The big-box retailer will lease a space less than a quarter the size of its average store at 137-139 Broad Street.
Staples Inc., the big-box office supply retailer, is coming to Red Bank.
But the giant seller of everything from pens to desktop computers won’t be opening one of its warehouse-sized stores here. Instead, it’ll be trying out a relatively new micro store, dubbed Staples Copy & Print, that will feature the services of the print shops in the big-box Staples plus the top 1,000 items available on their shelves.
Jay Herman, principal of site owner Downtown Investors LLC, tells redbankgreen that Staples has signed a lease for 4,000 square feet at 137-139 Broad Street, three doors up from the intersection of Harding Road.
Jay Herman shows off an architectural plan for the Pizza Fusion restaurant he’s building at 95 Broad.
The securities brokerage Scottrade plans to take the remaining 2,000 SF, moving across town from its present address in English Plaza, Herman says. Both are hoping to move in this autum after refurbishments, including the replacement of the facade with a classier red brick look, he says.
The building, which in the recent past has been tenanted by financial service businesses, has 30 parking spaces out back, accessible via Clay Street.
Landing Staples was something of a coup for Herman’s operation. At the end of 2008, Staples had 18 such stand-alone copy centers in North America, out of 1,835 total stores. The average Staples is 18,000 to 20,000 SF, according to company documents. It’s nearest one is just a couple miles south on Broad Street, in Shrewsbury’s Treasure Island shopping center.
“They tell me its the one they’re most excited about,” he says of the Red Bank location.
It’s also the latest payoff in a quiet investment Downtown Investors made last year on Broad Street. The firm bought 137-139 Broad for $800,000 at the same time that it paid $700,000 for 95-97 Broad, where Herman and architect Ned Gaunt are now making preparations for the arrival of Pizza Fusion, a chain restaurant specializing in organic ingredients.
“We believe we purchased the two worst buildings on Broad Street, and we’re going to make them the best,” he says.
Taken together, the deals are likely to alter the character of middle Broad Street, which is dominated by the upmarket twins of Garmany and Tiffany & Co. but often neglected by shoppers drawn to the heart of the downtown.
Great to have a Micro Staples coming to town. Speaking on behalf my fellow self employed insomniacs, it would be awesome if they offered a 24 hour operation or at least extended hours. Not crazy about the “Big Box” stigma it brings to downtown, yet one heck of a great convenience.
This is really good news for Red Bank. A micro Staples will actually serve the business community of Red Bank well. In order to have a viable retail community, Red Bank needs to continue to embrace the arrival of defined, national brands that can anchor a health mixture of local and national businesses.
I miss prowns
In additional promising news for filling vacancies downtown, looks like we might finally get a Surf Taco too. From the owner’s twitter feed today:
Looking @ a new location in red bank today.about 2 hours ago from Twitterrific
what about parking?!?!?!?!?!
I’ve personally never really had a problem parking in Red Bank. For events we just walk- it was part of the allure of buying in Red Bank in the first place. There are ALWAYS parking spots in the lots between Wallace, Linden and Mechanic. I, for one, am happy to see new businesses coming into Red Bank, independently owned or chains. They will bring or keep business in Red Bank, add more to our tax rolls and possibly provide employment to our citizens.
Cranky Old Timer:
The article says there are 30 parking spots out back.
Now if we could just get a hardware store in town! It’s such a pain to go all the way to Eatontown or up to Holmdel for a Lowes or Home Depot run. When our customers complain to us (and they do) that there’s no hardware store in town (or a housewares store, that’s the second biggest bitch) I remind them that we had both of those catagories in town and they haven’t stayed because everyone goes to HD, Lowe’s or Bed Bath and Beyond, and they’ve killed the small mom and pop. If you want a smaller, more convenient business in town, you have to support it if you want it to stay… I plan on buying all my everyday neccessities at this Staples and I hope everyone else does.
Though not right in town there is a great hdw store and lumber yard on shrewsbury ave. and another in back of stride rite store on rt 35 by white st. If Prowns had the forsight many years ago to buy their building they might still still be there too. That store never seemed to suffer from a lack of business. I am sure Dave Prown may take issue with my comment though.
or you can drive over to L Silver, they have a great hardware store
PROWNS…I miss that place and our dumpy old downtown
cranky old timer
I agree….I miss Prowns also!!!
surf taco - in RB! - I am stoked! (and I miss Prowns too) - I love the idea of a Staples in town - I will buy there!
PROWNS!!!!!
