Headline: Marlton Pike Gets a Family-Friendly Boost — Big Blue Swim School Opens at Plaza at Cherry Hill as Pure Hockey Moves and the Façade Gets a Refresh
If you drive I‑295 through Cherry Hill or know the Marlton Pike/Route 70 stretch well, you’ve probably noticed the slow-but-steady refresh happening at the Plaza at Cherry Hill. The center just off the busy retail spine is adding some practical, family-focused retail: Big Blue Swim School has opened a new location in the plaza, Pure Hockey has shifted into a new unit, and the center’s façade renovation continues to give the property a cleaner, more modern look.
Here’s what this all means for people who live, work, and commute through Cherry Hill — especially those using the I‑295 corridor.
Where this is and why it matters
Plaza at Cherry Hill sits on Marlton Pike (Route 70), a long commercial corridor that links neighborhoods, strip centers, and major interchanges. Google Maps shows the plaza’s position where Route 70’s retail density meets residential streets — a convenient spot for families from Cherry Hill and neighboring towns in Camden County who don’t want to drive all the way to bigger malls.
For drivers using I‑295, Marlton Pike is one of those predictable stops for errands, classes, or after‑school activities. Add a swim school and a full‑service hockey retailer to that mix and you get a neighborhood hub that attracts steady daytime and early‑evening traffic — the kind of steady footfall property owners like to see.
Big Blue Swim School — what it brings to Cherry Hill
Big Blue Swim School is a national brand of year‑round, instruction‑focused swim centers that emphasize water safety and progressive lessons for infants through teens. Their model typically includes warm, shallow pools, curriculum driven by repetition and small classes, and consistent lesson scheduling so families can enroll long‑term. Yelp reviews for Big Blue locations around the region tend to highlight patient instructors, structured progress, and a family‑friendly atmosphere — all the traits that make a swim program practical for busy parents.
For Cherry Hill, a Big Blue center means more than a new lesson option. It’s a service that dovetails with local family life: swim lessons for toddlers and lessons that help older kids build competitive or recreational skills. That’s useful for households with children, day‑care providers, and local schools or sports clubs that rely on year‑round aquatic programming. It also creates predictable appointment traffic that benefits adjacent businesses — coffee spots, quick‑service restaurants, and shops that pick up extra customers during lesson times.
Pure Hockey’s move — small shift, steady benefit
Pure Hockey is a specialty retailer serving ice hockey and roller hockey players, and it’s a brand that draws a particular customer base: players, parents, coaches, and local leagues. The chain’s relocation to a new unit inside the plaza keeps that niche traffic on Marlton Pike instead of drifting to competing centers. For hockey families in Cherry Hill and neighboring towns, the move matters because it keeps equipment and service close to home and near the area’s rinks and youth programs.
Retail turnover like this — one tenant opening, another relocating — is normal for suburban plazas. What’s important is the mix: family services (like swim schools) plus specialty retail (like hockey gear) make a center useful to a broader cross‑section of residents.
Façade refresh — keeping the corridor competitive
You’ll also notice the plaza’s façade remodel continuing. A refreshed exterior is part cosmetic, part strategic: landlords invest in curb appeal to retain current tenants, attract new ones, and keep customers feeling welcome. Across South Jersey, outlets such as NJ.com and Patch have reported on how retail centers along major corridors update to stay competitive with newer developments and changing shopper expectations. For Marlton Pike, which competes with indoor malls and newer centers nearer I‑295 interchanges, simple upgrades — new signage, fresh paint, improved lighting — can make a big difference in perception and foot traffic.
Local impact and what to watch for
– Jobs and services: Both the swim school and Pure Hockey will add local jobs — from instructors and front‑desk staff to retail associates — and those are the kinds of positions that matter in town. They also reduce trips to other towns for the same services.
– Traffic patterns: Swim lesson schedules often create short, repeat trips throughout the day. That can be a boon to nearby lunch spots and convenience retailers. If you commute on I‑295 and use Marlton Pike exits for errands, expect predictable peak times around early evenings and weekend mornings.
– Neighborhood synergy: The mix of family‑oriented services and specialty retail supports surrounding neighborhoods by providing nearby options for lessons, sports, and shopping rather than sending residents farther afield.
– Property evolution: The ongoing façade work signals that the plaza’s ownership is invested in keeping the property relevant — something nearby property owners and prospective tenants will watch closely.
Want to see it for yourself?
If you’re curious about location and parking, Google Maps provides up‑to‑date pin locations and street‑view context for Plaza at Cherry Hill. For community impressions, check Yelp for reviews of nearby Big Blue locations and Pure Hockey stores; they’ll give you a sense of what customers value and what to expect. Local outlets such as NJ.com and Patch frequently cover retail and development trends in Camden County and Cherry Hill, so they’re useful places to track broader changes along Marlton Pike.
Bottom line
This is a small but practical win for Cherry Hill along the Marlton Pike corridor — a new family service, a specialty retailer keeping its local presence, and a plaza getting a facelift. For people who live near I‑295 exits that feed into Route 70, those are the kinds of changes that quietly make daily life easier: more options close to home, more jobs nearby, and a cleaner, more modern shopping strip to park at when you run an errand or pick up the kids.
If you live or work near Exit (I‑295) and want to share how these additions affect your routines — or if you’ve taken lessons at Big Blue or shopped at Pure Hockey — send a note. Local details from neighbors help make sense of how small retail moves shape daily life along Marlton Pike.
