Sewickley merchants debate, adjust through shopping trends
Brick shells of former businesses stand throughout Sewickley Village. It was at these establishments that doors once chimed as customers entered and cash registers jingled at every sale.
Today, there are more than a half-dozen empty shops on Beaver and Broad streets, where once-busy mom-and-pop stores featured conventional items or unique products -- but always with friendly service.
Nearly six percent of the borough's 160 stores are vacant.
Sewickley council wagered $10,000 last year that Town Center Associates could better Sewickley's economy. Town Center has helped municipalities such as Ali-quippa, Ambridge and Mo-naca redevelop their downtown business districts.
Others, like former business owner Jovanka Koledin, think more should be done to help the merchants.
"The stores are closing one by one," said Koledin, who had an interior decorating business in Sewickley for 54 years and opened Koledin's Rejuvenation Center in 1990 before retiring earlier this year.
Her health store, which has been for rent since she retired in May, is now just one of the vacant locations on Broad Street.
Koledin, 90, attributes many of the problems of Sewickley's business community to its residents.
"Local residents don't shop in Sewickley," she said.
"I can count on my fingers how many Sewickley people came into my store over the years. Most of my customers were from outside the area."
Some merchants and property owners didn't want to upset customers and did not want their names used in this article. It's a touchy subject to talk about the conditions of business in town.
Duquesne University marketing Professor Audrey Guskey said this isn't a dilemma that Sewickley is facing alone.
"I think the problem is that there is such an influx of stores across the Western Pennsylvania-area that many smaller retailers can't survive," Guskey said.
She said many Pittsburghers prefer to shop in mall-type stores as compared to smaller stores that thrive in smaller towns.
"The beauty of a small, affluent town such as Sewick-ley is that it is able to offer upscale, trendy shops with outstanding customer service. When any store in an area such as Sewickley closes, it is bad news for the community and bad news for Western Pennsylvania," Guskey said. "It means more big box retailers are succeeding and bumping out the little guys."
Some local merchants blame anyone they can when they aren't happy with their bottom line: The borough and the police department get flack for giving out parking tickets and not providing enough spaces; merchants are chided for not keeping their businesses open late enough; property owners are accused of charging too much in rent.
The fact is that no one is to blame, said Phil Harris, owner of The Open Mind Bookstore and president of the Sewickley Valley Chamber of Commerce.
"You can't point fingers," Harris said.
"The biggest problem is that we don't have a strong economy in this region."
Sewickley developer Clifford A. Krey said for Sewickley to thrive, residents have to shop and eat here at least once a week.
But businesses need help from outside shoppers as well.
Bringing people in from outside the Sewickley area is one of the main goals of the borough and the chamber of commerce.
Unfortunately, when shoppers come to Sewickley, they sometimes are faced with limited parking and a police force that tickets cars, Harris said.
Last year, Sewickley police brought in more than $300,000 for the borough via parking tickets.
While the tickets leave an impression, Harris said, overall, the borough does what it can for the business community.
Peluso said it was evident, through the hiring of Town Center Associates, that Sewickley recognizes the importance of the business district.
Borough manager Kevin Flannery and local merchants hope Town Center can help to revitalize the Village.
Store owner Jeanette Russell is hopeful as well. Instead of a steady decline that many of the small towns in Allegheny County have faced in the last 50 years, Russell, like Peluso, sees this period of Sewickley history as a transitional phase.
As older, more established businesses move out, she said, new businesses that appeal to the changing population move in.
"It's changing, but what's coming in is pretty vibrant," Russell said.
"There's been a lot of investing here in the last few years."
Orr's Jewelers invested millions in its new building on Beaver Street, while some smaller businesses have upgraded and improved their shops.
Erin and Mark Madson of Upper St. Clair purchased the building on the corner of Walnut and Beaver streets a year and a half ago, and the building still remains vacant.
