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Message |
    
Bobkat
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7180
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 2:46 pm: | 
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This is the first I have heard Centannis is closing. Is this a rumor or fact? The liquor license is probably worth fairly substantial money as the Earlster points out. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 5058
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 2:49 pm: |
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Ignatius, I think using my real name has a lot to do with why the press calls me. I'm easy to find. |
SoOrLady
Citizen
Username: Soorlady
Post Number: 1650
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 3:47 pm: |
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I don't think Cent Anni's is closing.. I heard this rumor last week and called as I was asked by my boss to make reservations for a dinner meeting on the 27th. The person on the phone said that they are not closing. |
common sense
Citizen
Username: Common_sense
Post Number: 17
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 3:49 pm: |
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Don't be so vain Tom R.
I think you are all forgetting that the NYT is a story shop - writers in search of something to say. Try reading the Sunday Times- what a bunch of over-analysis of trivia.
And if it is easy to get your stories by sitting on your butt in NYC and surfing MOL, then you will get stories on Maplewood.
Sorry to deflate our collective ego... |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 5065
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 3:52 pm: |
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What is vain about saying, "I don't have much insightful or intelligent to say about the subject"? I agree the reporter probably grabbed the "nearest" guy he saw, not the most informed. And I warned him!  |
mtierney
Citizen
Username: Mtierney
Post Number: 727
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 4:44 pm: |
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Heard it Saturday from the horse's mouth so to speak. Just waiting for Lot 15 to pick up steam. Ultra high rent in village is the reason. |
Lydia
Citizen
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 840
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 6:12 pm: |
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I heard this and that about Cenntanni's too - pity if they leave - is it really about the huge rents again?
Whatever, guess a man's gotta eat.
Ideally, these buildings get sold and purchased by people (consortiums?) that have the long-term retail health of the village in mind and less of the take the money and run approach. |
bottomline
Citizen
Username: Bottomline
Post Number: 145
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 9:11 pm: |
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The marketplace will sort out rents sooner or later. For example, I doubt there is sufficient demand for three nail salons in the village. After a while one will fold and the landlord will be stuck with an empty storefront. He may then be inclined to accept lower rent and/or a tenant with a more stable business model.
If Centanni (sp?) is closing down (and I emphasize IF because I know nothing of their situation), it will be either because they can’t compete with the other restaurants in the village or that they believe their clientele will follow them to some other (cheaper) location. Again, the landlord will be staring at an unoccupied space and will need to make a business decision about how much rent to seek.
If a viable and well planned business like Starbucks passes on Maplewood Village, the peak in rents can’t be far off. In fact, it may already be behind us.
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cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 2999
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 9:49 pm: |
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Centanni should close down if it isn't already. Anyone that serves instant mash potatoes should be banned as a restaurant.
Sorry for the drift. |
Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4965
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 10:01 pm: |
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I predict a thumb and big toe salon will open there.
Specialization is where it's at. |
Bobkat
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7185
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 7:53 am: |
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Trapper, in your scenario there is no way the Techs qualify as independent contractors either as respects Workers' Compensation or State and Federal employment laws.
Also you example assumes there is one Tech doing all the work. |
trapper
Citizen
Username: Trapper
Post Number: 118
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 3:12 pm: |
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Bobkat,
Re: your first paragraph: Precisely.
Re: your second paragraph: check your math again. I said the owner takes in over 900 a day and a BT nets 100 a day.
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shoshannah
Citizen
Username: Shoshannah
Post Number: 669
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 4:41 pm: |
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I also heard that the framing shop is closing in the near future due to the owner's retirement (the one on the movie theater side of the street). Can anyone confirm this? |
Lydia
Citizen
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 841
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 5:53 pm: |
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Bottomline,
quote:The marketplace will sort out rents sooner or later. For example, I doubt there is sufficient demand for three nail salons in the village. After a while one will fold and the landlord will be stuck with an empty storefront.
I hope you're right, but it doesn't appear the marketplace has sorted out the retail situation in Millburn for example, or South Orange village for another.
I'll keep my fingers (with my unmanicured nails) crossed and hope that a more suitable retail store opens up on that corner soon. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 5103
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 5:54 pm: |
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Lydia, what are your criticisms of Millburn's shopping? I find it to be pretty useful, compared to SOM. |
Lydia
Citizen
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 843
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 6:19 pm: |
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The downtown looks terrible, there's one corner that's cohesive (Starbucks, Gito, that French store..) but overall there are too many empty storefronts and non-browsing stores taking up prime retail space on the main drag.
Considering the buying power of the people of Millburn/Short Hills it's a pretty uneven center. Compare it to other old affluent suburban towns like Ridgewood or Chatham and, well, there's no comparison.
I suppose Millburn was walloped somewhat by the Short Hills Mall, but still, Chatham is closer to the mall and they don't have the messy look of downtown Millburn. Ridgewood is right next to Rt. 17 but they have a beautiful downtown.
Millburn has such fast traffic too, unless you already know the lay of the land, it's hard to drive and look for a store. The traffic mess discourages casually pulling over and walking around IMO.
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Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 4246
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 10:39 pm: |
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"Compare it to other old affluent suburban towns like Ridgewood or Chatham and, well, there's no comparison."
My co-worker from Chatham laughed with me yesterday, about Maplewood's latest appearance in the NY Times. She said that a third nail salon in downtown Maplewood is nothing compared to Chatham, where they feel inundated by nail places.
Maybe context is everything. |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 1750
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 10:13 am: |
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Is the article available online? I'm not coming up with it when I search the NY Times site. |
Joe
Citizen
Username: Gonets
Post Number: 601
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 11:09 am: |
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Lydia,
I agree with the general goals you have for the Village. I'd prefer that there be something other than another nail salon at the Cornercopia site, but this notion of hiring a village manager will more likely drive away a lot of potential business es because what business wants to deal with another layer of government.
