Downtown Merchants Unveil 'Shop the Wall'
Darcy Sordo, owner of Poppies, A Children's Resale Boutique, refers to Wall Street as the town of Madison's "hidden secret."
But Sordo and the other 18 merchants on Wall Street are tired of playing second fiddle to the busy downtown shops and have begun the campaign Shop the Wall to try to get shoppers to remember to check out their stores, too.
Shop the Wall signs are now decked out all over the street, trumpeting the variety of businesses, ranging from real estate, crafts, clothing, liquor, and health food to just about anything a shopper craves.
Joan Horton of J. Horton said, "This is real important to all of us. Wall Street used to be a very quiet little street. We want to make this a call to action-everyone needs to realize there's a lot going on shopping-wise besides the downtown area."
Horton, who has been the organizing force behind the Wall Street push, said the next step is to create a Facebook page pushing the message.
Jack Davis of Davis Reality, who is affectionately referred to as "The Godfather" by his fellow Wall Street merchants, said, "It's time the community learns that there is a lot more going on in this town than in just one little area [downtown].
"We have new businesses, new ideas going on here, on Wall Street," said Davis. "We're hoping all this effort will energize Wall Street."
Davis said he thinks the timing of pushing shopping on Wall Street is perfect, as the town is in the midst of finalizing expansion plans for the Scranton Memorial Library, which has direct access to Wall Street.
"The new library will give people a direct line straight to our street," said Davis. "We need to take advantage of that opportunity."
Madison Chamber of Commerce Director Eileen Banisch said the new slogan isn't taking business away from Route 1 businesses.
"Wall Street shops are the perfect complement to Madison's Main Street," she said. "The residential-style architecture of the buildings, along with the tree-lined road, encourages shoppers to take a stroll around the corner and enjoy the great shops located there.
"The Shop the Wall slogan is very clever, as are the graphics they've employed to demonstrate to people that there's a lot more to our downtown than Route 1," said Banisch.
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