Jersey Cookie Girl is preparing to open at 11 Mechanic Street in Red Bank. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By Brian Donohue
Two new coffee places open. A new bubble tea spot bursts forth. There’s an ownership change for the Danny’s Steak House liquor license. And new cookie and consignment shops prepare for grand openings.
It’s a ribbon-cutting bonanza in this month’s installment of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn. Read on for the fully caffeinated details.
DANNY’S ACTION?
There’s some movement on the old Danny’s Steakhouse site – if only of the paperwork variety.
The liquor license used by the defunct neighborhood institution has been purchased by and transferred to an LLC inside the offices of Metrovation East, the development company that runs the West Side Lofts next door to Danny’s and the Anderson Building down the street, where plans continue apace for a new food market to open in the former Sickels Market space.
The LLC was formed in November, according to state records and the Borough approved the liquor license transfer in April. Chris Cole, President of Metrovation, tells Churn they have no specific plans for the license. Just thinking about this makes us daydream about sitting at the bar at Danny’s with an old fashioned.
There are few places in town garnering more “What’s Going On?” head scratching.
Longtime owner Danny Murphy died a year ago this month. Two years earlier, he had sold the eatery to a partnership led by Kyle O’Brien, who at that time co-owned 18 eateries in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. The eatery stayed open until about a year ago, when it closed abruptly, and a manager told redbankgreen they’d re-open in the fall after some renovation work was done. Signs in the window said the same things, but it never reopened. O’Brien has never returned any of our messages.
A custom cookie shop called Jersey Cookie Girl is taking over the space at 11 Mechanic Street vacated by Zaitooni Deli which closed late last year.
Owner Nicole Borata has been in business for 14 years, the last six of them at a location in Millstone. She said she is moving to Red Bank to find a location with foot traffic and “to be part of a lively community.”
The store’s web site describes the business as a custom cookie shop specializing in creating cookies for events, parties, or any occasion. We can’t wait to taste them, but in the meantime, they are visually very impressive (see photo below)
The website features photos of colorfully decorated cookies for birthdays, graduations.
“We make custom cookies that are sure to impress! Whether you want to surprise a friend with a gift box or place an order for a special event, we would be happy to help you out.”
They are aiming for a June 1 opening.
POOL TABLE BIZ MOVE
Down to the Felt, a pool table and game room amusement business that has operated out of 182 West Front Street (the place with the giant chair on the lawn) for 15 years, is splitting its operations and moving to two different locations.
Good news, though, you can still pay them a visit if you want a Jaws pinball machine for your basement or a roulette wheel for your church’s casino night.
The office has moved to 80 Broad Street suite 2M in Red Bank. And its warehouse will now be in Manalapan.
“We grew out of our current location,” owner Vinny Banis told us in an email.
“We love Red Bank and wanted to keep our office in town to continue to serve the community we have been a part of and truly love,” he wrote.
“So while our footprint in Red Bank may be shrinking a little we wanted to make sure to spread the word our office will be up and running by appointment anytime for our clients to come look at the wood, felt and leather samples for our built to order American made Pool tables, Shuffleboard tables and see samples of our European import Ping Pong and Foosball tables.”
The company does gameroom retail sales (pool tables, shuffleboard, foosball, ping pong, arcade games, etc) and service. They also have a casino rental division which does corporate, private and charity casino events, licensed by the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement.
As for the big chair on the lawn of the West Front Street location where they operated for 15 years? Well Vinny says the landlord removed it.
Red Bank needs a new big chair, no? Who’s gonna step up?
SURF’S UP COFFEE AND CANDLES
Surf’s Up Coffee and Candles is up and running at 19 Monmouth Street after a grand opening earlier this month. Between the coffee and the candles, the place is an olfactory bonanza.
The shop offers specialty coffees and a seating area amid beach themed decor along with great smelling artisinal candles in mason jars and other unique forms. There’s also skin care products, beach blankets, greeting cards and nice vibes.
As Churn reported in March, owner Michele Fontanez operated a retail shop in Belmar for nine years and has been making the candles for about thirteen years.
KORI KORI BUBBLE TEA & DESSERT
Kori Kori, a family run shop offering bubble teas, drinks, desserts and smoothies has opened at 65 Broad Street.
We stopped in last Friday as the family was making last minute preparations for a grand opening the next day. The owner said she and her parents have run restaurants elsewhere in New Jersey and she wanted a place of her own that would put smiles on her face.
“I just wanted to build a space where we sell some treats that are sweet, have people come in, take a rest, make themselves happy, and then go on with their lives,” said the proprietor.
Offering “organic coffee and eats” the Green Beanery has opened inside the aforementioned West Side Lofts building at 205 West Front Street. They offer salads, smoothies, wraps, waffles, toast and “all the good stuff” according to their social media postings. They recently opened a location in Wall Township as well.
CONSIGNMENT SHOP REPLACING CONSIGNMENT SHOP
Wishing there was a place to pick up a used handbag for a cool $1,800? You’re in luck. Sofia Designer Consignment has announced they will be opening at 93 Broad Street, aiming for a July 1 opening. The web site describes the offerings as “a sophisticated edit of pre-loved designer pieces for women, men, and children.”
“We’re excited to be part of the community and look forward to getting to know everyone,” they said in a Facebook post announcing the move.
If there’s a more illustrative example of how Red Bank’s downtown biz scene has gone super upscale in recent years, you’d be hard pressed to find it.
The space had been home to Shredded Vintage, a thrift-consignment shop whose owners packed up and moved to Asbury Park last fall, uttering the painful truth that Red Bank was losing the funky feel that first attracted them to the town.
Sofia joins a host of new businesses filling vacant storefronts on Broad. Besides the aforementioned handbag, the Sofia website lists items like a Maje Mogador Ecru Sweater for $290 and a two-piece Nova Check bikini for $375.
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Jersey Cookie Girl is preparing to open at 11 Mechanic Street in Red Bank. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
DANNY’S ACTION?