While they've had offers from companies wanting to move into the location, it's not for rent. Their Imperial-based spa company soon will be moving into the space, Erin said.
Not all property owners become tenants, though.
As rents increase, the only businesses that can afford the cost are national chain stores -- stores that aren't very welcome in Sewickley, according to Harris.
Russell's Beaver Street building is for lease, but like others, she won't rent it out to just anyone -- national chain stores need not apply.
"They just don't add anything unique to the Village," she said.
Instead, Russell wants to see her property split up into smaller units that can be rented individually at more affordable prices.
"Smaller, more unique businesses that will make Sewickley a shopping destination are what we need here."
Harris said the small town atmosphere with good customer service and a human touch is what needs to drive the business community because that's something most other areas can't offer.
"Is it going to save my store or the current businesses? I don't know, maybe not," he said.
"But in the long run, the business district of Sewickley will still be here."
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Boo! Hoo! Woe is me! It's everyone else's fault that no one shops or eats at my establishment! I grew up in Beaver (another beautiful town that has totally missed the mark for bringing in new demographics, despite it's many resources)where this was the funereal wail, and now, our family returns from L.A to give Sewickley a try and lo, the echo has made it's way to the Quaker Valley.
It is 2007, rapidly rolling into 2008 and this town's myopic perspective is solidly fixed in the rear view mirror! As a resident of the village I am sick to death of these articles from the herald which narrate only from the perspective of the vendors and not the customers. Here's an idea, get thee to the sidewalk, beat reporter, and get yourself some good, old fashioned, quotes from the unwashed masses! I posted in this blogspace about a year ago regarding the dearth of appealing or affordable restaurants, and, well, I guess this is a renewal of what may become my annual campaign.
Why is it that Mt.Lebanon (villagers collectively gasp in horror)doesn't seem to have the same problems with it's business district? In fact, it has two, the shops on Beverly and it's rt.19 district. Things are booming over there. In fact, our family has begun to trek over to the south hills so much that we're thinking of relocating (villager collectively shout "good riddance, peasants!").
I dare say, perhaps good old Mt.Lebo, with it's similar demographic, socio-economic situation, and the fact that it's as equidistant from the city as Sewickley, just "gets it". They seem to have avoided the trap of national chains that Sewickley leans on so often as an excuse; yet people who live there actually shop and eat there. Hmmm, what's going on?
I think for starters, the inventory of ceramic tchotchkies probably doesn't outnumber the populous of the town as it does here. Beyond that, and despite all of my sarcastic rambling, Sewickley doesn't "get it" the store hours cater to stay at home mummies and senior citizens. My husband and I are in our early thirties and have a child under one. We have needs and this town doesn't meet them. And as blind as those who run this beautiful little village would like to be to the fact, there are a lot more educated, working parents in this town who would like to shop and eat locally, but can't.
Go ahead and try to blame the economy of the region, but the simple fact is, there is money to be spent here, just not in the way that the local merchants would like it to be.
Sure, I have 200.00 dollars available to spend, but not on a lovely frame with a poem painted on it; how about a decent grocery with an expansive, not limited selection of organics? My child needs a new outfit, but really, not for 60.00 dollars, no matter how cute it looks hanging on the dowel rod, with it's little infant arms outstretched in the window. How about a shop that sells useful, everyday wear for my little tot that most of the time outgrows things before I get more than one use out of it?
Hmmm, oooh, I really like "Thai" oh, what? We don't do that here, but we do have eighty thousand pizza shops with a totally mediocre product, that is, if they decide to pick up the phone! O.k, well what about a family breakfast place with a menu that goes beyond bland pancakes and tomato and feta omlettes? Nooo, but you can spend $10.00 for a little piece of quiche and a cappuccino, or you can sit in a dirty dining room and observe a nasty looking kitchen while you eat from an unimaginative menu served by "The Staff " in "The Cafe" still hung over from the night before!
