| |||
By HENRY MONTAGUE
For the Courier-Post
An estimated 20,000 people crowded the downtown at the township's Dickens Festival recently amid character actors, jugglers and a barbershop quartet.
The 12th annual event, held Dec. 7 this year, begins with a tree lighting ceremony and has become a way for area residents to mark the start of the holidays. It's also become an effective way to boost support for Medford Village businesses, event organizers said.
``The Dickens Festival is designed to kick off the holiday season with a bang,'' said Eric Spinner, owner of the Health Haven II store on Main Street.
The festival's origins coincide with the start of the Medford Village Association, which has helped support and stabilize township businesses, organizers said. Other efforts have also been undertaken to advertise and promote local businesses.
At a time when the economy is in recession, Martha Issod, the association's executive director and a township council member, said that many businesses are thriving downtown and that there are virtually no vacancies in the village.
"The Medford Business Association was organized 12 years ago when Medford Village had a lot of vacancies. The business owners got together to look for avenues to promote Medford Village," Issod said. "It was decided to promote the village through events.''
While the Dickens Festival is the association's winter showcase of Main Street shopping, the annual Art and Music Festival, organized four years ago, points up the village's businesses every spring, Issod said.
Spinner said that the downtown events all help bring in new customers, some of them from out of town. These customers often remark on the the idyllic village setting and customer service the stores offer.
"Most of our businesses in Medford are long-term,'' Issod said. ``We do not have a quick turnover rate. A lot are owned by residents, so they have something extra at stake. It's their town and that helps give the community feel that we have."
Another local program supporting businesses begun late last year is called Medford First. Under the program, township Medford First businesses pay $65 a year to be promoted on a Web site and in other advertisements. Medford First discount shopping cards were also mailed to residents, who can receive discounts at participating stores.
Businesses here appear to have arrived at a crossroad, however. Medford does not have much land left for business development, and there may be coming business growth on Route 70 that will compete with village businesses, Issod said.
"So our focus is on business retention. We do a pretty good job as it stands."
To keep it the business community thriving, she said the township council recently formed an Economic Development Advisory Commission.
"The main focus of this board will be how we as township can assist and retain our businesses," she said.
"After months of meeting we realized we need some more focus and we are hoping that in the future Medford township will hire an economic adviser,'' she said.
Terry Schrider, a member of the commission and formerly a longtime township resident, said Pinelands zoning restrictions, which cover about 70 percent of the township, have slowed business development. Additionally, Route 70 businesses are restricted from developing within 100 of the roadway, limiting the development of big-box stores, like Home Depot.
"If it wasn't for the environmental restrictions in the community, I believe the town would already be like Cherry Hill or Mount Laurel, where it was uncontrolled growth."
However plans are still pending for factory outlet store and strip malls along Route 70, which could take business away from the village, Issod said.
Schrider sees the the development of shopping along Route 70 as a double-edged sword.
"It has the potential to be either disastrous for Main Street and the village, or the other way around. If the township is smart they can play off the additional traffic which the development might create and actually feed off it," he said. "It's a threat, but it's also an opportunity."
Immediately ahead for the village, though, is another event that draws people in - Medford Eve 2002, the nonalcholic celebration of New Year's Eve.
Most businesses are closed during the evening while events featuring music, dance and other entertainment are held in different locations throughout the village.
"Residents who attend will see the businesses and hopefully come back,when they are open," said Issod.
``It's a family oriented evening.''
Today and Tomorrow stories:- Medford improves as growth slows
Already perched between the Pinelands to the east and suburban sprawl to the west, the township finds itself at another crossroads. - Schools prepare for more students
Thirty years ago, the rising tide of kindergarten enrollments here led to their classes being held in churches. - Support for the downtown is drawn from local events
An estimated 20,000 people crowded the downtown at the township's Dickens Festival recently amid character actors, jugglers and a barbershop quartet. - More kids beget more places to play in Medford
Regardless of interests or age, Medford's recreation department strives to offer something for everyone after a boom in recreation facilities here. - Fewer, but costlier, new houses limit first-time buyers in Medford
Medford native William Degnan, 63, bought a retirement home in Marlton, but it didn't suit the active lifestyle he and his wife enjoyed. So the couple decided to return to Medford, where they bought a larger and more expensive home. - Programs abound for rising number of elderly
In the past 10 years, Medford's senior population has risen almost 18 percent and that trend is expected to continue as baby boomers hit their retirement years.