Drug Fair filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and 31 of its stores were bought up by Walgreens, with plans to close 11. With a Walgreens just blocks away, it wasn’t much of a surprise that Rahway’s Drug Fair on St. Georges Avenue was among the 11 to close.
Millburn-based Gelber Associates owns the property and demolished the former cleaners at the end of the strip mall near Krauszer’s. It’s been marketing plans to build a two-story office/retail space, offering 1,000 to 3,000 square feet per floor but didn’t return a message about the Drug Fair space.
The 0.8-acre property was assessed at almost $4.3 million and paid nearly $187,000 in property taxes in 2006, the most recent data available at PropertyShark.com.
Drug Fair’s demise — the store will close within days — eventually will open a retail space at the St. Georges Avenue strip mall. Any ideas or suggestions? One reader suggested it as a future poll question. Grocery store? Restaurant? Nominations are open…
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As much as I’d looooooooooove (and believe we neeeeeeeeeeed) a grocery store, I’d hate see the Rahway Farmers Market suffer. But, yes, it seems an ideal location – and IMO a Trader Joe’s, et al, would be an incredibly welcome, convenient and community/business building move. The drawing power of such a retailer would increase consumer traffic from neighboring towns and convince many residents to shop in town (for better or worse of car traffic, of course).In addition, “just say no” to another pharmacy!- seemed ridiculous that we had 3 in a 4 block stretch… no wonder we’re finding ourselves with a big vacancy now.
Grocery store PLEASE! Or just some sub-set of grocery — a butcher, or good bakery?
We’ll quicker see a 99ยข store than Trader Joe’s go in there.Or it’ll get split up into more strip mall blah-ness.A bank won’t go in there… see old WaMu location and Audi dealership properties that remain vacant, and we already know we don’t need more drug store locations. Everyone seems to think that Trader Joe’s is this panacea for turning their town around. Why is there one in Westfield? Let’s look at the numbers (taken from wiki; I have no basis for its accuracy):According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $120,978, and the median income for a family was $146,891. Males had a median income of $82,420 versus $45,305 for females. The per capita income for the town was $47,187. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.For Rahway:The median income for a household in the city was $50,729, and the median income for a family was $61,931. Males had a median income of $41,047 versus $32,091 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,481. About 5.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.Without diving too deep into the numbers (which I don’t suspect vastly improved over the last year), I think that would be reason enough alone for corporate to not take a second look at Rahway.
Rahway is losing its Chrysler dealership – West End Garage is on the list of dealers to get whacked. Just what the town needs, another vacant eyesore.
Larry, perhaps you’re the Larry Gelber behind Gelber Associates, owner of the property, no? ;-)If Rahway was such a bad place to do business, why did Trader Joe’s express interest into moving to Rahway when the City Hall project was moving forward (it has been since shelved due to the tightening of the credit markets)?Anyway, the site housed a ShopRite in the 1960s and specialty retailer Sutton Place before Drug Fair came in in the 1980s.
Mr. Rahway, I once expressed interest in owning a 107″ Rayburn Yacht.Cuppy’s once expressed interest in opening a coffee shop in Skyview.Sony once expressed interest in a technology called Betamax.I believe we need to walk before we can run. Suggestions:- Aldi (yes, there is one on Route 1/9; could Rahway/Colonia/Woodbridge deliver enough traffic to support another on St. Georges? Maybe.)- Auto Parts Store (STS, Autozone, etc.)- Southern Smokehouse or similar type restaurant (the Aviation Plaza location can’t be considered high profile given how deep into the site the restaurant is located).No problem with reaching for the stars but like Casey used to say on the radio, you gotta keep your feet on the ground.
A supermarket would be nice but I’m not sure it’s a large enough space for a reputable store to open up shop. We already have a C-Town, and nothing says “you’ve arrived in the ghetto” like a C-Town, so we don’t need another one..or a 99 cent store/Chinese food store/liquor store.
