State Street Shop Owners Discuss Future of Business District

Parking. Signage. Marketing. Unity. Cooperation.

Those were all themes that arose during a roundtable discussion Newtown Borough Council had Wednesday with local business owners. Council scheduled the roundtable to learn more about what it could do to aid State Street shop owners in these challenging economic times.

More than 25 people packed into Council Chambers to be part of the discussion.

While parking was a common concern, it wasn’t the only concern. Many business owners say the town needs to be livened up, with lighting and signs.

“The town is a little stale. There’s no excitement,” said Harry Betz, owner of the Newtown Bicycle Shop. He said the borough should loosen up its sign ordinance to allow for a-frame signs on the sidewalks. He also said something needs to be done about lighting.

Betz said his block is dark, despite the fact that he’s located near the Newtown Theatre, an attraction that brings visitors into the borough. However, if those visitors want to walk to the main business district, “it’s pitch black down there,” he said.

Others agreed the business district needs some new life.

“It’s a beautiful street but it’s kind of empty,” said Justin Kaplan, chef/owner of Palate. He suggested that business owners be allowed to put up signs and other attractive materials to make their shops more inviting.

David Witchell, owner of the David J. Witchell salon and spa, agreed that signage needed to be addressed, but in a tasteful way so as to preserve the town’s quaint character. “I think if everybody does willy nilly signs, it takes away from the aesthetic charm,” he said.

However, some were less concerned with signs and parking and more concerned with creating partnerships.

“We don’t have any marketing, all we have is political BS,” said Tom Donahue of the Zebra Striped Whale. “This is not a cohesive town.”

Donahue said the borough and the township need to work together to promote the town as a whole, not carry on with “adversarial promotions.”

Council President Julia Woldorf said the intention of the roundtable discussion was to identify some common themes and then formulate a plan to address those issues.

Council Member Gerard O’Malley said a good first step for some business owners would be to attend the monthly meetings of the borough’s Long Term Parking Committee. Those meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at

“We would like to engage with you to solve the problems,” O’Malley said.

Woldorf invited business owners to be a part of a joint borough and business community work group that would partner in an informal way to address the issues. Interested business owners can contact the borough at (215) 968-2109.