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Message |
    
Shanabana
Citizen
Username: Shanabana
Post Number: 392
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 11:01 am: | 
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support local businesses on South Orange Ave and vicinity.
I just popped in to two of my favorites: the Little Candle Shop (great high-quality scented stuff) and Joggin Your Noggin (great toys), and they're still very much in business, and would like to see you!
Aren't these the kind of shops we want in our neighborhood??? So... SHOP THERE ALEADY! And, if you already have, then do it again!
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tomp
Citizen
Username: Tomp
Post Number: 23
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 11:40 am: |
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I had the impression Joggin Your Noggin was leaving, back just before Christmas. Was I wrong, or did he change his mind? It is nice to have a toy store downtown.
It's not within walking distance, but we really like Wooden You Know, which is over on Springfield and Prospect (in Maplewood). The proprieters are unusually friendly and helpful and they have lots of nice items. |
Shanabana
Citizen
Username: Shanabana
Post Number: 393
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 3:38 pm: |
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Joggin' Your Noggin is not leaving. There's a great sale on right now. Nice thing is that he wraps the stuff for free--can't get that at Toys-r-Us. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2199
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 3:39 pm: |
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is Joggin your Noggin' the store that's in the back of the deli?
I gotta tell you: I have tried to go there no less than 3 times. they have been closed each time. Very frustrating. Hard to patronize when hours aren't "normal"
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Josh Holtz
Citizen
Username: Jholtz
Post Number: 430
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 4:09 pm: |
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You have to do whatever you can to patronize the local businesses. Find a way to buy something in town on a regular business. Unless you have to go to a mall or a non-local specialty shop buy in town. It is the only way our downtown will be able to flourish. |
Ray Gable
Citizen
Username: Rgablejr
Post Number: 7
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 5:17 pm: |
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Shanabana,
Thank you for your continued support! You are truly a friend and blessing to The Little Candleshop.
Happy Mothers Day,
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susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 1561
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 6:12 pm: |
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Josh, nice theory, but I work days, out of S.O. I have to shop when I need to shop. I need a birthday gift between now and 10 am tomorrow morning. Do you know if Joggin Your Noggin will be open in that span? Other times I have not found them open.
In theory I'd like to give them my business, but opening hours may drive me to ToyRUs yet again.
If someone really wants to help the small stores in town, I'd recommend starting an information section somewhere that tells us all of their opening hours for ready reference.
There area reasons why local restaurants get many more of my dollars than local retail, and the big two are hours of operation (for the boutiques) and state of the store (e.g. Pathmark). |
Shanabana
Citizen
Username: Shanabana
Post Number: 394
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 9:41 am: |
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Happy Mother's Day to your family too, Ray!
Joggin your Noggin is in back of the news-candy-lotto store. Little Candle Shop is on SO Ave, west of the train tracks.
Susan, you have some good suggestions. Maybe the people who operate Main Street South Orange could help get some sort of list together. We might all suggest that the small businesses have a little website link from the South Orange website.
I believe that Joggin your Noggin is closed Sundays, which can be a problem, I agree. They are open other days, though. He doesn't have an employee, so he has to close if he can't be there. I don't think that this is a reason to write him off wholesale, however.
I personally agree with Josh, that we have to plan ahead and support businesses when we can.
I think we should all make a committment to spend at least $50 a month in in town retail (not including groceries).
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growler
Citizen
Username: Growler
Post Number: 940
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 3:57 pm: |
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Wooden You Know is open 7 days a week from what I read on their website. And I know they gift wrap for free too as they have wraped several presents for me. |
Shanabana
Citizen
Username: Shanabana
Post Number: 400
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 11:07 pm: |
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That's great about Wooden You Know.
However, I was writing to promote SO businesses, not Maplewood ones. Too many of the SO posters continue to gripe about how crappy everything is over here. Meanwhile, they shop in other towns, go to 22, big stores, etc, anything but set foot in a local store. I'm just trying to get people off their asses and into the good stores to help this neighborhood out. (Sorry if that sounded cranky-it's late.) |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 893
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 1:39 am: |
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Exactly, I shop in other towns because everything is so crappy over here. Money don't grow on trees. |
Josh Holtz
Citizen
Username: Jholtz
Post Number: 431
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 9:48 am: |
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Susan: Not a theory but a suggestion. If you read my post correctly I said if you have to shop somewhere else then do so. But if you can shop in town at some point during the week it will help the Village succeed.
Glock: Not everything here is crappy. At your age I'm not sure what you are spending your money on (actually I have a pretty good idea) - but there are some excellent shops and services in town that need the community's help. I believe it is our responsibility to patronize those establishments in town that are dedicated to make the Village better. |
Sean Flood
Citizen
Username: Campus_sub_shop
Post Number: 166
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 10:02 am: |
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It seems most people want to support Main Street American but -in the case of SO's local buinesses, consumers seemed worried about the how reliable their stock, operating hours and pricing structure is. I can't blame them if they've been burnt already. I think most people expect to pay a bit more than huge markets, malls or highway cost cutters... and happy to do so but there has to be a trade off.