Remember when no one was here and we had boarded up shops, a crappy 5-10 and a hardware store. Ahhh…good times
Don’t forget..there is a great office supply/stationery shop in Fair Haven too! Been going there for years. Their prices are actually lower on some items. They deliver to my office here, never a charge for it.
oops….the store name is Laird’s
rb business owner is dead-on. We SOOO need a hardware store. A recent experience: I needed some butane to refill a lighter. Here’s what I had to go through.
- First, I went with the obvious choice, Fair Haven Hardware. It was a Sunday. Fair Haven Hardware is not open on Sunday, which is one of the two days in the week when most regular people are in the market for hardware. WTF!?
- Then, I tried to go to the one at 457 Broad Street in Shrewsbury, Thompson Hardware & Supply (this time, on a weekday), but they were closed for vacation. *sigh*
- I finally had to settle for a shlep to Home Depot in West Long Branch. And even then…the first two employees had no idea what I was talking about. Employee #1: “What’s butane?” Employee #2: “I don’t think we carry that.” WHAAAAATT???? I finally found someone who was a) intelligent, and b) trained who was able to direct me to the hardware aisle. Logical location for lighter fluid, right?
Now that I know (thanks, JD), I will be heading to Little Silver moving forward:
Little Silver Community Hardware
44 Church St
Little Silver, NJ
Let’s hope they are open on Sunday.
Lairds is great for emergency buys, and the staff is nice, but they are definitely more expensive than Staples, especially for school supplies.
And they are not open at night or Sundays. I’m at work during the day.
Um, Laura, any 7-11 would do for a lighter and or butane….just saying
I am a senior in high school and I have been going to Lairds since elementary school. I have never once been let down by them! They ALWAYS have everything on my school list. I happened to be in Staples one day with a friend, and she was disappointed that they had less than half of the things she needed. She wound up going to Lairds. Lairds prices were the same or a lot less. So please do not say that Staples is less expensive. They are not!
aaaaayyyyyy!!!! Staples isn’t that a restaurant thing like food? ah dunno, been drinkin’ at the beach wit a my copalona’s and getting ready to dive home to SI, wish the blurriness would go away, but aaayyyyy!!! anada restaurant sounds good to meee.
Wow! A new mirco Staples! Can’t wait for the micro McDonalds, micro TGI Fridays, and my favorite, the micro Walmart! I can’t believe everyone on here is wetting themselves over a Staples moving into town.
How bland can we make this town? Really, if we work really hard, or maybe just wish for it, everything from the highways will come to Broad Street. Nothing unique, nothing interesting. Can we squeeze in a little tiny Petco or a Dunkin Donuts?
Let’s make Red Bank exactly the same as everywhere else! The sooner we do, the less out-of-towners will come here and crowd our streets, sidewalks and parking lots. Yes folks, sounds like heaven, but with the added bonus of with national chain store logos on it to me!
there is a dunkin domuts
I am sorry that I gave kudo’s some time back to a new shop that opened in town.
No one is getting “wet” over Staples. Everyone who loves this town wants to see it survive and come out on the top when it comes to a cool place to spend a half a day or so.
Back in May, many of us gave the “key” to the town to a new barber shop.
Since the little speak easy for mafia wanabee’s has opened, the owner has managed to piss off all kinds of folks here in Red Bank from citizens to buisness owners to his own customers.
I hope the owner will re-evaluate his buisness model and include a much needed sense of community, and appreciation for the people who have seen the decline of foot traffic downtown, but have still managed to share friendly exchanges with their neighbors and would be customers when the economy allows all the window shoppers to become consumers again.
We need to be mindful and careful of who’s ass we kiss as they move in downtown. Unfortunatly some newcomers have clearly taken kindness for stupidity.
Even tallented profesionals need customers, and positive word of mouth endorcements to survive.
Hope to see the new folks stay.
Hope some will see that the streets are bigger then the stores they inhabit.
Stupid, wow, you gave me a headache just trying to follow your post.
A Staples is better than and empty store front… nothing to get too excited about, but progress takes many forms. As for Lairds, never knew about them, and I do have a small office here in RB…. Perhaps they should advertise here on RBG – might actually drum up some local business.
Thanks, Captain Nemo, but ummmm I’m not a smoker, so I’m not aware of the lighter/butane retail chain. I appreciate the info.
Um, I’m not a smoker either….but honestly, we’re not talking rocket surgery or brain scientist…
Laura,
Welcome back from you morning swims
Thanks again, but 7-11 isn’t exactly my go-to store for ANYTHING. I prefer to support locally-owned businesses.
…then might I suggest a local pharmacy…Professional on Broad St, or Family on Church St. over in L.S. You could even ride your bike or walk…
misinformed in NJ…7-11′a are franchises and locally owned