Economic times notwithstanding, if TJ’s sees an opportunity, they’re still going to go for it.
Good point Larry. TJ’s feels confident expanding in areas with the demographics and income to support a store. They’re not taking a chance on an unproven location in this economy.When Drug Fair said they were closing – the papers acted like it was a shock, no a shock! that our NJ pharmacy chain had bitten the dust. I’m amazed that they stayed in business as long as they did, considering that their stores had uninviting decor, unfriendly and/or disinterested staff, and they peddled the same junk available at every other pharmacy.All kidding about pawn shops and check cashing counters aside, I’m not sure what business should take the space. Perhaps a homebrew supply store? A make your own wine place? A ninja academy?
Larry does have a point, demographics do play a part in a major chain like TJ’s in coming to a new market like Rahway would be to them. But at the same time MR. Rahway has a point too! Is Larry to critical in his rational assessment? Perhaps it is somewhere inbetween, like the realist has stated.Interestingly enough we have a tool to help us come up with not only suggestions on what to put there that will meet our needs as a community and as a consumer base, and we can even use it to persuade that same retailer as to why the numbers ARE in our favor.The Rahway Center Partnership is in recent possession of a newly completed study of the downtown business district within the SID. While not taylored to the St. Georges site it does contain a large body of data that is specifically about the Rahway marketplace, with consumer purchasing power, disposable income and other metrics successful retails look at when making site location decisions. In fact, some of the data while discussed about the downtown can translate well to this location, like a small food market.What we really need to do is find out the size of the location and find a copy of the report with its detailed matrix of retail segments that suit such space, and then have a well informed discussion about what we really think would work for us and be feasible for a retailer to consider.ANONYMOU$
Perhaps this was common knowledge, but I wasn’t aware that TJ’s is actually owned by the Aldi family who runs yes, the Aldi food store chain (look it up if you don’t believe me; I’m too tired to add more links. Interesting how they have stores that target opposite ends of the spectrum (demographics-wise). And then when you read the target audience of TJ’s, while this may be most of us who contribute to blogs and are generally more “in the know”, does this represent Rahway and the neighboring areas that we’d consider in striking distance?============TRADER JOE’S============Scarborough Data, a market research firm, profiles the typical TraderJoe’s shopper as a college-educated, white homeowner with a median ageof 44 and a median household income of $64,000. Almost evenly dividedamong married people and singles, females and males, two-thirds haveno kids at home.According to Pat St. John, Trader Joe’s vice president for marketing,the company’s target customer is a cost-conscious, health-consciouslabel-reader who is not tied to national brand names. Company surveyshave found that many of them are well-traveled and looking toreplicate foods they have enjoyed elsewhere.Anecdotal information gleaned informally from Trader Joe’s shoppersreveals several sometimes overlapping types: There’s the frugal foodielooking for the next new thing; the iconoclast who resents “customerloyalty cards” and dislikes big-box retailers; the health-conscious,ecologically sensitive parent seeking organic and pesticide-freefoods, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and wholesomesnacks; child-free working couples and singles who favor theconvenience foods packaged just right for one or two; and a whole lotof people who like to indulge in luxuries like flowers, candy, cheese,wine and Greek yogurt without signing over their paycheckGiven that we’ve already got an Aldi here (technically in Linden but close enough) it’s just a matter of changing the signage and we’re in business!
Oh sure, just put away the Old Navy signs and swap them for Banana Republic….Actually Aldi is a neat store. They keep overhead low by not providing unnecessary comforts such as shelves or bags, and you have to return the cart to get your deposit back (cutting down on theft and labor costs – no need to pay someone $7/hr to round up carts). They only take cash, PIN-based debit cards or food stamps (which are now dispensed as stored value cards) so if you’re playing roulette with your nearly maxed out Capital One credit cards you’re out of luck. If you don’t mind occasional randomness to the items available, Aldi can save some money vs. a conventional store.Let’s just say that the Rahway renovations were a runaway success and that about 500 new households fitting the TJs demographic were strolling around town. Would that be enough to sustain a TJs?