Take Home Depot. Try asking someone to help you find something. You'll get the same answer... "I don't work in that department." (even though they have a smock on that reads "I work in all departments"). It's silly.
The local businesses that offer customer service should be given a break. If they wrap it for you, help you find it (sometimes by telling what OTHER store may stock it), make suggestions -support them. |
growler
Citizen
Username: Growler
Post Number: 941
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 10:40 am: |
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Unfortunately, the stores I have shopped at in SO haven't had really good service/selection. Hence I take my money elsewhere. One day it will get better but before then I will not support any business that doesn't have good service/selection just to say I shop locally. There are other stores in other towns that have way better customer service or selection that deserve my money and at least I'm not shopping at any big box stores. It's still keeping my money local. |
Shanabana
Citizen
Username: Shanabana
Post Number: 408
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 12:30 pm: |
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Not local enough for these guys who are trying to make a difference on South Orange ave. If you want a nice gift, the Little Candle Shop or that new one gift shop (sorry don't remember the name)down the road have great selection. If you want a basic toy, especially for a birthday party, Joggin Your Noggin has lots of stuff. My kids find something in there every time we go in. the customer serviec in these places is impecable. I was addressing specifics--the specifics of the negative attitude about this town, and the specifics of these two establishments. Have you visited them, Growler? |
growler
Citizen
Username: Growler
Post Number: 942
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 2:24 pm: |
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Yes I have. The Little Candle Shop is great. When I need a little special something I go there. I have been going there since they were on Valley St. JYK on the other hand I find terrible. Bad customer service (he was once asleep behind the counter when I walked in) and I can find any of those toys at any big box store. |
joecool
Citizen
Username: Joecool
Post Number: 175
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 2:38 pm: |
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Shanabana,
I rarely post but I have to chime in here on the customer service at Joggin Your Noggin. I have had exactly the opposite experience. The owner was a bit rude when I asked a few questions on the safety of a toy for a younger child and I thought the store looked, well, awful. What really ticks me off is the idea that we should support bad stores. I try to spend my money in town as much as possible - whether it is South Orange or Maplewood, the Little Candle Shop is lovely and the owners really know their stuff. Very helpful. I will gladly pay a little more for a gift there because they are truly working to make a great store. I don't think the toy store will be great no matter what. He doesn't seem to care about keeping the store nice. I have never seem him donate to any of the local events that I have attended and at the holidays the only advertising he did was to say big sale - going out of business - then didn't. That seems a little dishonest to me. We are very lucky that this area has 3 truly great toy stores - all offering something a little different - Scriveners, Wooden U Know and Babyland in Millburn. Frankly, I would rather see the newspaper place that is the primary store in front of Joggin Your Noggin figure out a way to expand and let the other toy stores that are clearly better at what they do have the local support. |
Kibbegirl
Citizen
Username: Kibbegirl
Post Number: 563
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:08 pm: |
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Love the Orange Tree and always use it when I want to find special gifts. The owners (?) are friendly and helpful. I also frequent the Little Candle Shop for the same reasons. I don't agree purchasing from any store, big or small, where the service sucks or is spotty. But, S.O. could do so much better in offerings to the people. The money and support is here, but there really is not much to choose from. I love the idea of mom and pop specialty shops. There's a market for that here, but alas, the rents are so high, they'd have to do major turnover like a Circuit City! |
Mama Cloudy
Citizen
Username: Mamacloudy
Post Number: 11
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 9:08 am: |
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I have to agree with Joe Cool. I've shopped at Joggin You Noggin several times during the holiday season and while I was pleasantly surprised at the prices, I was appalled at the proprietor's sour attitude. Namely, the way he spoke to me about his patrons. He felt that the town of SO wasn't supporting him enough and that we were a bunch of hypocrites, "you say you want to support a vibrant downtown, but you don't shop locally". Hmmm, I wonder why?
Needless to say, after that statement, that was the last time I spent money there.
I'll go again, because I beleive that people have bad days, but there's a lesson to be learned here...when you're competing against the big boys (Target, Costco, Toys R Us, etc), customer service is what differentiates you.
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Stuart0628
Citizen
Username: Stuart0628
Post Number: 270
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 11:09 am: |
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Another thing that would help is hours that will have you open when commuters come home. These proprietors have home lives so it's not easy--but a store that is open from noon to 8PM is more likely to get my business than one that is open from 9 to 6. |
Shanabana
Citizen
Username: Shanabana
Post Number: 419
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 12:10 pm: |
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Ok, you'll have to add monday to a day that JYK is closed. I admit he's a little sleepy, but have you tried to sit retail eight hours a day, alone? I've had several conversations with him. I'm the one to bring up the "how's business" issue, not him, and he answers honestly. Judging from some of the remarks here, he's got a point about residents... Yes, you can find the stuff in there at other stores, but I find that convenient, not a problem. And, he has contributed to upcoming the YMCA childcare center Carnival. |
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