Veteran Merchants Want to Welcome Newcomers

Earl Edelcup has been part of the downtown Highland Park business scene for nearly 40 years starting when he was a young boy helping his father at Ross’s at the corner of Second Street and Central Avenue.

Now the store belongs to Edelcup and his wife, Arden Edelcup, and they are continuing the tradition of service to existing customers while reaching out to new ones. They have an idea to help the rest of the Highland Park merchant community do the same.

The Edelcups want to partner with the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, the real estate community and others who want to participate to create reusable tote bags which would come stuffed with coupons of introductory offers to new residents from local merchants.

Rather than use some sort of impersonal delivery service, they want local realtors to personally hand the gift bag to their client who has just moved to town. “They usually buy (their clients) gifts at closing,” Arden Edelcup said. “What a sense of community it would show.”

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