Buyers line up outside of one of the beverage vendors on Kings Highway during Street Feast earlier this month.
It was a Feast for the eyes – of shoppers.
Among Haddonfield’s annual traditions is the weekend sidewalk sale, when some of its businesses move older inventory outdoors to sell at reduced prices. This year’s sale was kicked off on Aug. 7 by the Partnership for Haddonfield’s fourth annual Street Feast.
An effort to attract more shoppers downtown, the sidewalk sale has been an annual borough event since 1964, when it was dubbed the Haddonfield Sidewalk Sale Bazaar.
Michael Marciante is the executive director for Downtown Haddonfield, which promotes and supports borough businesses.
“Our job is to support the businesses,” he explained, “and it (the sale) … continues to be in existence as a way of encouraging sales during a time in which it’s normally a little slow downtown … It’s a good opportunity for (retailers) to get rid of some excess merchandise.”
The Street Feast brings out food trucks along Kings Highway, portions of which are shut down to allow for more foot traffic during the sale. But there is at least one condition.
“We try not to bring in competing food vendors, and we make sure if there are any … they’re not in the immediate vicinity of a brick-and-mortar business,” Marciante noted, adding that long lines at food trucks can sometimes redirect visitors to Haddonfield restaurants.
“They did report really well,” he said of the eateries this year. “It’s kind of counterintuitive.”
While official numbers have yet to be finalized by the Partnership for Haddonfield, Marciante said the sidewalk sale boosted some business owners’ bottom line, with one reporting a 40% increase over last year.
