Suburban Square parking garage interfering with business

Update: The Ardmore Parking Garage construction was finished on Oct. 31.

Construction delays at the Suburban Square shopping center in Ardmore has left store managers and employees frustrated and still unsure when the center’s new parking structure will open.

“They promised us a year, and it has been longer than that,” said Yen To, store brand leader at Urban Outfitters, which is located directly across from the new parking structure. “They promised it would be finished in August. Then they pushed it to September, and then they said October 20.”

Oct. 20 passed, and the opening of the first level of the parking garage was delayed once again, with no word on when it is going to open. Kimco Realty, the leasing office which has been overseeing the project, did not respond to repeated requests for information.

The shopping center has been undergoing the first phase of a three phase, $20 million project since September 2016. So far, after a year of construction, Trader Joe’s has opened a 4,000 square-foot addition.

The new four-level, 625-space parking structure will offer a profitable future for store owners. However, parking has become limited due to the closure of the old parking lot in order to increase space for the new structure, resulting in a decrease of sales in many stores in the area.

“We have been consistently down,” To said. “Every month has been consistently down. During the holidays like Black Friday last year, our sales were down by half because there is nowhere for people to park.”

In addition to limited parking and decrease in sales, To said Urban Outfitters is constantly receiving complaints and losing loyal customers. She explained the front door of Urban Outfitters was blocked off in mid-October, making it seem as if the store was closed.

Alyssa Tomasic ’18, a manager in training at Free People, said she was also frustrated as Free People is experiencing a decrease in sales due to the lack of parking.

“Day to day, our sales are lower because not as many people are coming anymore,” Tomasic said. “Now people and customers are less inclined to go to Suburban Square to shop because it’s so hard to find parking. They end up going to King of Prussia so that affects our business.”

The second phase of the project will include building a two-story structure for retail shops along Coulter Avenue where the SEPTA parking lot is currently located. The plan for phase three involves relocating Urban Outfitters to the newly built retail shops, across from its sister company, Free People. The last part of phase three will be to demolish the old buildings where both Urban Outfitters and Bijou Bridal & Special Occasion currently sit.

Ron Meyer, a crew member at Trader Joe’s, said while he is frustrated with the parking situation, he is also optimistic. He said sales had been down, but since the Trader’s Joe’s new addition, sales numbers have been increasing. To try to combat the negative effects of the construction Meyer strives to gives his customers the best experience while also reassuring them about the future.

“It is not fair to the customers,” Meyer said. “It is not their fault. Sometimes you get the worse before you get the better.