Business Buzz
Carl Wright has hit a grand slam in Absecon. Where a city ballpark once stood near the intersection of the White Horse Pike and New Road, the retail center known as Absecon Crossing has grown into a destination for dining, shopping and automotive services.
The transformation did not happen all at once. Wright Partners began developing the center about three years ago, bringing in Firestone Complete Auto Care and White Horse Wine & Spirits as early tenants. Wendy’s and Chipotle followed. Papa Johns recently opened, and Wingstop is expected to open within the next 30 to 60 days.
Each addition has given customers another reason to visit and expanded the center’s offerings to the surrounding community.
That mix has become a defining feature of the development. A customer can stop for tire service, pick up dinner or visit White Horse Wine & Spirits on the same trip. National restaurant chains share the site with an established local business, generating the steady activity that helps a retail center become part of customers’ routines.
For Wright, the project reflects decades of work in commercial development. A civil engineer by training, he founded Wright Partners in 1998 to bring real estate, engineering and construction services together under one roof.
The Media, Pennsylvania-based firm has completed more than 95 projects, including neighborhood retail centers and individual retail locations. Its development work extends across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
That experience is important when moving a project from a promising location to a completed retail center. The process involves more than constructing buildings. A developer must understand the site, plan access and visibility, recruit a complementary mix of businesses and make the property attractive to customers and tenants.
At Absecon Crossing, Wright and his team assembled businesses that serve different needs throughout the day. White Horse Wine & Spirits provides a local anchor, while Firestone gives customers a practical reason to visit. Wendy’s and Chipotle added familiar dining options, and Papa Johns and the planned Wingstop broaden the food lineup.
The result is a center with several ways to attract customers, whether they are running errands or deciding where to eat.
More development could be ahead. Wright expects to announce a national convenience store as another tenant. The company’s name and other details have not yet been released.
“I’m very pleased with how Absecon Crossing has evolved,” Wright said. “We set out to create a center that would serve the community well, and it has become a showcase for a terrific mix of local and national businesses. It’s exciting to see people making it part of their everyday lives.”
Retail development is not simply a matter of filling available spaces. The businesses must complement one another and meet the needs of the surrounding area. At Absecon Crossing, the mix of national brands and a local business serves Absecon while attracting customers from across the region.
The baseball diamond may be gone, but the grand-slam comparison remains fitting. A site once devoted to bringing people together for a game is doing so again through businesses they can visit throughout the week. For Absecon, it represents a new chapter for a familiar property.
Rich Baehrle, of Berkshire Hathaway Fox and Roach, can be reached at 609-226-6680 or 609-641-0011. Email richardbaehrle@gmail.com or see www.getrichinrealestateSJ.com
