Business & Tech

Cherry Blossom Tree Remains, Vintage Shop is History

Stardust Memories closes; owner says Haddonfield officials not helpful.

The cherry blossom tree she fought to save is still there but Wendy Kates' vintage clothing shop is now history.

Kates said Monday that she closed her doors 10 days ago, after just over a year of business in Haddonfield. She said the lack of foot traffic on Tanner Street, a narrow, gateway into the center of the borough's Kings Highway business district, and uncooperative local officials, fueled her decision to close. Tanner Street underwent extensive road construction that dragged on for the better part of last year and put a dent in business traffic there.

Kates also said a new kiosks parking system that replaced meters on Tanner Street has chased away customers, who say they've gotten tickets after misunderstanding how the system worked.

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"I feel a sense of tremendous loss and disappointment," said Kates, 63, of Cherry Hill. "The disappointment is overwhelming."

Kates led a very vocal campaign last year to save a cherry blossom tree in front of her shop. The tree was tagged for removal because the borough Shade Tree Commission said it was dying and did not conform with larger shade trees on the street. The borough finally relented after the state Historic Preservation Commission sided with Kates and the tree was spared. But Kates believes she was singled out afterward and harassed by local officials.

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They treated me like a criminal," she said. "They were very condescending."

Kates said she was ordered to take down a string of accent lighting outside of her shop. She said she needed it to attract customers because of a delay in installing  lanterns on Tanner Street. She complained about Steve Walko, the code enforcement officer, whom she felt was rude and unfair to her.

Mayor Tish Colombi, whom Kates also felt was unwelcoming to her, rejected claims of unfairness toward Kates.

"You can’t interpret what someone is saying as not being business friendly," Colombi said. "When people don’t agree with something they blame it on someone else. He is simply enforcing ordinances we've had in town. It's not new, that’s his job to enforce the ordinances."

Friday after less than a year of business. Williams also said Walko was rude and the borough unyielding in tight restrictions on the signs she could place in her window to attract customers.

"I'm not rude to anybody," Walko said.

Colombi said she stands with Walko.

"He has a tough job," she said. "He has to go out and say you can’t do it when someone puts something in a window that's not allowed. It makes us the kind of town we are today."

She acknowledged that restrictions in a business district that is also a regulated historic area can sometimes be daunting. But Colombi said businesses should realize these restrictions exist when they moved in and adjust.

"I so admire these stores doing everything they can to stay open in a tough economy," Colombi said. "I don’t think what's happening is people being rude. We have different laws and ordinances to help them do business."

Kates said she's going to take her business to the Internet and promises to come back often to visit her tree and friends she made doing business in Haddonfield.


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