Pa. record store to move to new Bordentown City home this summer
By: Cara Latham
BORDENTOWN CITY The new record store opening this summer on Farnsworth Avenue between two Victorian homes will sport a 1930s art deco façade with neon colors and block glass accents, similar to buildings in South Beach, Fla. and it’s all historically correct, according to the city’s Landmarks Commission.
The building at 358 Farnsworth Ave is the former site of a bowling alley, a deli and most recently a former karate school. It was purchased by John Chrambanis, the owner of The Record Collector, which has been located in Morrisville, Pa., for the past 10 years after moving from its original location in Trenton. Mr. Chrambanis gained approval for the new façade from the city Landmarks Commission on Jan. 4, after presenting historical proof that the building was originally built with the art deco façade in the 1930s.
Because the building is located in the historical district and is in a local commercial zone, the owner had to gain approval from the commission before making any renovations to the building. The Landmarks Commission is made up of the same nine members as the Planning Board and are appointed by the mayor and approved by the city’s two commissioners. The commission hears applications for exterior work to be done to buildings in the city’s two historic preservation districts the Farnsworth Avenue business district and the Thompson Street neighborhood, according to Bob Erickson, the Public Works director.
Mr. Erickson said some people may be wary about the design of the building because it features bright colors and is situated between two Victorian houses. Because of this, a lot of people might think that the building should be restored to a Colonial look, but a Victorian style is not the original character of the building, he said.
"You really have to treat each individual building separately," he said. "An art deco building shouldn’t be remodeled into Colonial or something that it wasn’t originally."
Mr. Chrambanis restored the original colors of the building after having taken a piece of the actual original structure and having it redone to the original light green. Since he couldn’t find the complementary color that was first used on the building, he did research and found that pink would have accompanied the green.
"What we have now is really a replica of what it would have looked like in the ’40s," he said.
Mr. Chrambanis said he hasn’t gotten any negative feedback from residents about the design.
Even though he was skeptical of the building plans at first, Planning Board Chairman Sam Surtees said he was impressed with Mr. Chrambanis’ presentation.
"This is something that was built and approved back in the 1930s," said Mr. Surtees.
Mr. Surtees also said that he did not think the new record store would have a large impact on the amount of parking and traffic in the area.
"It was a commercial use prior," he said. "I think it will have an impact in a positive way."
Mr. Erickson said it is always hard to find parking spaces in the city, and the new record store should not have a big impact.
"It is going to make finding a parking space a little more difficult probably, but the city is doing everything it can," he said. "We’re looking at every possibility."
In the future, the city may look toward building a project in the center of the city to ease the parking difficulties, but right now the town is doing everything that can be done, said Mr. Erickson.
Mr. Chrambanis said he is moving the store to Bordentown City because he has been looking for a place to buy for years. He likes the small business feel of the area and because of its easy access from Trenton, Philadelphia and New York because of mass transit, he said.
Even though the Morrisville, Pa., location is smaller than the Farnsworth Avenue location the Morrisville building is a little less than 1,000 square feet and the new building is more than 6,000 square feet he is planning on keeping his collection size the same. He will have about 35,000 45s, 50,000 LPs, 20,000 CDs, as well as merchandise and memorabilia such as posters and autographed concert tickets.
The city has been trying to renovate the central business district area on Farnsworth Avenue between Burlington Street and Crosswicks Street, and Mr. Surtees said he thinks the new record store will encourage people to explore other stores in the area.
Mr. Chrambanis said the record store is the first one in the area in many years, and he thinks it will be extremely appealing, especially to people who are moving into the area.
Because of this, Mr. Erickson he said he also thinks it will bring more people to the business district, including teenagers and younger people.
"When people find out it’s here, it’ll bring them in," he said.
Many people still buy vinyl records and the store specializes in classic rock, blues and jazz, said Mr. Chrambanis. But the store also carries hip-hop and modern rock, which will bring thousands of people to the area, he said.
"It should be a real pleasant experience for everyone there," he said.
The Trinity United Methodist Church, which sits across from the soon-to-be record store had requested to knock down the building and use the area as a parking lot over a year before Mr. Chrambanis asked to open his business there, but the church’s request was denied by the Landmarks Commission.
Mr. Surtees said he was happy to see that the building was not demolished.
"We were able to save a building, and whether people think art deco from the 1930s is worth saving, I don’t know, but everybody has their own taste," he said.