A lot of good stuff from Larry, thanks for all the info. It’s not an apples to apples comparison with Westfield demographics, but I’m sure they affect the cost of WF’s retail leases as well. Is it a stretch to think maybe a retailer/merchant moves into Rahway looking for a less expensive option?Anyone interested in results of the Rahway Survey can click on the label Rahway Survey, lower right side of the blog page to see all 14 previous posts about it.
According to “Larry”: “The median income for a household in the city was $50,729, and the median income for a family was $61,931.”Also, I believe, according to “Larry”:”Joe’s shopper as a college-educated, white homeowner with a median age of 44 and a median household income of $64,000.”I can’t speak to the college-educated part, but we’re only a little off from their target household income.I would rather see a TJ in the downtown area – from a personal standpoint, if I could walk to a decent grocery store, I’d probably never drive my car again.I live in Rahway and generally drive all the way to Wegmans (yes, past like 3 grocery stores!) because they have the things I like, and a few interesting things to try, a good selection of natural and organic foods, and it just feels like a nice place to shop.I don’t know how THEY’D feel about it, but I’d love to see an expanded Rahway Farm Market! I love that store! They could be like a non-chain Trader Joes!Hey – how ’bout another liquor store! They say they do well, ESPECIALLY in bad economic times!
Larry & Realist, you both raise good points. Larry, you write like a real estate guy, so now I'm convinced that you’re Larry Gelber! If you are, please repair the potholes in your parking lot next to Rahway Farm. I may have to “trip and fall” there this weekend ;-)The legendary Pinho’s Bakery of Roselle has been has made no secret of its intent to open an expanded operation in Rahway for a few years. They are presently considering a building on Rt. 1, but perhaps Drug Fair would be more ideal for them.
A bakery is something Rahway hasn’t seen in some time. That’ll be good news since I believe one of the Vacarro’s bakery locations is closing, or may already have.
I’ll see what I can do about those potholes. Michelle, my sources for the links were all cited or readily available by Google searches so they’re really not *according to me*… I’m just regurgitating the info.I retract my statement about not having enough people to support a Trader Joe’s – After seeing the turnout this past Saturday, I’m thoroughly convinced that they can get enough people into downtown Rahway if they’d hold a smaller scale version of Hot Rods and Harley’s in the TJ’s parking lot every weekend.All kidding aside, it was a really nice day and a great turnout.
As for a bakery, Rahway had one of the finest around for 20 years on E. Cherry St. From what I understand and been told by the owners, the construction that went on basically forced them out of the downtown because of : no parking, street closures, other stores closing, lack of foot traffic (combined with lack of parking- how would one survive). I was happy to see them at The Taste of Spring and thrilled to see them win Best Desserts. By the way, they are in Clark now, on Westfield Ave. with a parking lot in front of and in back of the store.
I was remiss in not including the name of the bakery once on East Cherry St. It was and still is called International Pastry. I phoned the owner after posting. He wished they could have stayed, moving was never part of their plan and hopes the Downtown recovers, noting he still lives in town; mentioning, most customers have followed them to the new location.
Thanks for posting the name of that bakery. Can’t wait to try it. I’ve been looking for a decent one since I moved here.
Their original location at the corner of Cherry & Irving was a great spot. Great old building with high ceilings and brick walls. They even had music on some weekends
Yes, I recall. It was called Eat to the Beat. Ahead of it’s time, hopefully the newer places downtown can match their creativity and warmth. The new occupants ”made a mess” of a beautiful space.
I would love a WHOLE FOODS… or a Trader Joes would be just as great.
As stated before, regarding Trader Joe's the demographics for Rahway don't cut it; let alone Whole Foods. Trader Joe was interested in the former A&P spot on Westfield Ave. in Clark, but A&P still holds the lease on the property and blocked it (from what I understand).