| Author | Message | ||
     Jason & John Citizen Username: Johnh91011 Post Number: 164 Registered: 3-2002 |
Having read various posts about the proliferation of nail salons in SO/M I was wondering how they are able to afford the rents in towns like SO/M. As other posts have indicated many restaurants and businesses are closing (specially in downtown Maplewood) partially due to the high rents. The january 9th New York times had an article about the number of nail salons in these towns. Apparently the Maplewood Township committee is condisering options to limit the number of such businesses. I have also read with interest that some (all?) of these "nail" salons offer massages. I sincerely hope these establishments are not fronts for "other" businesses. | ||
| sylvester the investor Citizen Username: Mummish Post Number: 12 Registered: 6-2004 |
The fact that we have a new one coming into the village amazes me. The laws of supply and demand would lead me to believe that one or more will not be able to survive. The only possible way for them all to survive is if we have an overabundance of demand. I highly doubt that the lines for a manicure are out the door at Anthony Garubo, Kim's and the Nail House. AG is in a league of its own, as it is a salon / SPA and caters to a different clientel. The other nail houses all provide the same services, so it is going to come down to price. There will defiantely be a price war and I predict that with having to cover $6,000 a month rent for the cornicopia spot, someone is going to go out of business. Mark my words, within a year one of the "nail" places will close. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3320 Registered: 5-2001  |
IMO, they are indeed fronts (well, not Anthony Garubo). But I have absolutely no evidence of this! COnsider this, though...all cash business, no one speaks english, and mem's butt/hotrock story on another thread.  | ||
| SoOrLady Citizen Username: Soorlady Post Number: 1748 Registered: 9-2003 |
sylvestor - It doesn't always come down to price. As you said, Garubo is in a league of it's own... but when Nail House opened Kim's improved the quality of their product and service. They have also contributed to the community and have a loyal client base. The Cornercopia Spa will, IMHO, need to have Licensed Massage Therapists, and near-Garubo type quality of their service to hurt Kim's. As I've said before, Nail House has not been in the game long enough to have established themselves with a loyal client base. | ||
| sk8mom Citizen Username: Sk8mom Post Number: 89 Registered: 11-2003 |
A front for what? | ||
| buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 1617 Registered: 5-2001  |
the most surreal sign is the huge COMING SOON NAILS. right smack dab in the middle of town. It is almost a joke. COMING SOON NAILS......not nail salon - just nails. Maybe hardware store. | ||
| SoOrLady Citizen Username: Soorlady Post Number: 1766 Registered: 9-2003 |
Read again Buzz - the sign says Leo Nails. (Lions & Tigers and Bears - oh my!) | ||
| buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 1619 Registered: 5-2001 |
Hmmmm. Now it's not as funny. I suppose I was blinded by the big NAILS part. D'oh. | ||
| SoOrLady Citizen Username: Soorlady Post Number: 1768 Registered: 9-2003 |
It does not bode well.. original rumor was that, although it was "another nail place" it was going to be upscale, high quality etc., etc. Tacky coming soon signage and the name "Leo Nail" begs to differ. | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 926 Registered: 5-2001 |
SoOrlady - I agree the cheap signage doesn't bode well for what's coming. We already have an upscale nail place at Anthony Garubo's. I think that there are conversations about the nail salons that are cut short because it's an uncomfortable discussion. The new nail salons are minority-owned and no one wants to be branded racist or prejudicial if they object to them. I counter that anyone who moved to Maplewood in the last decade is unlikely to champion a downtown that excludes minority-owned businesses. The other sticking point is that the landlord who brokered the deal is a well-liked and respected member of the community. Hard to get around the fact that there were better businesses that added to the downtown willing to pay substantial rent that were turned away. I don't know exactly what Starbucks wanted, but it seems pretty obvious that another nail salon is not going to help downtown Maplewood. As a homeowner I made an unspoken deal with my neighbors not to paint my house hot pink and put plastic flowers in my windowboxes - I think downtown business owners owe it to the town to rent to businesses that compliment the Maplewood Av. strip. | ||
| Dillon Citizen Username: Dillon Post Number: 16 Registered: 8-2003 |
I haven't posted in quite a while but to see Leo Nails on the most prominent corner in town is driving me crazy. A Starbuck, cheese store with possibly take out or a general 5 & 10 type store (like we used to have )would make me feel so much better. This makes the Village look tawdry and rundown. I know the price of rents are an issue, but with 3 other places for manicures, how is this place going to compete? Sorry, I hate it. Geez, even Leo with an apostophe 's would make me feel better. | ||
| Candy Citizen Username: Candy Post Number: 125 Registered: 8-2001 |
There is another article in today's star ledger about the nail salons in the village...... What I would like to know was where was our TC when the 18 "salons" opened on Springfield Avenue??? YES....18 !! | ||
| buzzsaw Citizen Username: Buzzsaw Post Number: 1622 Registered: 5-2001 |
Where is the outrage that KFC got? People went so nuts over KFC that they ran from Springfield Ave. Maybe there needs to be some kind of nail zoning or something? 18 nail salons? With all the talent that lives in this town - I know a real kickin' documentary has got to be in the works. Can you imagine the stories. The nails. The people! KFC offered to put their trash in a cooler as to keep the garbage from smelling. What are the nail places doing for us? Not too much. | ||
| ML Supporter Username: Ml1 Post Number: 2284 Registered: 5-2002  |
This is the market at work. Clearly there's a demand for the services these shops provide. If Maplewoodians don't want a 3rd nail shop in the village, there's one simple, and ultimately effective solution -- don't patronize the new shop. It's harsh to say it that bluntly, but if they don't have any customers, they'll have to close up and be replaced by a different business. OTOH, if they have plenty of customers and they develop a thriving business, the rest of us should just deal with it. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 3883 Registered: 5-2001  |
