on DVD and aren't available in the U.S. ... Did you know about Medium Rare already? http://mtairy.patch.com/events/medium-rare-cinema-presents-the-sicilian-clan-2400bf34
Bill Ewing
4:40 pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I don't think the failure rate of new businesses in Mt. Airy is any greater than elsewhere. The statistics on small business failures everywhere are very high. And chain stores haven't had a great rate of success in Chestnut Hill. Sure, it would be great to have a movie theater here, but I doubt that would be much help to the other businesses. Note that most movie theaters don't have other stores nearby. For one thing, they require a lot more parking than we have in Mt. Airy. And we're an unusual neighborhood to have two (2) legitimate theaters -- Allen's Lane and Quintessence.
SP
12:49 am on Wednesday, December 7, 2011
We do have a bookstore -- Big Blue Marble. I second the idea of a Vietnamese restaurant. Thai would be great too. Successful business districts seem to have a concentration of fun, cutesy shoppes; an assortment of restaurants serving affordable lunches (dinner-only places don't help the shops -- unless the shops are open evenings), and enough of the kinds of stores where you do your Saturday errands. What does NOT seem to promote a thriving district is thrift stores and nail salons.
AL GREY JR
3:13 am on Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Mr. Johnson passed away last year (Johnson's Barber shop) Black Peral is a good restaurant, Black owned but some white folks don't want it there for special reasons. The racial divide in Chestnut Hill has hurt business not made it better while shopping malls cater to all people. There is one person that owns a restaurant business in Mt. Airy that has been getting city & gov. funds for years to build there place & never have to pay it back (our tax dollars) while they have deep pockets to do it on there own. Oh Yes the sevice & food is not that great there also. Yes we need a Pearl & other good restaurants in Mt. Airy to eat not another bar for drunks. Yes Mt. Airy does need a movie & a entertainment complex with good entertainment. The art expo was a success it brought many people to Mt. Airy Gtn.av. that may have never have come there & yes many businesses did more than average business on that weekend. The people that are making reports please come out of your office & go to all the bussinesses & ask them starting at the Wawa & go all the way to Mt. Pleasant Av.( It sounds to me like Wall Street a certain few want it there way all the time, it's there way or the hiway) (Who is paying for this web site???? please let your readers know) All it takes is people wanting to work together not calling there friends downtown to close somebody up!!!!!!!!!!!
Deborah Gary
7:10 pm on Wednesday, December 7, 2011
While you await new businesses in the 7100/7200 block check out others in Mt Airy. Yes - there are other bookstores - Big Blue Marble, Walk A Crooked Mile and Color Book Gallery. Personally speaking, if the Art Expo is considering options, think about the 6300 Block Germantown for next year. My wish list includes a sit down restaurant and other businesses in the 6300 block to help build a historic/tourist shopping district.
Ames Adamson
11:30 am on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Deborah Gary....I agree. from Washington Lane to Upsal is almost perfect for so many community acitivities. The 6300 block is starting to germinate. Wistaria Vintage, Crump Gallery, a new salon of some kind going in where G-spot was, and the LONG vacant lot mid block being developed....somethings up! With Upsala and Cliveden providing open space, for things, and loads of parking around ...this stretch is a natural. But more than that, it is a bit neglected...and would help solidify the eastern most edge of the neighborhood into the rest of the area.