Iron Hill Brewery May Pull Out of Ardmore

It’s one thing to have a carpet store in the shopping plaza. It’s quite another to have a den of reprobates who swill liquor where the carpet used to be–people who, after eating god knows how many french fries, probably go home to hardwood floors. Some neighbors of the Ardmore Plaza Shopping Center on Greenfield Avenue object to a liquor license for a proposed Iron Hill Brewery, which leased the former Norman Carpet store in December. They worry about the late-night hours, the alcohol, the noise, the traffic. But other neighbors have greeted news of the chain’s arrival with optimism. In fact, as reporter Cheryl Allison explained:

When Iron Hill announced in December that it had signed a lease for the space formerly occupied by Norman Carpet, it was considered a coup for Ardmore. Heidi Tirjan, Lower Merion Township’s retail recruiter, said the company was the first business she began courting when she came on board seven years ago, having seen its impact in towns like West Chester and Media.

Mark Edelson, the chain’s co-owner, had been looking in Ardmore for years, and when he finally found the old Norman Carpet store in December, it seemed the stars were finally aligned. Of course, given the nature of the chain’s business, the lease was formulated with an important clause: the restaurant must be able to acquire a liquor license. Well, naturally.

Or not. After a meeting with “two dozen community members on Monday to discuss concerns,” Edelson now tells Allison that Iron Hill is “re-evaluating its involvement in Ardmore.”

• Iron Hill Brewery to table vote on liquor license for Ardmore site [Main Line Times]