Local First leads the development of an economy grounded in local ownership that meets the basic needs of people, builds local wealth and social capital, functions in harmony with our ecosystem, and encourages joyful community life. Independently organized Local First programs define local as follows: Locally owned Privately held Headquartered in the community When making … Read more
Retail promotions are designed to make cash registers ring for businesses. This is different from special events that draw people to an area but does not typically lead to direct spending at local businesses. Small Business Saturday is perhaps the best known example of a retail promotion, encouraging people to shop at small businesses the … Read more
Trail connectivity provides a promotional funnel to attract customers and dollars to an area. Some routes are local in nature. Often loops are best, such as the Atlanta Belt Line, Dragons Tooth (Blacksburg, VA), and the Billy Goat Trail (Great Falls, MD). People can get on or off at any point and return to their … Read more
One of the perks of shutting down Main Street for filming is that my son got to rollerblade under the bridge seemingly endlessly. With traffic this would be a death wish but with a closed street it was an extreme sport ramp. The crowd gathered on Main Street with the NJ Transit bridge in the … Read more
The brick sidewalk in the foreground guides the eye toward the end of the block. The NJ Transit Morris & Essex Line train station and bridge spanning across the intersection of Baker Street and Maplewood Avenue, constitutes a core landmark tying the downtown district together. To borrow from the book Main Street and Miracle Mile, … Read more
Development took off when the old Easton Turnpike (Route 28) was laid out. Among the early developments was a fashionable townhouse for Ferdinand Vanderveer. He was a prominent citizen and county politician who served as the Judge of Common Pleas from 1822-1835. The house was later occupied by the West End Athletic Association (1891-1895). In … Read more
Old Falls Street had a need to bring some added vitality to their downtown area near the Niagara Falls State Park. Several hotels, a conference center, and a visitor center are located there. The Quality Inn (240 1st St) had a quarter-acre lot of approximately 365 feet by 100 feet. Boundaries include the Bollywood Lounge … Read more
Meakins & Sons Brush Factory building, located at the corner of King Street East and West Avenue South in Hamilton. The white historic building prominently features a massive public art piece titled “Raise,” painted in 2018 by local Hamilton muralist Lester Coloma and designer Norman Coloma. The monochrome mural serves as a visual tribute to … Read more
When we visited Albion it was a considerable surprise to see Superior Street being repaved. The last time this was done in the 1990s it was a novelty and at considerable expense, because few if any other state highways were paved in brick. We took a look at the buildings suspended over the Kalamazoo River, … Read more
This plat map reads more like a polished marketing piece: Another marker recounted the role of the railroad in the formation of Haddon Heights that began in 1877 with the construction of the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railroad that passed through the area. In 1890, Benjamin A. Lippincott was given permission by the railroad to … Read more