RED BANK: LUNCH BREAK SETS INTERIM SPACE
Red Bank’s Lunch Break will move to an interim location during construction on its home facilities, the social services nonprofit announced Wednesday.
RED BANK: LUNCH BREAK BREAKS GROUND
Lunch Break Executive Director Gwen Love, above, welcomed more than 100 guests as the Red Bank social services nonprofit kicked off a $12 million expansion of its Red Bank home Thursday.
RED BANK: LUNCH BREAK EXPANSION OK’D
Lunch Break’s proposed addition, as seen looking west along Drs. James Parker Boulevard. Below, executive director Gwen Love testifying. (Rendering by Kellenyi Johnson Wagner. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Despite some misgivings about its impact on a problematic corner, Lunch Break won approval for a $12 million expansion from the Red Bank zoning board last week.
Board members cited the food-security charity’s “inherently beneficial use” in granting unanimous approval.
RED BANK: LUNCH BREAK PLAN ON DECK
Lunch Break’s proposed addition, as seen from Drs. James Parker Boulevard. (Rendering by Kellenyi Johnson Wagner. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Plans for a $12 million expansion of Lunch Break, the food security and social services nonprofit, are scheduled for review by the Red Bank zoning board Thursday.
RED BANK: LUNCH BREAK PLANS $12M PROJECT
Additional facilities and parking would be created on lots adjacent to Lunch Break’s home on Drs. James Parker Boulevard. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Lunch Break, the food security and social services resource, announced the start of a $12 million capital campaign to fund an expansion of its Red Bank home Monday.
An addition to its facilities at at 121 Drs. James Park Boulevard is needed “to accommodate the growing needs of the community,” the nonprofit said in an announcement.
RED BANK: MISSION HOUSE RISING
Something’s going up in prefab pieces on Herbert Street in Red Bank.
What’s Going on Here? Click ‘read more’ to find out.
RED BANK: MISSION HOUSE WINS OK
Architect Ned Gaunt’s rendering of the proposed St. Crispin’s Social Ministry House on the St. Anthony of Padua campus. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
At a hearing packed with supporters, and without a peep of objection, Red Bank’s zoning board gave unanimous approval Thursday night to a plan by St. Anthony of Padua parish to build a new social services facility on Herbert Street.
“They’ve obviously been very beneficial to the town,” said board member Sean Murphy, citing the church and its volunteers. “Unfortunately, the need is growing, but we’re very fortunate to have them.”
RED BANK: CHURCH PLANS NEW FACILITY
St. Anthony of Padua parish hopes to win approval to raze this house and garage to construct a new building to provide social services. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
The needs are evident in the long lines that form at St. Anthony of Padua in Red Bank: families short on cash for food, housing, clothing and other necessities.
Now served out of a multipurpose building on Herbert Street, where the food pantry and clothing distribution operations must be set up and taken down with regularity, the Roman Catholic parish hopes to erect a new dedicated social services building, and is scheduled to make its case to the borough zoning board Thursday night.
FAIR HAVEN: COUPLE’S FUTURE COMES TO PASS
Derek DeBree, seen below with his wife, Genevieve, gutted the building’s interior, removing walls and leaving much of the wood exposed. Â (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
From outside, except for the rustic sign on the lawn, 733 River Road in Fair Haven still looks like the cottage-style house it was before it became a dentist’s office 25 years ago.
Step through the Dutch front door, though, and you’re transported to retail space that could be on the side of a mountain in Wyoming or Vermont, with raw wood floors and ceiling joists summoning a deeply rustic vibe inside the vinyl-sided structure.
The address is now home to Canyon Pass Provisions, a week-old clothing shop created by a couple who abandoned the 9-to-5 life in order to make a new life for themselves and their two kids — without leaving the town they love, they say.