Plus it seems your assessment of what makes a good downtown is a tad subjective for instance you say that in addition to empty storefronts in Millburn there are too many "non-browsing stores taking up prime retail space."
There are a lot of stores that are great for browsing but are lousy businesses. You might like browsing in them, but if browsers don't become buyers on a regular basis, the village will end up with another empty storefront. It would be great for the village to be more like Ridgewood except for the fact that a lot of us would only be browsers in the sort of stores you'll find in Ridgewood. Ridgewood is so successful, because not only does just about every adult who lives within walking distance pull down 6 figures, but also because the malls although close are not convenient. The highways there are parking lots and their downtown is large enough to have the upscale chains that these folks would patronize. Ridgewood is a tasteful, downtown oasis surrounded by garish suburban sprawl. Why would anyone leave town on the weekend?
If I had my druthers one of the many realtors in the village would be transformed into a beer and shot joint with a pool table (for killing time while waiting for a seat at St. James' Gate). But although those realtors by their very presence deny you another space to browse and me another space to get a pint of Guinness (while shooting a game of pool), they are viable businesses that contribute more than they detract. Same goes for the nail salons. I'd like to think that this newest one will be one too many, but I'd rather leave it up to the market to decide, rather than some new bureaucrat. The market isn't perfect, but I've yet to human who is. |
Lydia
Citizen
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 844
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 11:53 am: |
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Joe - good points, my idea of what makes a good downtown is subjective but based on some experience as a wholesale business owner. After a lot of trial and error over 10 years, I got pretty good at sussing out a downtown and stores that could sell higher end products with a good turnover.
I actually think the real estate offices are good businesses to be right on Maplewood Avenue - they catch people's attention right when they get off the train and they attract clusters of newcomers and residents together and they start chatting. People outdoors talking to each other is a good thing for a village.
Maybe it would help if I made an analogy. Think of Nail Salons as sort of like the flu - for a healthy person (or healthy downtown) it's not a big deal, but for an immune-compromised person or eldery person it can lead to serious problems.
I sincerely hope that Maplewood is healthy enough to weather this "flu" |
Joe
Citizen
Username: Gonets
Post Number: 603
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 12:13 pm: |
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Good analogy, but given the cuteness of the village and the robust incomes of people within walking distance, I'd say our beloved village has a strong enough immune system to withstand it. Perhaps the illness will get so bad that it opens the doors for my beer and shot joint with a pool table. Don't worry it won't get so bad that a dollar store will replace Richard Roberts, and as the village recovers, which it will, the beer and shot joint will expand it's menu to include tapas and sangria. So long as they keep the pool table and insist on showing Nets games over Knicks games, it's all good, yo. |
Earlster
Supporter
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 858
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 1:09 pm: |
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I want a joint with a pool table, too. Doesn't have to be in the village, SA would be fine. It would also bring more people to the Avenue. |
Joe
Citizen
Username: Gonets
Post Number: 608
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 1:15 pm: |
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O'Reilly's has a pool table. You have to share space with the dart players, but it's pretty good anway. |
Lydia
Citizen
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 845
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 4:31 pm: |
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Joe, I agree with you, the village is still awfully cute, and it has a lot of good things going for it.
A shot and beer joint would be good in the village - as long as it has windows. Windows seem to be the tipping point when it comes to taverns.
I agree with you Joe, it's all good -- and thanks for talking me down from my "next thing you know we'll have a dollar store" space yo.
Peace Out
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Bobkat
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7214
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 5:21 pm: |
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My former cop brother in law has a theroy that it is best to avoid bars with small windows. The reason they are small is that there are a lot of fights and it is, obviously, cheaper to replace small windows than large ones.  |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 2334
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 6:21 pm: |
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I ferget, does Cryan's have any windows? I heard about a guy getting pool-cued there the other night...
-s.
BTW: Musta been one o' those crazy Rotarians... |
Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 4710
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 7:50 pm: |
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Never noticed any windows there. |
Lydia
Citizen
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 851
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 8:10 pm: |
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Cryans had that big fight last year where the kid from Seton Hall was expelled. Cryans = small to no windows,
Coincidence?
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Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 2339
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2005 - 12:55 am: |
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fredprofeta
Citizen
Username: Fredprofeta
Post Number: 81
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 17, 2005 - 10:40 am: |
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One of the issues to be discussed at Tuesday's (tomorrow's) TC meeting relates to permissible regulation of businesses in Special Improvement Districts through zoning. Maplewood Village is a SID, administered by the Maplewood Village Alliance, a non-profit corporation created by town ordinance. The Supreme Court of New Jersey (Fanetti v. Trenton) was fairly clear about the general notion that, within SIDs, the town may legislate to preserve the "general character of the District." It has been suggested, for example, that an ordinance might permissibly regulate the number of nail salons that could be located within a certain distance from each other. Of course, such an ordinance would not affect salons already operating. |
Mark Fuhrman
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 1145
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 17, 2005 - 10:44 am: |
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If that ordinance passes, the value of the existing nail salons will skyrocket (assuming that nail salons remain in high demand). Can the Town get some of that benefit? I know, we probably can't, but it never hurts to ask. |
fredprofeta
Citizen
Username: Fredprofeta
Post Number: 82
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 17, 2005 - 10:58 am: |
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Just to be clear - there is no ordinance yet, draft or otherwise. This is simply a topic for free discussion by the TC, which might or might not lead to the introduction of an ordinance. |
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