Tanner Street is open for business, but there are some missing details of the newly renovated street that are leaving merchants in the dark.
Despite the street sporting a completely redone surface and being open to drivers 24-hours a day, several Tanner Street business owners have said that customers have yet to return to the embattled roadway. Joe Brown, executive chef and owner of Melange, said he and several other owners are still waiting for lights to be installed on Tanner Street. Currently, when the sun goes down the street turns into a “dark alley” at night, Brown said, which does not attract many shopper.
“We’re still waiting on the lighting. The lights will be eye appealing when they’re finally installed. They will make you feel safe as opposed to walking down a dark alley at night,” he said.
To date, Brown estimates that he has lost more than $300,000 in business due to the construction of the street.
Unlike retail business on the street, Brown said he deals with losses on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week. Everything in the restaurant is bought fresh, nothing is ever frozen, he said, so his wares cannot sit on the shelf until they find a buyer.
“It’s a high end business for me. The immediacy of people getting down to Tanner and getting in here is huge,” he said. ”I have not seen a direct impact on my business through the street being opened yet.”
The holiday lighting ceremony, which was held on Friday, Nov. 25, brought hundreds of visitors to the street, he said, but very few of them came into the restaurant.
Wendy Kates, owner of Stardust Memories, said the holiday lighting ceremony was one of the best nights she’s had on the street. However, because the lights haven’t been installed yet, she had to close her shop at 8 p.m.
“I can’t be open at night during the holiday season because the street is too dark. Nobody wants to walk down the street to our businesses when it’s so dark,” Kates said.
Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough said the light fixtures are on order and will be installed by PSEG. When the fixtures come in they will be installed immediately, she said, and the borough hopes to have the project completed by mid-December.
Another issue? The newly installed parking kiosks, which Kates said are keeping potential customers away from Tanner Street.
“I have issues with the borough as why they would pick Tanner as a test market for the parking kiosks. We’ve been punished enough with the construction, why choose this street,” Kates asked.
Kates estimates that she has seen at least 10 shoppers come to the street, look at the kiosks, and then leave since they were installed about a month ago.
We’re the redheaded stepchildren of downtown Haddonfield, said Ghislaine Bossard, owner of Angel Bridal on Tanner Street.
“I think the borough has really dropped the ball, in terms of the lights, and everyone is blaming everyone else for these problems and we’re not getting any answers for when this is going to be finished,” she said. “We’d like to see an end to this. We’d like to get answers; we really need closure down here. “