Come on Sewickley! Get it together! Butcher, stay open later, some of us have jobs to return from! Baker, I can't get home before five, I need you until 7 p.m! Candlestick maker, I would like to burn my candles and enjoy them, but if I have to pay twenty five dollars for it because it's crafted by genuine angels on the expanses of the elysian fields, I'm sorry, it's just not practical, could you maybe find a local vendor who could create some organic soy candles that you could retail to me for ten? Could ya?
It's almost 2008 our lives our different, they are more functional than formal. This village, which I love, seems to be hanging on to some past populated by gilded gentry with nannies and errand attendants. I want to live here, it's not as crowded as Lebo, there's more nature. However, if this town continues to populate with banks and unaffordable curiosities, then we're packing up and heading south. A little more cramped for the venture, but far more able to shop and eat local, which, by the way Towne Center Associates (OF BEAVER), that is the way hipsters in their thirties and forties are trending.
Nicole (and any of the other commenters),
I'm looking to do a story on what customers are looking for in the Village. We've touched on it in other stories (YouthConnect, etc.) but we're looking for people who frequent the Village to talk about what it is they want/expect out of merchants in Sewickley.
If anyone is interested in speaking to me, please feel free to send me an e-mail at r.cherry@gatewaynewspapers.com. I'm hoping to talk to a few people in the next few days.
Thank you!!
--
Bobby Cherry
Sewickley Herald | YourSewickley.com
Ph: 412-324-1408 | r.cherry@gatewaynewspapers.com | Fax: 412-324-1401
533 Beaver Street | Sewickley, Pa., 15143
Nicole, I love everything that you have said! I am in a different stage than you, my child is 11 and I am 49, but the view is the same. I resent having to drive to Ross Park to get clothes for my son, I hate the mall! I end up in Cranberry to grocery shop because I hate the Leetsdale Giant Eagle and I don't buy shrink wrapped produce so Safran's is out. That often brings us to eating out in Cranberry, everything is a chain, and they want you to wait an hour for a table. I can't tell you how many times we have made the rounds and then just said lets go home and eat eggs. If you look at the restaurants in Sewickley only Monte Cellos is child friendly. For lunch you can do the Greek place but they are really slow, I do like their food though. The Hotel is just too much of a bar environment for an 11 year old in my opinion. The Sewickley Cafe is just plan out for me, I have not been in there since my son was about 4. My Mother took him there for a Grammy day and they charged her a plate fee to share some of her hamburger with him. There is a business that I would like to compliment, I think the Fun by the Pound is such a great idea and provides a unique service. My child is a bit old for the play time but it is one of his favorite places to shop. They have affordable Lego kits that he can buy with his allowance and they don’t mind if it takes him and hour to make a choice. I would shop and eat in Sewickley if there were more options for families.
I really enjoy the part of the story that says, "Local residents don't shop in Sewickley". It's quite true, but can you blame us? It's like trying to go grocery shopping in a Hallmark Store! There are so few businesses of a useful nature in this town that residents are FORCED to go elsewhere. This town has a lot of places to get a haircut and a facial, a half dozen banks and more antique (read: junk) stores than you can shake a stick at. I can't think that I've ever had a burning need to go and buy a $60 teacup saucer on a regular basis.
How about the fitness center in town with ONE treadmill in it? That's gotta be good for the lone person who would like to exercise. Or the new-age book store that has a whole lot of new-age books and incense--because again, that's something I need on a regular basis.
Good thing we have some new business coming into town to help revitalize the area. Let's see who showed up in town recently: a bank--we don't have enough of those yet. A jeweler--yeah, I just ran out of diamonds and I'll be needing more to re-finish my diamond shoes. A candy store that sells the same stuff as the grocery store that's in spitting distance--yum yum, generic candy at a premium price.
This town needs some USEFUL businesses and while we're at it, put up something interesting for the scads of bored teenagers that seem to litter out streets smoking and swearing. Their parents have money to spend, so why won't somebody wise up and provide some entertaining way to get some of it!
