Aenigma was a nice accessories store. Think nicer costume jewelry, some not costume pieces; handbags and scarves, etc, but nice, not crappy and schlocky.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xCiKCxfYqE

Great! I'm happy to hear that Aenigma is a good store. Thanks for the information.

I lived in Collingswood for a while, lived on Haddon Ave., and car-free at that. For groceries I either rode my bike to the SuperFresh on Cuthbert Blvd. or I took the Speedline to 10th St. and walked 3 blocks to WholeFoods.

It's different if you have a family but it's not a big deal if you're a couple or single. I worked in CC so most of the time I would go the store after work then go home.

While i lived there, and even after I left, i was working with the town to help them secure the federal grants for the planning/engineering studies. I sat in on the charettes the town hosted. It was in stark contrast to an earlier one I had been to for the Route 130 corridor.

As the moderated flipped through pictures of streetscapes and houses the participants checked off a number (1-5) 1 if they liked it and 5 if they hated it. The more like Society Hill things looked the more favorably the crowd rated it. The more like Cherry Hill things looked the less favorably the crowd scored it. They had a surprisingly urban taste for which i was incredibly relieved - the only thing that caused a bit of a stir was a picture of a 12-story building near the station. People seemed to think that heights should be capped to fall in line with the existing office building on Haddon Ave. or the senior apartments just of Haddon Ave.

When the charettes were done and the plans were finished they had 3 phases mapped out. The first was the Lumberyard, the 2nd was supposed to be the area that faces the tracks just east of Collings Ave. The borough had been trying to consolidate police services with neighboring Woodlynne because it meant a new police station, gratis, from the state. The cop shop and the water towers are the only two things in the way. There was stiff resistance to that idea in Woodlynne so it held up that part of the project but, they've just moved on to Phase 3 which is the PATCO station.
Market studies had been showing a stagnant demand for office space but i think that's changed, not because of a booming economy but because Collingswood has a lot more to offer workers on their lunch breaks than some parking lot in Moorestown. Hopefully the borough will market that and it will get some traction.

I agree that they need to work on the office component but i think upmarket and/or trendy condos are just as important. Having lived on Haddon Ave. i strongly disagree with the notion that Collingswood is "low-income" as another poster mentioned. It's painfully middle-class. There are also a lot of young families with kids who probably don't have a ton of disposable income. Moreso, i think, are the lifestyles of a lot of the long-time residents. It's very much like living in Manayunk 6 years ago. The old-timers couldn't be bothered with a coffee shop and will never eat at a "French-Asian Bistro" or shop at a bead & yarn store.

The only thing you can do is remind them of what their house is worth now and hope they take the money and run and sell to someone who will truly appreciate the great town they live in.

The borough council has done a fantastic job with, what i call, their "Communitarian Capitalism." After the lumber yard burned down they condemned it and bought it. When the Parkview Apartments were falling apart they bought a controlling stake in it. They've made a good deal of money for the town.

The only project I think was a bad idea was the "Single Again" program where they started buying up old victorians that had been converted to twins and made them single-family again. At the time it seemed like a good idea, and who knows, maybe it was necessary. They had a lot of problems with absentee landlords and rough-and-tumble section 8 tenants. But they turned some 200+ units into just over 100. The number of people per household is a lot smaller than it used to be and fewer people in fewer units puts Haddon Ave. at a disadvantage.

At this point Collingswood definitely depends on people from Cherry Hill, Marlton, Voorhees, etc. who look down their noses at the town ("ohh, it's a nice main st. but i would never live here, it's not 'there' yet and it's still too close to Camden") and the people who live there but love the restaurants and the atmosphere.

There's nothing that they can do about parking except try to make the most of a new garage. Again, having lived there, i've never heard of any of my guests having to walk more than a block from a parking space. When everyone comes out in the evenings most of the people have already cleared out of the PATCO lot and the meters under the tracks. People driving in from eastern Camden Co. just get fussy if they can't park on the street right in front of their destination. That's where the valet parking comes in.

Several more signs announcing new businesses have gone up in the Lumberyard windows...

Primo Hoagies
A boutique
A pottery studio

...am I missing any?

It looks like redients are about to move in too...

The residents that I know moved in weeks ago. There are more businesses in talks with the Lumberyard but have not signed leases yet. I'm sure we'll see more coming soon signs towards the end of June.

Does anyone know can you see Philly skyline from third floor roof decks?

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Anymore updates on this project and the living quarters? This is one of my considerations if I can't find a place suitable in Center City. Was hoping to hear from someone who lives there or looked at them at least.

I was just by there on Wednesday. Phase II is underway. Phase I has been finished for a while and looks really good.

I hope you're talking about renting because AFAIK it sold out pre-construction.

Sales person told me phase 1 has 2 properties available of 41 that were built. Phase 2 which is due end of year or early next year has units available. Phase 2 I think is building 60+.

The 2 units available now though are in the upper 300's+ it sounded like which is above what I think I woudl spend there.