I am particularly impressed with the one area of Trenton that is in the news, thanks to the merchants who have set up shop in the very strip shown in this 75 year old photo. If more government workers would patronize these shops, if a beat walking policemen were on site, and if more judges would bring down the judicial hammer on the local criminal element, I can envision downtown Trenton as moving from State and Broad to State and Warren Street.
Trenton made a huge mistake trying to compete with the malls. What they needed to do to maintain a viable economic base is to have "anchor shops", that sold what people wanted and then shut a 6:00 in the evening. I remember being in Philly and going out at lunch and hitting shops that were brand name like Bass or Bauer. The fact was that they got a few good solid hours of shopping out of the downtown crowd. All of the one way confusion or fancy brickwork in the world will not work if you aren't selling what the workers want. The old W.C. Fields line "I was to Philadelphia once but it was closed", was true in some ways but they still had the day crowd.
Ed Millerick
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Trenton made a huge mistake trying to compete with the malls. What they needed to do to maintain a viable economic base is to have "anchor shops", that sold what people wanted and then shut a 6:00 in the evening. I remember being in Philly and going out at lunch and hitting shops that were brand name like Bass or Bauer. The fact was that they got a few good solid hours of shopping out of the downtown crowd. All of the one way confusion or fancy brickwork in the world will not work if you aren't selling what the workers want. The old W.C. Fields line "I was to Philadelphia once but it was closed", was true in some ways but they still had the day crowd.
Ed Millerick
Capitol Chrysler & Plymouth had moved out to the Arctic Parkway by the 1950's. That area had many of the "old line" dealers move in, clustered near the Olden Avenue Extension and Spruce Street: Cathchart Pontiac, Coleman Buick, Coleman Olds, Autobahn Mercedes, Gilbert and Mott Chevy, Colonial Caddilac along with Keats Ford.
Ed Millerick
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