For longtime South Jersey residents, Route 38 is one of those roads where you can almost measure time by remembering what used to occupy a particular building.
Another change is happening now.
After approximately 11 years in Maple Shade, The Melting Pot closed its Route 38 restaurant on October 25.
But this isn't a story about another empty restaurant building.
Istanbul Bay Premium Mediterranean Turkish Restaurant has already signed on to take over the approximately 6,500-square-foot location. An opening date hasn't yet been announced.
As someone who grew up in Maple Shade, I find changes along Route 38 particularly interesting.
The corridor connects Maple Shade with Moorestown, Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel and gives residents quick access to an enormous amount of shopping, restaurants and services.
Businesses will always come and go.
What matters from a real estate perspective is whether the underlying location continues attracting investment.
Here, another restaurant committed to the property before the previous restaurant had even finished operating.
That's worth noticing.
It also illustrates something homeowners sometimes overlook.
Commercial real estate affects the residential experience around it.
Buyers ask what's nearby.
Where can I grocery shop?
Where can we eat?
How quickly can I get to Route 73 or I-295?
What's available within ten minutes of the house?
Convenience is part of location.
And Route 38 continues to reinvent itself as consumer habits change.
Istanbul Bay won't determine Maple Shade home values, and no responsible Realtor should pretend one restaurant can do that.
But continued investment along a major commercial corridor is one more piece of the larger picture buyers consider when deciding where they want to live.
Now I just need to know one thing:
Who's ready for Turkish food?
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