In Atlantic City’s Inlet neighborhood, a lot has come and gone. Mel’s Furniture, at 508 Atlantic Ave, has stayed the course since the 1950s. Philip Weinberg, son of founder Mel Weinberg, recently stopped to talk with us about the prospects for the area. A lot is riding on reviving the northern end of the boardwalk, home to two of the casinos that closed their doors in 2014 (Showboat and Revel) and the Trump Taj Mahal (slated to close this fall), but Weinberg said he is optimistic new owners at the first two properties can turn them around. More important for the furniture business will be the Stockton University campus, which could open in the next two years in the south of Atlantic City, he said.
“It’s a shame Stockton wasn’t this end of town, but the bottom line is, it’s going to bring a lot more people into the city…It’ll definitely generate some business,” Weinberg said.
The prospect of a 250-unit residential development going up near his furniture store is even more reason for optimism, Weinberg said. That project, developed by Wasseem Boraie’s Boraie Development, is being part funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, which controls planning in the Tourism District, which includes the southern part of the Inlet neighborhood where Mel’s Furniture is located.
“Hopefully the town will get going,” Weinberg concluded. “Things are definitely near the bottom.”
You can watch the full interview here: