Thursday, June 24, 2010

Inky's Mark Armstrong weighs in on McCauley plan

Today's Inky has a column by business section scribe Mark Armstrong, who ruminates on Chestnut Hill's retail woes and briefly touches on the plan by Midge McCauley and Downtown Works that was "unveiled" last night. McCauley was hired for $75,000 to conduct the study.

A takeaway figure from Armstrong's piece was this:


What did Downtown Works find from its interviews with "stakeholders" and on its walk-arounds? According to its report released Wednesday, too many banks, not enough restaurants, and a mix of stores that is not enticing to shoppers.

During the winter, the firm counted 175 business spaces on Germantown Avenue between Rex Avenue and Mermaid Lane. Thirteen percent of that space is now vacant. Retailers fill 43 percent of the space, while bars and restaurants account for 15 percent. Offices and religious institutions occupy 22 percent of the space, while service businesses work in 7 percent.

That's the kind of data that could probably have been gleaned from any regular Avenue shopper, but it will be interesting to see what solutions McCauley offers. We'll have more here on the plan shortly.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

McCauley to unveil plan next Wednesday

Retail consultant Midge McCauley will present a report to invited members of Chestnut Hill's business and civic community at Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Avenue, next Wednesday, June 23. McCauley and her firm, Downtown Works, were hired at the beginning of the year to study the Avenue's retail mix and its vacancy issues and create a plan of action.


Several weeks ago, retail recruiter Eileen Reilly was hired by the Business Improvement District to realize McCauley's plans.


The report caps a six month study by McCauley and her associates that was paid for with $75,000 in funds raised from the Chestnut Hill Community Association, Business Association, Parking Fund and Business Improvement District.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Electrical fire closes Cheese Shop this a.m.

Employees at The Cheese Shop on Germantown Avenue had a frightening start to the day when a fuse panel in the basement apparently short-circuited and started an electrical fire.

Cheese shop employee Adam Serfass said he and owner John Ingersoll heard a sound that sounded like an electric sizzle at about 8:30 this a.m. When he and Ingersoll went into the basement they saw massive sparks and Serfass called 911.

There appeared to be no damage to the shop. The shop was dark and passersby could smell smoke. The shop will likely remain closed for several hours as workers repair the circuit panel and check for other problems.