So the results of the Rahway Survey are in. Now what? Among the recommendations by Community Insights, it suggests that Rahway must undertake “a concerted retail recruitment effort to attract the kinds of stores, restaurants and businesses that consumers most want.”
According to the report presented last month, “one of the reasons why consumers don’t visit the downtown more often is because of the poor selection of stores and merchandise offering.”
Community Insights will provide a listing of pre-qualified retail prospects that most closely meet the requirements and opportunities. Prior to the launch of the recruitment effort, it will be necessary to pre-qualify all available properties to identify suitable locations for retail prospects.
In conjuction with recruitment effort, the city must embark on a retail retention effort while identifying retailers who may be nearing the end of the business’ operations because of retirement, illness or other factors. One in four retailers in a downtown area may be at risk for failure, according to Community Insights. Key indicators for identifying a retailer at risk may include stagnant inventory, erratic store hours, abundance of temporary/handwritten signage, or deferred building and store maintenance, among other things.
Previous Rahway Survey posts:
Movie theater, clubs and related retail for entertainment district
Retail demands of new growth
Three distinct retail districts downtown
Enough demand for 18 restaurants
Retail supply and demand
Restaurants would draw us downtown (among other things)
Rahway Survey results are in
The survey is a dollar short and a day late. No offense to your blog here Mark but the posts on the Rahway Survey need to be put in context (which you just about always do quite fairly.)I bet we could all agree that places like "A Little Bit Healthier" were just the sort of retail we wanted springing up around downtown but even they have stopped opening at 6:30am (despite what their sign says and yes, for the first few weeks they did open that early but I suspect the Skyview crowd they were banking on just never came through.)The mid 2000's brought a glimmer to the eye of Rahway but now she is just going to have to settle in and keep her fingers crossed. I would love to see the list of pre-qualified retail prospects. My guess is that every single company on the list is currently closing down stores and cutting labor. And if they aren't this month, they will be in the next quarter. If we are lucky, we are at least in the middle of what is shaping up to be the worst recession on the books. If we are unlucky, we are just at the beginning of it.Its too bad Corzine cut the funding for the NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission. I am still waiting for a mid-budget film to come into Rahway and stage Cherry Street for a few scenes. I would wave all permit costs in exchange for building an attractive facade over whatever that place is next to New Era Sports Wear.It seems like all downtown can attract are franchises that can't cross the finish line (e.g. Cuppys) or "antique" stores that can't stay in business either. What is that line about lipstick on a pig?…..
Every town’s projects has grinded to a halt. Rahway was headed in the right direction and it will pick up again once things get better. It won’t happen overnight but the potential that Rahway has to offer hasn’t gone away. Keep the Rahway pride!
For the record, a few of the antique stores on Cherry St. and the Tarnished Swan on Poplar St. have been around downtown Rahway since the dark, dark days of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Not debating the longevity of some of those businesses. Are people moving to Rahway so they have easy access to those shops? (My personal experience is that Abby’s boutique has been for rent for over a year (and with a handwritten for rent sign, give me a break), there is some antique store next to “The Mall” that is never open, 85 East Cherry is for rent (at least they have a professional sign)… not sure if you can really call it a business if you are never open, maybe more of a hobby).Also not debating that “progress” has come to a standstill everywhere. Rahway should be as ready as it can be to appeal to the right kind of businesses once the economy turns around. It will take years but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan ahead.I doubt there are lots of businesses eager to open their doors in Rahway right now. So what CAN Rahway do as a town? CONTROL THE BLIGHT. Rahway will lose momentum if it allows the graffiti to stick around and can’t stage its downtown for the types of businesses we ultimately hope will come.
While they’re not Rahway issues per se, it would be nice if NJ Transit would get the stairs repaired, or more accurately, replaced on west end of the NYC-bound side. At the current rate of deterioration, the other end isn’t going to hold up much longer either with the temporary (??) bracing they put up some time ago.
…interesting point anonymous. A lot of the new developments in town tout the “renovated” Rahway NJ Transit Station. Can you imagine checking out the train option from Rahway to find the yellow tape in front of the Milton Ave stairs and wooden bracket bracing on the other side? I am sure when it comes to choosing between new stairs for Rahway and putting a conductor on an 8 hour shift during which s/he will only actually work for 2 hours, they will go with the conductor. (Heard this first hand from a conductor who was bragging to a friend about how many shifts he was doing where he handled one train in, rested at NY Penn for four hours and then rode one train back out. Our commuting dollars at work.)
The train station stairs is a good point. Those are in horrible shape and ready to collapse any minute.That being said, I’m sure there are a lot of towns in which a business would have doubts opening so I’m not which what point you are making. Actually if I went back about 3yrs until today, there has been some really great businesses that have opened during this time. Everyone is down so let’s not pick on Rahway. Instead you should do what you can to improve the city by supporting local business, going to town meetings and events, and volunteering. Ask not what Rahway can do fo you, but what you can….well, you get the idea.
I am not making any point in particular.I am not picking on Rahway, as evidenced by my caveat in this thread that progress has come to a standstill everywhere and as evidenced in other previous comment threads.I do support local businesses (Joy Cleaners, Waiting Room, Little Bit Healthier, Cherry St. Market, Big Belly Deli, Akisha Food Market, Mr. Apple Pie, Taste of Portugal, Farmers Market on Thursdays, Nancy’s, Michelenos, blah blah blah.).I don’t attend town meetings because I would have to hire a babysitter but I do try to watch the replays on Channel 34.I attend town events (e.g. Tree Lighting, First Thursday, Library events, etc.)I do volunteer but not for Rahway-specific causes.If you want to scold people, I hear the grade school needs a new Spanish teacher.I am entitled to post my pointless opinions as much as the next person.
Not denying your opinion, just refuting it. I believe I have as much right to do so. Lighten up.
Some of you youngsters may not remember the old Rahway train station that was built in the 1970s and replaced by the current one in 1998 or 1999. Broken stairs? Heck, the whole station was broken. It was a nightmare of poor design, wino body fluids and crazy graffiti to keep the Rahway Center Partnership – which wasn’t even around in the 70s and 80s.
Please folks in these tough times the city we all live in needs encouragement. Yes it’s not perfect , it has a ways to go but i have lived here 3and1/2 years and i like what i see . State of the art library, well kept rec center always has activities going on for babies to senior. Lets keep our spirits up we could be like Linden drug and gang infested.