RED BANK: BROAD STREET BIDS GOODBYE
The casket bearing the remains of longtime borough merchant Laureano “Larry” Garmany, who died Saturday at age 62, arrives for funeral services at Saint James Roman Catholic Church in Red Bank Wednesday morning. Garmany’s namesake clothing store on Broad Street is visible in the background. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
RED BANK: CLOTHIER LARRY GARMANY, 62
Larry Garmany outside his Broad Street store in November, 2007. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Laureano “Larry” Garmany, a high-end clothier whose sizable investments in downtown Red Bank helped fuel its recovery from economic torpor back to prosperity in the 1990s, died Saturday.
No cause of death was given in an obituary published late Monday, but friends said the 62-year-old Colts Neck resident suffered a stroke early on the day he died.
Garmany, a Cuban immigrant-turned-retailer, bet heavily on Red Bank when it was widely derided as “Dead Bank,” and continually upped his stake in the town. His crowning achievements: transforming the vacant former Steinbach’s department store on Broad Street into a 40,000-square-foot clothing store bearing his name, and luring Tiffany & Co. to be its next-door neighbor.
Closing existing stores in New York City and Summit, “he took all his marbles so to speak and put them into one basket at a time when things weren’t looking so good for Red Bank,” former Mayor Ed McKenna said Monday. “His faith in our ability to resurrect the town was, for me personally, a real show of confidence, and made me feel better about the vision we had for bringing Red Bank back.”
FAIR HAVEN: FITNESS, FASHION AND FLOWERS
Lisa Tave shows off the gym bag she created, which gave rise to her new shop of the same name: Physhion. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Fair Haven’s quaint downtown saw the debuts of a pair of fresh retail faces last month:
• Physhion, a boutique specializing in workout wear that doubles as all-day clothing.
• The Pink Peony, a flowers-and-gifts shop that also offers party-planning services.
CHURN: SHREWSBURY TO GET FAST GREEK EATS
Greek Eats has signed to take the corner space, at right above, at the three-store 89 Newman Springs Road, now under construction. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
For about five years, Red Bank restaurateur George Lyristis has been developing an idea for a casual fast-food restaurant based on his ethnic heritage, he tells redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
Well, the time has come to make the concept real, he says. With the sale of their Zoe Bistro in Little Silver, effective Wednesday, Lyristis and his brothers Charlie and Taso are planning to open a new place called Greek Eats in Shrewsbury in coming months.
CHURN: SUSHI, GOWNS, YOGA & CHOCOLATE
Toki Japanese Cuisine takes over the former home of the Broadway Grille, at Broad and Monmouth streets. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
This edition of Retail Churn is chock full o’ news, including:
• the opening of a sushi restaurant in the heart of downtown Red Bank
• the closing of a specialty clothing store
• a change of plans for a chocolatier
and more, right around the corner…
RED BANK: LONG-VACANT BUILDING SOLD
After a seven-year vacancy, 67 Broad Street has a new owner, who says he hopes to have a tenant in by summer. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
A gaping, long-term and somewhat mysterious vacancy in the heart of downtown Red Bank appears to be nearing an end.
Jeweler Joe Romanowski, who owns two stores on Broad Street, has purchased the building at 67 Broad, next door to his Poor Cat Designs boutique, redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has learned.
CHURN: RED GOES DARK, SOUTH MOON RISES
The first-floor restaurant at red, now closed for remodeling, will reopen under a new name in coming months. The upstairs nightclub remains open on Friday and Saturday nights. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Calling his Red Bank restaurant “red” 12 years ago turned out not to be the smartest choice in the era of the search engine, Dan Lynch admits with a laugh.
But that’s not why he shut down the Broad Street restaurant for a first-floor makeover and rebranding last Saturday, he tells redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
CHURN: JEWELERY & CLOTHING SHOPS OPEN
Jeweler Evan Piscitelli in his new Red Bank shop, Thrill Her Diamonds. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
This edition of Retail Churn offers a belated welcome to a jewelry store that opened in downtown Red Bank in December.
Also in this Churn: a new women’s clothing boutique; a new stock brokerage; and an update on the Red Bank Walgreens.
