Merchantville, a 130-year-old borough in Camden County less than a square mile in size and graced with fine architecture, is trying to capitalize. Plans are on the drawing board for a parking garage, while the public and private sectors are working to create a business improvement district.

"The best part of Merchantville is that it is five miles from Philadelphia and a billion miles from the city," Mayor Patrick Brennan said. "I think, as you see the success of towns like Merchantville, Collingswood, Haddon Heights and Audubon, people are coming back to this kind of town. You don't have to stand in traffic on the highways."

While Brennan appreciates the interest, he stresses the need for careful planning to keep improving the quality of life for the borough's roughly 4,000 people.

"We have to restructure and redesign our business district because people want accessibility and convenience," Brennan said. "We worked with the Camden County Improvement Authority on determination and a redevelopment plan."

What they've come up with includes a multi-level parking facility hidden behind storefronts, expansion of the business district and more housing in the form of condominiums or apartments atop new retail space. Parking is central to the plan because the borough already suffers from a shortage. The plan is in the preliminary stages so no finish date has been set.

Merchantville has already benefited from a public/private development effort. A senior housing complex opened in the heart of the borough in March on what had been a derelict lot. Calling it an extraordinary success, Brennan said it gives senior citizens easy access to grocery stores, pharmacies, gift shops and banks.

"It brings people to our downtown. Any business' key to success is having people shop," he said. "We need to get more businesses in town, keep moving."

The borough's retail component got a shot in the arm in 1995 when Merchantville became part of New Jersey's Main Street program, designed to bring shoppers back to the first-ring suburbs. Facade improvements were made and the borough kicked off events like an arts fair and a craft fair that are still going on today.

Coupled with the town's long-standing birthday celebration and a car show and sock hop started by a local gas station owner, Merchantville events draw thousands annually. More than 10,000 people went through the town during this summer's car show.

The borough got another boost this summer when the Gungor brothers opened The Collins House Restaurant on Centre Street. The three brothers, Merin, Nemid and Halil, have operated The Farnsworth House in Bordentown, N.J. for about 10 years; their success in that location led them to branch out.

Halil Gungor, who handles the operations side of the business, said he was scouting locations and "a friend of mine told me about this place that was closed for a few years. ... When we saw the place, it was incredible. It has a lot of character and was similar to our other restaurant. The town itself has a lot of beautiful architecture and homes and the income of the people is pretty high."

Gungor is referring to Merchantville, plus surrounding communities like Cherry Hill, Moorestown and Mount Laurel, which are all about 15 minutes away. Demographic information shows that residents of these towns have plenty of disposable cash to drop on The Collins House's continental and Northern Italian cuisine.

Built in the 1890s, the handsome brick building was a good fit for the Gungors' plan for upscale casual dining.

"When we opened our first place in Bordentown we were the only restaurant in town; now there is a renaissance there. We hope for the same thing here," Halil Gungor said. "In our surrounding areas, most of the towns are dry and we have a liquor license. Most of the restaurants are either BYOB or chain restaurants which don't have the same personalized service or quality food."

The Collins House should be good for the town's other businesses.

According to Randi Oakford, part owner of Aunt Charlotte's Candies, a popular restaurant generates sales for the surrounding shops. When the Collins building housed Tavern on the Square, a now-defunct restaurant, "Groups that ate lunch there would come here afterward," Oakford said.

Aunt Charlotte's is a bit of a draw in itself. City Administrator John Fry said around Easter it's impossible to find a parking space in Merchantville because people come from miles around to buy the store's handmade candy.

Brooks Oakford, who took over the business in 1945 from his father, said Aunt Charlotte's draws from a radius of about 50 miles.

The candy and gift shop is in the old Beidemen Feed and Grain Store that was built at the same time as The Collins House. Brooks Oakford moved his business there in 1971. Four years ago, he refurbished the place for $90,000, fitting it out with elegant brass chandeliers and warm oak beams and floors.

Oakford, 81, has watched a lot of changes in his town and likes what he's seen lately. Both he and his daughter think the mayor is doing a good job and are enthusiastic about the plans. The elder Oakford never misses a meeting of the Merchantville Business and Professional Association, which is playing an important role in the improvement district planning.

"We have worked very closely with MBPA and we've taken their direction," Brennan said. "It becomes an additional fee for property owners within the district for which they get additional services like sidewalk sweeping. Without that, all of a sudden we might have someone who doesn't clean their property and becomes a gap tooth in a brilliant smile."

Merchantville enjoys a pretty good diversity of businesses, from a 115-year-old grocery market to a wellness center and yoga studio to gift shops and clothing stores. But Brennan emphasized that the business climate demands that a town continually improve.