Downtown Cranford is the main retail business district for the township. Consisting of a variety of small family-owned businesses on both sides of the railroad tracks, there has been a debate in the community over the direction of the downtown. With neighboring communities seeing downtown development and a focus on either recruiting chain store or upscale small stores, Cranford has been debating the issue. On the south side of town, the Centennial Avenue Business District is a small shopping district with a mix of neighborhood stores. There is a push to redevelop this business district.