"Twenty years ago we were pretty much bone dry, but we've been somewhat dry-in-name-only for a while," Mayor Zachary Houck told The Philadelphia Inquirer in December 2024. Residents had voted that November 5 to end a 120-year-old ban on liquor sales.
Two years later, the borough has awarded the first license. The Retrospect reported on October 23 that Haddon Heights granted its first new license to Station Ave Partners for $200,000. The building it's meant for won't be finished in time for the holidays. The 2026 season will run the same way it has for years, through a brewery about 500 feet off the main drag, a BYOB dining room that's been open for more than four decades, and a festival calendar built while the town was still officially dry.
The Corner at 501 Station Is a Spring Project
The license is tied to the corner where Station Avenue meets the White Horse Pike, at the northeastern entrance to downtown. The Inquirer reported in September that Station Avenue Partners applied for the license at 501 Station Ave. The same team owns Broken Ground Properties, which is redeveloping the site.
The project covers 501 and 503 Station Ave. Both lots once held early-20th-century buildings that had fallen into disrepair, and the borough put the property in its redevelopment plan in 2023. Broken Ground owner Gary Farrell described the plans to the Inquirer:
- A 2,750-square-foot ground-floor restaurant or commercial space with outdoor seating and a rooftop deck
- A dozen luxury apartments on the top two floors
- A rooftop area of nearly 3,000 square feet for residents
The timing is what affects this season. In September, Farrell expected the whole project to finish by February. The commercial space would likely be done last, because the future tenant handles the final outfitting and design. He said they had talked with several restaurant groups but were waiting to have the license in hand before marketing the space. The license is now awarded. A restaurant still has to sign, and then build out its own space after the building is done.
The 2024 referendum allowed two licenses. Houck told the Inquirer the borough would consider starting the process for the second license by the end of this year or in early 2027.
The Dry Town Already Had a Place for a Pint
Houck's "dry-in-name-only" comment referred to something specific. State rules have long let brewpubs that make beer on site, and shops selling New Jersey wine, operate even in dry towns. In Haddon Heights, that meant Tanner Brewing Co., a brewery and tasting room at 222 W. Atlantic Ave. 42 Freeway covered its opening in late October 2022 and put it about 500 feet from Station Avenue.
Tanner's owner, Joe Gentile, also owns Local Links Market Cafe on Station Avenue. In the Inquirer's 2024 story, he credited part of the shift in local opinion to public events like "Rhythm and Brews" and "Sippin' on Station," which he and others staged downtown with local beer, food trucks, vendors and entertainment.
That model kept running through 2026 while the license process played out. The Heights in Progress events calendar listed beer at Rhythm & Brews on May 16 and at Groove at the Grove on August 8, plus cocktails at Freedom Jam on July 3. Before that, The Retrospect previewed a March 21 food-and-drink crawl on Station Avenue that included a pint at Tanner Brewing, with ID required for alcohol.
So the holiday calendar below is the latest round of a format the town has used for years.
Three Evenings on Station Avenue
| Date | Event | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Holiday Parade | 6 p.m. | Along Station Avenue; music, floats and Santa; road closures begin at 5 p.m. |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Menorah Lighting | 6 p.m. | Haddon Heights Library steps |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Deck the Heights | 4 to 8 p.m. | Vendors, musicians, food trucks, artisans; Santa photos and free carriage rides from 5 p.m. |
The parade comes the night after Thanksgiving. The borough's notice says roads close at 5 p.m. and encourages residents to arrive early. The Menorah Lighting is the following Friday at the same hour, on the library steps.
Deck the Heights is the one the liquor question touches. HIP bills it as its holiday cheer festival and says seasonal cocktails will be available for adults. The borough's December calendar invites people to warm up in local shops, finish their holiday shopping with specialty vendors, "meet friends at Tanner Brewing Co, and enjoy an adult beverage." The drinks run through the brewery that has served as the downtown's gathering spot since 2022.
Dinner Before the Parade, Block by Block
The new restaurant space at 501 Station will sit at the northeastern end of the stretch these events fill. For now, the two blocks already offer plenty of options before the parade or between carriage rides:
- The Booch House, 517 Station Ave. One of the newer arrivals, built around kombucha and mocktails, with vegetarian and vegan dishes and dinner entrées added to the menu.
- Lula's Empanadas, 516 Station Ave. Now in a much larger storefront for eat-in or takeout, with signature empanadas, build-your-own bowls and gluten-free options.
- Trouble Brewing, 514 Station Ave. Despite the name, this is a coffee shop. It opens early daily and serves pizza, bagels and paninis.
- Anthony's Creative Italian Cuisine, 512 Station Ave. A BYOB dining room open for more than 46 years. Reservations are recommended, which matters on a parade Friday.
- Local Links Market Cafe, 533 Station Ave. An all-day cafe in its second decade, run by the same owner as Tanner Brewing.
- Ralph's Pizza, 520 Station Ave. A longtime pizza shop that has reopened its back room, the Trattoria, for dining and reserved parties.
- Jane's Tea House, 602 Station Ave. Tea service, scones and lunch, plus a small gift shop. Reservations are required on weekends.
- Classic Asia, 611 Station Ave. Chinese takeout and delivery, with seating for dining in. Closed Tuesdays.
- John's Friendly Market, 622 Station Ave. The corner grocery and deli, known for hoagie trays and a rotating daily soup.
Anthony's is the obvious place to bring your own bottle for a sit-down dinner. Tanner, a few hundred feet away on West Atlantic Avenue, is the place for a pint. Until the restaurant at 501 Station opens, that's how a holiday night out works downtown: dinner on Station Avenue, then a drink on West Atlantic.
After the Lights Come Down
Broken Ground expected to finish the 501 and 503 Station Ave. building around February, with the restaurant space completed last. The borough may start the process for the second license late this year or in early 2027. If that schedule holds, the corner of Station Avenue and the White Horse Pike will have a finished building by next year's parade.
If you own a home within walking distance of Station Avenue, the work at 501 Station is likely to come up the next time you think about your home's value. Ray Moorhouse Real Estate Group follows downtown projects like this one block by block and can show you how changes on Station Avenue fit into your own numbers. Start with a simple question for our team: What's My Home Worth?