"Sewickley developer Clifford A. Krey said for Sewickley to thrive, residents have to shop and eat here at least once a week."
REALLY? You just tell me where it is I can find something useful and worthwhile to buy on a weekly basis, and I'll give it a try.
The empty storefronts in Sewickley could and ought to be a lesson to the borough and the Sewickley Chamber of Commerce that many of the stores in Sewickley do not offer the items necessary for 21st century survival.
Not every shopping district needs to support its local residents, but the fact that Sewickley residents have to drive to Ross Park Mall, to Moon or to Cranberry townships, is every reason why the stores here should offer everything.
While many of the items in Sewickley stores are overpriced, they are so because it would be a 20 minute drive to find them elsewhere.
The sad facts are, however, that many problems persist in the area, starting with parking problems (heard over and over again) and that no one can force private business into the community.
I learned the latter while writing this story.
It is up to private business - whether they be big-box, national chains or stores owned by local residents - to meet demand.
I was pleased to see so many reads on this story because (hopefully) that means that people still care about the community.
The emphasis in this story, which might not have been as powerful as it should have been, was to show that there are closed storefronts at the same time that people are complaining that the only thing they can buy are little junky items.
In economics, supply meets demand. With the empty storefronts in Sewickley, there's no supply.
Is there really a demand?
I grew up in Leetsdale, but as most of us did, spent a lot of time in "The Village". My Grandparents lived there and Dad had his business there for years (It will remain anonymous lest I give away my true identiy!!! ;-)). Do you want to know what's wrong with Sewickley? The notion that it is this up-scale, snobby little town of rich folks. For Christ's sake, Sewickely was and will always be the service town that supports the REAL money up on the hill or in Edgeworth. Most of the people in and around "The Village" supported that money, washed their cloths, sold them cars, cut their lawns, repaired their appliances, etc. I remember being there in the early 60's, and that's how the town worked. It was thriving, with plenty of places to eat (remember the Village Inn? Best burgers and milkshakes ever!), shop (5 & 10) and (GOSH!) see a movie. If the town wants to thrive, it needs to cater to the working class that makes this area so great. What's so wrong with putting a few more chains in? You've got your Starbucks! What's wrong with a Texas Roadhouse or Red Lobster or Olive Garden? Too beneath "The Village" image?When I return every few years with my family, I walk the kids around town to show them where Gramp's shop was, the old places that bring back fond memories, and the quaintness of the place. But I seldom shop there (OK, I visit the Hotel often!!). Parking has always and will always be an issue. Sewickley won't build a parking garage. Does the town have free parking passes or yearly passes for locals? When the powers that be decides who they really need to cater to, perhaps that will bring the town back.
Can't there be "mom and pop" shops like their are in other small towns?Why does it have to be big business? I know that rent for business is outrageous in Sewickley, but isn't there a better solution? Please, oh please, stick a Texas Roadhouse in the middle of my town!! Like parking now isn't atrocious!!
I don't live in Sewickley but I like to go there a couple of times a week to have a coffee at Bruegger's or Starbuck's, or to pick up some pastry at the Ultimate, or some fresh fish at the Fish & Poultry store. I always put money in the parking meters and it really irks me when I return to my car to find a ticket on the windshield. It just takes all of the joy out of my otherwise positive experience.
Okay, sometimes I inadvertently overstay my time in the parking place by a few minutes. You could say I deserve the ticket, but why do the police have to be such hawks about it? How do they do it? I mean, really, how do they swoop down on the meter that just expired less than 5 minutes earlier? Or is it that the meters themselves don't work right, and expire too fast? Recently I tried to put 4 quarters in a meter on Locust Street so I could stay for 2 hours. The first quarter got me 30 minutes, the second brought it up to 60 minutes, then the third quarter brought it DOWN to 45 minute! Needless to say, I didn't continue to feed my money into this meter.
