It was another strange year for retail in 2021. At times, it seemed we were still in the early days of the pandemic where everything was closed. At other times, looking at crowded parking lots, you would think Covid was a thing of the past. Unfortunately it is still here, and one of the most obvious ways it is still affecting us is when stores or restaurants have to close temporarily due to being severely understaffed and shortages of items at the grocery stores.
If you had to guess whether Evesham had more retail openings or closings in 2021, what would be your guess? Was it a good year for retail? To give a little framework for guessing, here is how things have gone the last 2 years.
In 2019, there were 30 openings and 22 closings.
In 2020, there were 24 openings and 30 closings.
But before we look at the openings and closing for 2021, a look at the top news stories for the year.
1) Chicken or the Egg coming to Marlton!
This should really be counted as 1) and 2), because not only was it the top news story for Evesham for the year, it was also the top story for A View From Evesham ever!
I admit this that I didn't realize this news was significant. I haven't been to Long Beach Island since the mid 80s, and I had never heard of Chicken or the Egg. But my post quickly went viral, being shared more than 1100 times, and being picked up by a few legitimate news sources. (Others just took my story and pretended it was their own, but that's a story for another day.) This was not the first time A View From Evesham 'broke' a story, but this was the only one that went viral in such a way.
Chicken or the Egg is a popular Beach Haven restaurant which is open 24/7 during the summer. Over the past 30 years, it has become a go to spot for wings, all day breakfast, sandwiches and more. The new Marlton location will not be 24/7, but will have a distinguishing feature, the first of its kind in Evesham: a beer garden!
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| Beer garden to the left of the restaurant! |
You can read the full details of the new restaurant here: https://www.facebook.com/AViewFromEvesham/posts/842529269671830
Construction began in June 2021 and it is expected to open some time in 2022.
2) Retail Cannabis on the way!
Back in 2020, New Jersey voters approved the legalization of possession and use of marijuana for persons age 21 and older and the cultivation processing and sale of retail marijuana. Statewide, the the vote was 67% in favor, 23% opposed. Locally, Evesham voters approved it 71 to 29%.
After the vote, townships had to decide whether to allow cannabis operations in their town. During 2021, Evesham Township Council passed ordinances to allow for the sale and cultivation in limited areas in town. There still needs to be some regulations at the state level before New Jersey will see retail operations, but we can probably expect to see that in the coming year. Operators would need to be licensed by the state and then approved at the local level. At least one party has expressed interest in obtaining a license to cultivate in Evesham.
And now the lists. There were 26 store openings in 2021 and 18 store closings. There are a bunch of interesting stores on the way as well for 2022. A few disclaimers first. I try to focus on retail stores and restaurants, but some service industries are included in this list as well - if they opened in a strip mall, they are included. Pep Boys closed their retail operation only. I am not sure the exact date that 73 Seafood closed. It may have closed in 2020, but since I did not include it in my summary last year, I have included it here.
List of Stores that opened in 2021
Ace Smoke Shop
Bagel-Wich
bb.q Chicken
Bistro di Marino
Canvas Studio
Central HIIT
Chef Zhang
Diana's Bag
Ivy Rehab
Keller Williams
Lens Crafters
Longshore Breakfast & Lunch
LunchboxWax
Marlton Cuts & Colors
McHugh BJJ
Olive Pit Eatery
PDQ
Playa Bowls
Roosters
Ruby Day Spa
Sephora
Spirit Halloween
Tamu Food Mart
Tiger Schulman's Martial Arts
Ultimate Adventures
Williams Jewelry
List of Stores that closed in 2021
73 Seafood
Bleu Bear Market
Caroline's Jewelry
Donna's Bag
Fantastic Sams
Gap
Gap Kids
Great Clips
Greene Street
Investor's Bank
Monroe & Kent
Nailed It!
Paper Source
Pep Boys (Retail only)
Speedy Gas
Spirit Halloween
Supercuts
Zenplicity
List of stores that moved in 2021
Alicia DiMichelle
Fantasy Gifts
Gaetano's
Sykes & Lanno
Sleep Number
SmartBodies
On the Way - stores announced and/or under construction
Angel Spa
Bagelati (Opened January 4th!)
Black Tie CBD
Bubble's Bakers
Chicken & the Egg
Chopt
Cinder Bar
Evesham Kitchen & Bath
Lakeview Dental
La Scala Fire expansion (with liquor license!)
Mayweather Boxing + Fitness
Misha of Siberia Furs (Opened January 6th)
Nike
OVME
Panda Express
Sammy's Express
Xfiniti
Did I miss any stores? Please let me know!
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