Wayne is becoming more prosperous than ever.

With prosperity comes increased real estate prices, and small town conveniences become threatened by higher rent on their spaces. The increased desire for retail space in Wayne has brought about a drastic change to Wayne's retail environment in recent years, a change that has moved the usual stores that you would expect in a small town out in favor of higher-priced boutiques.

Nowhere is this change more visible than on the east end of North Wayne Avenue. O'Brien's News was a Wayne fixture for decades, providing convenient access to newspapers, magazines and food for railroad travelers and Middle School students returning home.

Thanks to Wayne's increasing prosperity and appeal, rental for the news agency, as well as the Cheese Alley and Shady Dog Records, was increased dramatically. All three stores had a loyal following and years-long histories of service to the community, but that wasn't enough to keep them open.

Today, a new high-fashion boutique called "pink turtle" has taken over the space once occupied by Shady Dog. Its high-end clientele may have a better chance of keeping the store open than the small record shop did, but only time will tell. Today Shady Dog operates on Lancaster Avenue in Berwyn.

A home decor shop, "The Pear Tree", will soon open in the old O'Brien's space, making some Wayne residents wonder, "how much home decor does one town need?"

In a historical perspective, one may consider this shift in Wayne's retail environment to be a natural development. Beleive it or not, on the same block there used to be food markets and other conveniences long ago taken over by Acme and Wal-Mart. Before that, residential houses once lined the street leading to the Wayne Station. In the grand scheme of Wayne's history, the current shift to higher end stores may be one of the least drastic shifts in Wayne's commercial development, but it is still significant. Some call it "Wayneayunk" after the high-end conversion of Manayunk, and that's not a stretch.

The North Wayne Avenue block still has a shoemaker, a barber, a book store and a music shop. In truth, these are the businesses that keep Wayne a unique and desirable place to live.

Further Reading:

Suburban & Wayne Times: Cheese Alley Leaves after 30 years

Suburban & Wayne Times: Shady Dog Moves to Berwyn

O'Brien's is dismantled for good, September 27, 2006.