RETAIL CHURN: EAT, WEAR AND INVEST
Jim Lin, owner of Oriental Empire, said customers of his Ocean Township restaurant urged him to open one in Red Bank. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
In this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn, we’ve got details on these recent developments in ever-churning downtown Red Bank:
• Oriental Empire, a restaurant offering a mix of Asian cuisines, opened last month at 54 English Plaza.
• A former sales associate at the recently departed Nirvana is opening her own women’s clothing store on Broad Street.
• A restaurant called Hansel & Griddle plans to open on West Front Street.
• A nail salon changes hands and rebrands.
• The space formerly occupied by office supply retailer Staples is turning into office space for a securities brokerage.
RED BANK CHURN: PAINT, CLOTHES & HOT YOGA
Paint Passion took over a space in the Dublin House alley formerly occupied by a jewelry store/surfboard shop. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD & SUSAN ERICSON
Tucked away in the row of small shops next door to the Dublin House Pub in Red Bank is one of two new boutiques featured in this edition of Retail Churn: a specialty paint store called Paint Passion.
The other, located just across Monmouth Street from the pub, combines two businesses in one: vintage clothing and hot yoga.
RED BANK: SHOE NO LONGER FITS DOWNTOWN
With the demise of If the Shoe Fits, Red Bank is losing a business with deep history. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
This time next week, one of the longest-running businesses in downtown will turn off the lights one last time.
Footwear retailer If the Shoe Fits is going out of business, ending a run that began in 1846, its owner tells Retail Churn.
RED BANK: NIRVANA MOVING TO GROVE
Red Bank clothing store Nirvana is heading south, relocating to the space formerly occupied by McLoone’s Running Store in the Grove at Shrewsbury. A sign at the Grove says the new store will open in September. Repeated attempts to reach Nirvana owner Sunil Amatya about his plans for the 4,000-square-foot White Street building, which he owns, were unsuccessful. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
CHURN: YOGA WEAR, BEACH TOUCHES, HAIR
Phil Barow, owner of Be Barow, with creative designer Bianca Freda. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
This edition of Retail Churn trumpets these new arrivals to downtown Red Bank: a beach-themed home accessories boutique, a women’s workout wear shop, a hair salon and a restaurant.
Opened last month, Candy’s Cottage Coastal Living has settled on Monmouth Street after stays at two locations in Asbury Park and an extended tenancy at Pier Village in Long Branch – two cities that of course compete with Red Bank for foot traffic and consumer spending.
CHURN: CIAO, BIAGIO, CESAR & WOULD-BE BBQ
Biagio Wood-Fired Pizza has departed 12 Broad Street after less than a year and a half in town. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
This edition of Retail Churn reports on the departures from downtown Red Bank of two businesses and the cold feet of one that never opened: a pizzeria, a jewelry store and a barbecue joint, respectively.
Gone, quite abruptly, is Biagio Wood-Fired Pizza. Going, once its home of 21 years is sold, is Cesar’s Creations Jewelry. And never seen was the highly-lauded Local Smoke BBQ, which bailed over the expected costs and delays of setting up downtown.
All three involve Broad Street addresses. We’ve also got news about new boutique coming to Monmouth Street.
RETAIL CHURN: BOOTS, FOOD AND FIT KIDS
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After 14 years in Fair Haven, Dean Ross is ready to take on double the rent to sell shoes in Red Bank. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
This edition of Retail Churn reports on these developments:
• A Fair Haven shoe store specializing in Dr. Martens boots hopes to kick some butt in downtown Red Bank – and keep the lights on after other stores close.
• Two high-profile Broad Street restaurants have quietly gone idle.
• A fitness center for kids plans to open next month on Wallace Street.
CHURN: POOL CUES, THRIFT & CRAFTS EXIT
•Tuns out Lucky Break could not survive its lengthy shutdown over BYOB issues, its owner says. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
This edition of Retail Churn reports on the departures from downtown Red Bank of three high-profile businesses:
• Lucky Break Billiards, which was the subject of a bring-your-own-booze enforcement crackdown last year.
• The ARC of Monmouth Thrift Shop, a fixture on Monmouth Street for some three decades.
• Ten Thousand Villages, a Broad Street retailer of fair trade crafts.
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