In the last three months I got three parking tickets, after depositing what I thought was the proper number of quarters. Each time I dutifully put my additional $3 into the ticket envelope and deposited it into one of the little fine boxes. Sounds convenient, and not too expensive, right? Yea, except usually I don't have exactly $3 in my pocket, so it means I have to go into one of the shops to get change. This takes my time and irritates the shopkeeper. At that point I usually complain about the ticket to the shopkeeper and other customers hear it. So much negative advertising for the shop and for Sewickley. One of my ticket envelopes was left on my window in the rain, so the adhesive washed off and the envelope wouldn't close. Appealing to the nearby Starbuck's cashier, she provided me with the proper change AND a sticker to hold the envelope closed. I wonder how many Starbuck's customers heard that exchange and got another dose of negative advertising?
But here's the icing on the cake: This week I received a court summons from the local magistrate claiming that I had an unpaid parking ticket and now had to pay $54! And, if I wanted to contest it in court, it would cost me an additional $7 on top of pre-paying the $54 fine. I didn't know it was more expensive to be innocent than to be guilty! Anyway, I wasn't guilty and I wasn't going to take this treatment. Someone in the Sewickley borough had obviously lost my ticket payment. So the other disadvantage of this supposedly convenient way of paying parking tickets is this: no receipt. I had no way of proving that I paid my ticket. I'm a busy person and my time is valuable to me, so I was tempted to just pay it and be done with it (and never shop in Sewickley again). But the thought that my little stop to get a coffee and check my email was going to cost me $1 in the meter, plus $3 for the ticket, plus $54 for the erroneous court summons, was just too much for my sense of justice to swallow. I called the district magistrate's office to ask how I could possibly defend myself when no receipt was given to me for my ticket payment, but was treated disrespectfully by the person who answered the phone, and who couldn't seem to say anything except to pay the $61 and roll the dice in front of the judge.
Without going into further details, of which there are many, I would like to report that there is a ray of hope. After finally realizing that I was not going to get any justice from "the system", I decided that I could at least do something to try to prevent this from happening to someone else. I decided to visit the borough manager's office to explain why I would never set foot in Sewickley again, would take my shopping and my money elsewhere, and that my friends and neighbors would surely hear my story and it wouldn't be good advertising for Sewickley. My hope was that with my complaint, and hopefully similar complaints from others, that they would see the negative effect that this parking meter minefield was having on Sewickley shopping, and do something to correct it. I found that the people in the borough manager's office were willing to listen to me and to accept my input. The borough manager was not there at the time, and I don't have the names of those to whom I spoke, except for the chief of police, Mr. James Ersher. Mr. Ersher took the time to listen to me and I believe he understands the problem with the parking meters. He also encouraged me to come to him at any time if I have any further problems.
I can only hope that the borough manager and borough council will finally see that the parking meter situation, though not the only thing contributing to the decline of retail business in Sewickley, is an important one. I know I'm not the only one who is turned off by this. For every person who actually takes the time to fight his ticket or to write to you now, as I am doing, there are surely many more who just silently pay their fines. Whether they voice their complaint or not, it affects their future decisions about whether to shop in Sewickley. It is a shame that the Sewickley shop owners and the chamber of commerce can spend a lot of money and time to advertise to people to shop in Sewickley, only to be undermined by the parking meter mine field.
I don't know about you, but when I take a break from my busy day to enjoy a coffee or a sweet pastry, I don't want to be worrying about parking meters and parking tickets. I'll go some place where the atmosphere is more friendly to me.
Sewickley borough needs to take a close look at the $300,000 per year in parking revenues. After subtracting from that the cost of the 3 officers who enforce the parking meters, the purchase, maintenance and re-certification of the parking meters themselves, how much is really left as net revenue? Not much. Is it worth the cost of chasing away customers from the Sewickley shops?
Until the fear of parking tickets is removed from the Sewickley shopping experience, it will continue to drive the decline of customers who have better and more friendly places to go.