Peddler’s Village recently received very exciting news: We were the #1 tourist attraction in the Philadelphia region in 2020!
The Philadelphia Business Journal published its annual list of top attractions on May 21. In past years, Peddler’s Village has consistently ranked among the top five destinations, but being in the number-one spot is a first for us!
Everyone knows 2020 was a year like no other, presenting challenges that no one had foreseen in January and February. But, despite our businesses being closed for a long spring stretch, we were able to welcome as many guests during 2020 as we had in 2019.
In 2020, we saw a significant uptick in weekday visitation. Recognizing that weekends could draw many people to our open-air destination that was widely considered safer than indoor malls and other enclosed sites, people who wanted a quieter but equally satisfying experience began to come on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Many of them were first-time visitors, lured to Peddler’s Village by the shopping, strolling, weekend entertainment, and expanded outdoor dining options we quickly put in place once we were able to re-open in June.
For the rest of the year, we were impressed and honored by the steady support and engagement we saw online and personally witnessed at the Village. Local residents who hadn’t visited in years suddenly discovered our new shops and restaurants. Families based farther away, often in other states, traveled to Peddler’s Village instead of going to baseball stadiums or sporting events that were not open to the public. We were happy to hear guests commenting that the Village seemed lively and serene and relaxing (the adjectives varied, depending on when they visited), but also—importantly—very safe. In accordance with CDC guidelines and state mandates, we had strict measures in place; the vast majority of our guests complied with them.
Through the summer, fall and holiday season, overall retail volume in 2020 surpassed that of 2019. (Shop owners, almost all of whom are local residents, were very grateful for the support, as the first half of the year caused a lot of angst and uncertainty among all.) We didn’t lose shops to the pandemic… We actually gained new ones! This welcome development was a stark contrast to what was happening in traditional malls.
Now, in May 2021, retail space in the Village is nearly 100% leased. With expanded outdoor dining options (and indoor dining space) throughout the Village, our restaurant operations are serving as many visitors as ever. Increasing vaccination rates and new CDC and state guidelines have opened the door for us to resume our traditional monthly festivals starting this August. We have installed a massive new event tent that will be the site of new summer evening event series called Showtime Under the Stars (and is available for private events as well). In the meantime, we continue to present monthly celebrations and restaurant specials along with weekend entertainment.
We at Peddler’s Village are pleased, enthusiastic and grateful. We’re pleased we were able to deliver to our guests satisfying experiences in an otherwise dreadful year, enthusiastic about what lies ahead for out visitors and our business, and grateful to the many people who have come to Peddler’s Village and have supported our small businesses—last year, today, and always.