People Want More Restaurants, Retail Chains in Millburn-Short Hills

More restaurants and chain stores are just a few of the things people said they want to see in town in a survey of consumers.

The Millburn-Short Hills Business Coalition released the results of a survey of local consumers to Millburn-Short Hills Patch on Wednesday. A total of 338 people responded to the survey, which surpassed the goal for responses, said Shayne Miller, coalition chairman. "We are very happy with the results," he said.

Of the people who responded, 56 percent said they want to see more restaurants in Millburn-Short Hills, 44 percent want to see retail chain stores, 36 percent said they wanted to see clothing stores and 32 percent said they wanted to see "retail gift" stores. Popular write-in responses were the need for a bakery or bookstore in the township.

Miller said the response for retail chain stores surprised him. During the 2008 redevelopment public meetings, many people said they did not want to see chain stores move into town, he said.

Millburn Avenue is also a popular place for people to shop. The top two places people shop in town is in downtown Millburn (55 percent) or the Short Hills end of Millburn Avenue (55 percent).

Pricing was one of the top concerns of people who responded to the survey, but parking was also among the things people listed as a concern in the survey. People who responded said value, location and convenience were among their top factors in choosing a business. Endorsements and word of mouth were the top factors in how people find a business.

Miller said the coalition will hold a meeting in late January to determine what to do with the results, but it will be the foundation of its marketing strategy for 2010, including recruiting new businesses to Millburn-Short Hills.

Additionally, the results will be shared with various interested groups, including the Township Committee and the Revitalization Committee. The results also will be of interest to many business owners, Miller said.

There was a separate survey for business owners, and the results of that will be released at a later date.