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| Guest |
 Posted: Thu, Jul 22 2010, 8:02 am EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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Cranbury glories in it's ossified ways.
It's Mayberry in N.J.
Most of the old timers want to freeze it in time....................circa 1950..............or thereabouts.
More antiques-type shops would be good, but, the town is hostile to small business, so......................................... |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Thu, Jul 22 2010, 6:39 am EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Guest wrote: | Just an FYI, Crocadeli is in East Windsor not Cranbury.
I like that it is close.
I feel it is sad that I hace to drive to another town to do my shopping or buy coffee. I refuse to spend more than $2.00 on a coffee ! |
I buy coffee @ the Blue Rooster every morning. Got my commuter mug, costs me $1.00. Coffee is usually available a few minutes before 7am |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed, Jul 21 2010, 11:56 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Guest wrote: | Just an FYI, Crocadeli is in East Windsor not Cranbury.
I like that it is close.
I feel it is sad that I hace to drive to another town to do my shopping or buy coffee. I refuse to spend more than $2.00 on a coffee ! |
Ah youre right, its so close to Cranbury, I just assumed it was in Cranbury. Anyway its on my way to work and easy to pickup a quick paper or milk. For the folks moaning for a shop in downtown its only a couple of minutes and probably on your way home. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed, Jul 21 2010, 11:17 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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Just an FYI, Crocadeli is in East Windsor not Cranbury.
I like that it is close.
I feel it is sad that I hace to drive to another town to do my shopping or buy coffee. I refuse to spend more than $2.00 on a coffee ! |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed, Jul 21 2010, 11:05 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | 5K residents is not enough to support most businesses. Cranbury is not a destination, either. Until one, or both, of these dynamics change, retail businesses in Cranbury will continue to struggle. |
I agree. Hopefully the population issue won't radically change. And I don't see Main Street being a destiniation in itself anytime soon. .... |
You are 100% right, the population of Cranbury will not change anytime soon. And as much as people want a deli or milk store in town the local shopper traffic will not support the high rents so the last convenience shop closed in downtown. Cranbury will only support few specialized business that draws its own traffic. If I were to open a deli or convenience store, I sure wouldnt open it in downtown, I would open it on RT130 its only a 5min drive from anyone in downtown, plus you get all the extra business on 130 that are driving through. I keep hearing folks on this board say how convenient it would be to have a deli and milk store in town, but it doesnt make business sense. There wasnt enough business to support the last one that was located in the current Hot Wok building and it closed, and Cranbury doesnt support the other one. Yes there is a current convenience shop open in Cranbury today, did you know that??
Its called Crockadeli on Old Cranbury Rd, and its only 1min drive from the age restricted housing in Cranbury, I've talked to the owner and business is down, not a lot of traffic from the folks on this board helping this existing Cranbury business stay afloat. So why build more stores downtown if we cant keep the ones we have afloat. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed, Jul 21 2010, 8:31 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Guest wrote: | | 5K residents is not enough to support most businesses. Cranbury is not a destination, either. Until one, or both, of these dynamics change, retail businesses in Cranbury will continue to struggle. |
I agree. Hopefully the population issue won't radically change. And I don't see Main Street being a destiniation in itself anytime soon. So the only thing that will work are businesses that become destinations unto themselves. Cranbury Pizza and Gil & Berts get many out-of-towners from neighboring communities. So does the Ballet studio. If there are enough like this it feeds on itself as people coming for one business end up visiting others. G&B also works because it has tiny overhead. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed, Jul 21 2010, 7:45 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Let me add to this. Plainsboro and Robbinsville did this to try and create a Cranbury atmosphere with a town center. They both have issues similar to Cranbury. It is very hard for mom and pop stores to exist unless they address a specific need. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed, Jul 21 2010, 6:51 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| 5K residents is not enough to support most businesses. Cranbury is not a destination, either. Until one, or both, of these dynamics change, retail businesses in Cranbury will continue to struggle. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 7:23 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Guest wrote: | | The town center is not as happening as people make it out to be....at least not yet |
I agree. I am over there often and I have seen a number of businesses fail already. It never seems crowded. And contrary to what people would like to see here they really did discourage mom-and-pop businesses in favor of chains. I know a couple people who had business ideas they tried to get through there and they had financing but they were told no because they were seeking national chains in the same category -- they didn't even have deals with them yet but didn't want a mom-and-pop to discourage their marketing of the Village to the chains. Same thing happened across the street. They forced out a couple local businesses to make way for chains like Blockbuster, that since failed too.
The whole concept is different than here. The project was anchored by very high density housing. And it is built in the "Disneyland" mode where everything is shiny and new and has to look exactly the same. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 7:18 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Guest wrote: | I had the worst time finding a parking spot today. I had to park 3 blocks away with a bad knee. It took me circling Main Street 3 times to find that spot, all to buy stamps.
I want to know how there is no parking problem as I continue to read here. |
Why didn't you just use the parking lot off of Park Place, which is only 1/4 of a block from the post office (where you presumably bought stamps)? It sounds like it would have been a lot closer than 3 blocks and it never is full. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 6:42 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| The town center is not as happening as people make it out to be....at least not yet |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 2:37 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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This article just goes to show what a town can do. Plainsboro's idea would work great here. We could put it on that ammunition site. It would be out of the way of the village but be a nice place to shop. I am sure the PB and ZB will push it right through. We can put a pedestrian bridge over Rt 130 so the kids crossing the highway isn't an issue.
I say we do it ! |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 2:32 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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I had the worst time finding a parking spot today. I had to park 3 blocks away with a bad knee. It took me circling Main Street 3 times to find that spot, all to buy stamps.
I want to know how there is no parking problem as I continue to read here. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 2:01 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| Guest wrote: | | No new parking, No new business. |
LOL. I swear the obsessd parking poster is entertaining in his/her delusion.
I wonder if they really believe we need more parking or are just making fun. If they really believe it I have a birdge in Brooklyn for sale. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 1:40 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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| No new parking, No new business. |
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| Busyone |
| Posted: Tue, Jul 20 2010, 12:21 pm EDT Post subject: Re: A town center that lives up to its name - Residents, merchants find each oth |
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Gee, what a novel idea .... are you listening Cranbury? It's high time we lighten up on the historic quotient and learn to be more like the downtown I know we can be. Let's learn to encourage new business and not have the older ones packing their bags in search for more lively surroundings. |
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