Artsy, touristy town (Chester, West Chester, Phoenixville: neighborhood, schools, university)

[misueno]

I'm considering so many areas! Perhaps you can help. I would like to open a small retail business that would probably do better in an artsy, touristy town with shops, restaurants, and that new and much desired option... a "walkable downtown area". No concerns about schools, property, etc. We'll find a place close-by to live, just looking for the best place to open a business.

We would like to be within 40 mins of Philly. Any suggestions?

[juniperbleu]

New Hope?

[pcity]

or Lambertville, across the river from New Hope.

Doylestown might work too, but New Hope/Lambertville are the artsiest towns around.

[misueno]

I have to be honest... I've been to New Hope and it struck me as a fake town. As if it was was manufactured purely for the tourist dollar. Not really artsy... no artists, just art fair junk in a fake tourist zone.

Now I know I said I'd like a touristy town, but I guess something like Doylestown is more like what I was looking for. An area where people actually live, create, and love living... just offers enough that tourists come to visit.

I hope I haven't offended anyone. This is just my impression from a quick visit. I was just looking for a variety of suggestions. Thanks.

[pman]

mt. airy?

[maestro]

Phoenixville? Skippack? Ambler?

[toobusytoday]

Doylestown - great combination of historic and cool. http://www.marketdoylestown.com/

[PeeAye Native]

I would have put New Hope at the top of the list. Downtown West Chester is another possibility.

[TracySam]

Although New Hope has become a bit of a gimicky tourist trap, it is not a "fake" town. Most of those buildings the stores and restaurants are in are over 200 years old. There are still many real artists in New Hope: sculptors, painters, potters, glass makers, etc.

A "fake" town manufactured for tourists would be Lahaska, AKA Peddler's Village, which is a few miles away. Are you sure that wasn't what you saw?


Here's one many don't know about: the boro of Mt Holly, NJ.

It fell on hard times in the past, but now it's being fixed up. There are neat stores (book stores, holiday store, antique shops, art galleries, and a kick-butt rare wine and beer store) and some decent restaurants. The boro neighborhood is right by the county courthouse, so it's pretty safe, what with all the police around.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by misueno

I have to be honest... I've been to New Hope and it struck me as a fake town. As if it was was manufactured purely for the tourist dollar. Not really artsy... no artists, just art fair junk in a fake tourist zone.

To be honest, I've never gotten that impression from New Hope. It is tourist-y, definitely, but it's not manufactured. It's grown organically from being a gay mecca with a few starving artists many years ago to the upscale town it is today. Some of the gallery owners have been there for a long time, though others have moved across the river to Lambertville for cheaper rents.

Now I know I said I'd like a touristy town, but I guess something like Doylestown is more like what I was looking for. An area where people actually live, create, and love living... just offers enough that tourists come to visit.

Doylestown is nice too, but I'm not sure there are more actual artists living there than in New Hope.

It seems like the place with the highest density of artists in the area is the city itself, especially the fringe of the gentrified areas. A few years ago, that would have meant Northern Liberties or University City. Now it means places even further north and west, respectively. Those places aren't tourist-y though, and probably hold little appeal for your business.