I'm sorry but there is landlord culpability here, too. If you own a building outright and still want to charge $6,000 for rent for one store, you are just plain greedy. Have any of the landlords done an analysis of a fair, profit-making rent aligned with a business that will help enhance and maintain the value of the shopping areas? What are they going to do when the nice stores start leaving, they can't rent to anyone and are boarding up or begging for $3000 per month? Then again, it doesn't really matter, since it's a loss & can be written off. The customers can vote with their feet, but the landlords can vote with their business plans. And where is the Village Alliance in all of this? IMHO, I'm glad Starbucks hasn't come in - where would Village Coffee & Sage be? The simple fact is that as much as people would like to see small shops that specialize, the way of the world had changed. The big box stores aren't going to go away. Why not have more restaurants? Richard Roberts, Jocelyne's, Trattoria & Paintin the Plates & the ice cream parlor (for example) don't have to compete with the big box stores; their customers patronize both kinds of business. Where are the planners trying to recruit more businesses that can maintain the allure and survive at the same time? | ||
| Mark Fuhrman Citizen Username: Mfpark Post Number: 1288 Registered: 9-2001  |
Greenie: I sympathize with your thoughts. And if a landlord wants to take less money to improve the spirit of downtown, that is great. But it is unfair to demand this of them, which is what the proposed ordinance I read about in today's S-L may do. If you and TS were selling your house, would you take, say, 25% less in order to sell to a single-parent family so that they can afford to live in our wonderful town? That is essentially what we are asking of commercial property owners. If the Town wants to bend the market, it should provide grants or low-interest loans to specific types of businesses, or zoning code breaks, etc. That way the community would bear the cost, and not individual landlords. This is a classic example of Tragedy of the Commons in action. Individual landlords will benefit as they can under the market, regardless of the fact that eventually this may ruin their own business environment. So, the community has to regulate the commons by changing market dynamics, but also has to bear the cost of doing so. Placing the burden solely on landlords is not good policy, and likely will lead to litigation. And are there REALLY 18 salons on SA? Yikes! | ||
| blackcat Citizen Username: Blackcat Post Number: 286 Registered: 6-2001 |
Although a landlord may own a building outright, there is still the burden of taxes. For all of you that complain about the hight taxes on your private home, you'd be floored at what commercial property owners pay in the village. The landlords have to rent first come, first serve to minimize the vacancy and if the business is legal and there are no ordinances against it, why not? I agree that all the nail salons "cheapen" the atmosphere of the town, but just as ML said, if you patronize it, it will stay. The Village Alliance tried to "recruit" a wish list of businesses several years ago and were only able to get the childrens shoe store. Unfortunately, that original owner couldn't survive because of lack of business. I hope the new owners can make it longer. No other business felt they could make it in the village. Maybe a town ordinance is what we need. In Piermont, NY (a very quaint, beautiful town with a great "village" shopping area), there are town ordinances against new restaurants/food establishments. Only if a restaurant closes can a new one open. The town felt there were too many in their shopping area. Other than Dickens Village, what major impact has the Village Alliance had since it's inception? Get real. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 3884 Registered: 5-2001 |
Mark - I agree that we cannot mandate rents. However, we supposedly have a business alliance and a business planner for the town. Unless they are taking bribes from the nail salon lobby, I'm not sure what good it's doing. Why can't the planner work with landlords to set rents that can, for example, allow for longer leases and percentage increases if the businesses turn a certain level of profit after a couple years? The lower turn-over would be good for the landlord, help new businesses take the plunge and give them a chance to stabilize. What actions have been taken/are being taken to encourage landlords and businesses to make/keep Maplewood a shopping destination? I voted for Profeta a few years back because he was advocating business planning. So, what's the plan? Where's the plan? Are there milestone and incentive criteria in the planner's contract? Do we need a new planner? Do we need new government? | ||
| SoOrLady Citizen Username: Soorlady Post Number: 1769 Registered: 9-2003 |
$90,000 in yearly rent (that's $7,500 per month) for the prime retail spot in Maplewood is a lot of manicures and pedicures - for some reason, "Leo" feels he can make it. The numbers wouldn't add up for other businesses that looked at that corner. I would rather have some lovely shop too.. but I wasn't willing to put my money where my heart was and open my "Irish Shop". The risk was too high. | ||
| Cathy Supporter Username: Clkelley Post Number: 684 Registered: 6-2002 |
I think that the deal with the nail salons is that there is a better profit margin than there is in some of the more upscale type stores that you might get. I don't know how much they need to pay for their various supplies (nail polish, cotton, little floppy disposable sandals, etc.) but it's probably way way less than something like Cornercopia would have to pay for its inventory. Plus you don't have to worry about moving the inventory. The cheapest thing in the store is the nail polish, which is the only thing that will have some variability due to market demand. (popularity of colors, for example.) Everything else will definitely be used up as long as people come into the store. And you can more or less buy as you need it - you don't need to keep a lot of stock. And I doubt that the manicurists make very much. You don't need a lot of training to be a manicurist - unlike, say, a hairdresser. |
