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South Jersey towns eliminated from 'Best Main Streets' contest

Different as night and day, South Jersey's Maple Shade and Haddonfield eliminated in national Main Street competition. The field was narrowed by voters from a field of 242 downtowns and Main Streets. The winner will be selected June 5 from 10 finalists.

Downtown Haddonfield was eliminated this week from America’s Best Main Street contest along with nearby Main Street in Maple Shade. The South Jersey communities were competing with 23 other downtowns nationwide. The winner will be announced June 5 and will receive a $25,000 prize.
Downtown Haddonfield was eliminated this week from America’s Best Main Street contest along with nearby Main Street in Maple Shade. The South Jersey communities were competing with 23 other downtowns nationwide. The winner will be announced June 5 and will receive a $25,000 prize.Read morePartnership for Haddonfield

The quest for bragging rights in a national Main Street competition has come to an end for two South Jersey towns.

Haddonfield and Maple Shade were eliminated by voters this week from a field of 25 towns in the running for the online contest by Independent We Stand, the America's Main Streets competition. It began with 242 nominees nationwide to find the best main streets and downtowns.

Two Pennsylvania towns that were also contending for the top honor were cut Monday in the semi-final round: Oxford, Chester County, and Wellsboro, Tioga County.

"These main streets represent the best in the country but only one will be chosen as the grand prize winner," Independent We Stand said on its website. The downtowns selected as finalists are located in Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, and Washington.

The top honor comes with a $25,000 prize. The winner will be announced Monday.

"We were sad to hear we weren't moving on but appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the first place," said Helen Iapalucci, executive director of Main Street Maple Shade, a nonprofit that has been working to improve the downtown area . "We will continue our efforts and hope to bring about real change."

Maple Shade, a once-thriving blue-collar town of 19,000 residents in Burlington County, is trying to revive its heyday as a busy shopping and social hub. Like Haddonfield a few miles away, Maple Shade is among the few South Jersey towns that have a Main Street lined with stores and businesses that typically are owner-operated.

Haddonfield is known for its quaint, bustling downtown district. The picture-perfect streetscape with boutiques, art galleries, shops, eateries, and a popular walking district attracts visitors to the center of the Camden County community.

Both towns made it to the quarterfinals by pushing their nominations mostly through social media to encourage the public to vote online.

"It was an honor just being nominated. We had a lot of fun with it," Kathy Gold, owner of  In the Kitchen Cooking School in Haddonfield and a member of the Partnership for Haddonfield, the management corporation for Haddonfield's Business Improvement District, said Wednesday. "We're very proud."

Independent We Stand is a nationwide coalition of small, independent business owners that promote Main Streets and their businesses.