Think back to the days you spent house hunting. Why did you choose Maplewood? Chances are the downtown village was one of the deciding factors.
Now, those very merchants that helped attract you to the area are asking for your help. As everyone knows, the economy is at its worst in decades. But storeowners in downtown Millburn believe that “a town can turn it around.”
Krista Hyer, owner of Mona Lisa Gallery and Framing on Maplewood Avenue, says that with the support of local residents, the downtown area will be able to sustain through the recession. It is vital to the entire community that the downtown district stays intact.
“Residents need to make financial choices based on what the community tells them, not what FOX News says. We need to think and react as a community, no longer as individuals.”
“They say 1 in 10 people are unemployed. Where are the other nine? Those nine need to realize they could help pull the economy out, they could stimulate it just enough so that people could sustain through 2009 and we can get through this,” she says.
She makes sure to add that she knows, “They’re [local residents] doing the best that they can, I’m not blaming them. But they need to realize they aren’t insulating [by not spending] because if downtown business crashes, it will hit their concrete. Their home values will drop.”
That is a factor that should register with everyone. If downtown businesses crumble, home values will crumble. The two are directly related.
“Empty stores will decrease property values. The reason people move here is because of the quaint village. They need to support the mom and pops more,” says Steve Crane.
Crane, of Crane’s Delicatessen and Cheese Shoppe, says, “The beauty of this quaint little hidden village is that it’s a quaint little hidden village. The demise is that it’s a quaint hidden little village. It’s not promoted enough.” He is often amazed by how many residents still don’t know there is a cheese shop right in the village. “They walk with blinders on sometimes.”
Anja Moen, a 10-year Maplewood resident, says she “hadn’t thought about [the connection between home values and downtown] but it’s true. People want to move places where there is a lively downtown, a place where their teenagers can walk downtown and they don’t need to worry.” If the village atmosphere falls apart, she doesn’t think the town will be so appealing.
Since I started covering economic issues is Maplewood and South Orange, I have talked to downtown merchant is several industries – restaurants, fine art, fine jewelry, florists. They are all struggling, regardless of their specialty.
In my conversations, I have heard over and over about the need for local residents to support their downtown business districts.
Hyer tells me that every business owner is taking steps to lower expenses, from eliminating a phone line to renegotiating leases, exchanging their cars for less expensive models. There’s not much more they can do, and they are looking to you for support.
As Hyer stressed again and again, “Don’t abandon it, come back and support the community. The downtown business district is as important as their home. They should have the same feeling as they do about their home.“
