Monday, January 28, 2013
Local merchants try to stay afloat despite tough economy and big box competition.
The closing of two long-standing businesses in Wyckoff — See U Saturday and StrideRite — has sent shock waves through the small business community. Both stores were located in Boulder Run and many here had speculated neither would be able to compete against Marshalls, a discount merchandise retail chain that moved into the Franklin Avenue complex in 2011. “Big name retailers are hurting small businesses,” said Carissa Mulloy, co-owner of Close Knit. “It’s just so sad.” “You can’t stop people from doing business in town but when it hurts a smaller operation, it might be good for other businesses to help them out,” said Blue Moon restaurant owner Howie Felixbrod, who is also second vice president of the Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce. “These …
Monday, January 7, 2013
With its endless menu and unique fusion twist, this Boulder Run restaurant is a great getaway for lunch.
Seeking respite from a hectic day at work? Aoyama, a French Thai and Japanese restaurant in Boulder Run might just be the solution. Their unique Asian fusion menu will treat you to an “off the beaten path” lunch or a savory dinner right in your own backyard. Aoyama satisfies both your Japanese and Thai cravings in one sitting-choose between two different menus and a full sushi offering from the sprawling sushi bar. Lunch is generously priced with a substantial offering of diverse entrees; dinner is more moderately priced but offers a greater assortment of dishes and specialty sushi rolls. Every meal at Aoyama begins with a refreshing towel to wash up and a bowl of papadum, thin, crisp crackers that melt in your mouth, as well as salsa to …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
At a recent meeting, the Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce discussed how to better communication between the township, businesses and residents.
Hurricane Sandy battered Wyckoff just a few weeks ago, but the aftermath of the storm still lingers. The storm left township businesses without power, and most importantly, customers. “There was no business," said Michael Mandara, owner of the newly opened Boulder Run restaurant Pizzeria Mandara. "We were closed from that Monday [Oct. 29] to the following Monday night." "Everything needed to be thrown out and cleaned up," he said. "[The restaurant] had to be sterilized and re-inspected by the health department.” Jay Vidockler, Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce president and owner of Chocolate Etc. said, “It was very bad. We all lost a week of solid business where no one was really open, and when I finally did open a lot of the town was still …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The "long, arduous road" from inception to Design Review Board to Monday night's vote lasted more than three years.
The Wyckoff Planning Board voted unanimously Monday to allow Inserra Supermarkets to go ahead with its plan to build a massive grocery store on an abandoned Greenwood Avenue commercial site, in spite of some board members' lingering concerns regarding a potential increase in traffic on township roads. "Redevelopment of this site is what I think is needed," said Wyckoff Planning Board Member Scott Fisher. "It will bring jobs to the community and the surrounding area [and] it will beautify the area." Each of the planning board's nine members voted in support of the application, which asked the land use board to consider requested variances for issues such as lot depth requirement, buffer width, parking stall size, sign regulations and …
Sunday, October 28, 2012
The Boulder Run restaurant hosted a thrilling costume contest Friday night
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Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The ordinance proposed Tuesday would ban "making or uttering of unsolicited remarks of an offensive, abusive, profane, disgusting or insulting nature."
An ordinance introduced Tuesday night by the Wyckoff Township Committee proposes to ban "loud, unnecessary or unusual noise," disturbances, fighting, and obstruction of free passage, both on public and semi-private property. "Essentially this is an ordinance that is designed to prevent disturbances of the peace," Mayor Chris DePhillips said. "It was surprising to me that heretofore we had not had a disturbing of the peace-type ordinance in our code." Committeeman Kevin Rooney said that the creation of the ordinance stemmed "not only from the two incidents that occurred in Boulder Run over the summer," but that there had been an "ongoing concern with quite a bit of out of town juveniles congregating." He called the proposal a "great start" …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Final public comment session is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m.
Township residents will be given their final opportunity to speak broadly to the Wyckoff Planning Board Monday evening regarding the Inserra application to build a 64,000-square-foot ShopRite supermarket adjacent to Boulder Run. The public has had the chance to question witnesses and experts directly throughout the span of the 2-year application, but only one other opportunity to make general comments and directly address the land use board, attorneys and experts. The Monday, Sept. 24, meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but anyone expecting to get a seat should arrive early — a meeting setup for identical purposes earlier this year was packed to standing-room-only capacity. At the April meeting, residents overwhelmingly — though …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Township officials are investigating an ordinance to help cops combat crowds that gather at Boulder Run, but Wyckoff's police chief says anti-loitering laws raise enforcement and constitutionality concerns
Township officials are pursuing an ordinance that would embolden police efforts to curb loitering in response to "widespread concern" over a recent spate of violent crimes in Wyckoff. Mayor Chris DePhillips discussed the idea with colleagues at a committee meeting Tuesday evening. "From my own observations, loitering has been increasing steadily at Boulder Run and in other places in the township — not merely because it's the summer, and because kids are home from school," DePhillips said. "It's creating widespread concern in the community and it's something we need to look at." No ordinance has been proposed or drafted yet; the township attorney has been tasked with looking into similar law around the state reporting back to the committee…
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The 16-year-old was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and making terroristic threats.
An Oakland teenager was charged with threatening another juvenile with an ice pick during a fight in the Boulder Run parking lot Sunday night, according to Wyckoff Police. Cops received a call just after 10 p.m. Sunday saying that someone was threatening another person with a knife at the shopping center on Franklin Avenue, according to Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox. Responding officers encountered a large group in the parking lot, many of whom fled on foot, police said. "The investigation determined that a fight had started between two Oakland boys, ages 15 and 16, when the older youth pulled out an ice pick, and allegedly held it to the other boy's chest and threatened to stab him," Fox said. A Bergen County Police K-9 unit and …
Friday, May 11, 2012
The owners of Boulder Run worked with the township to make a compromise when they previously applied for their expansion.
Developer Bryan Hekemian explained some of the details behind a compromise made between Wyckoff and Munico Associates, the company which owns Boulder Run, which led to the expansion of Boulder Run and brought 16 affordable housing units to the township during a meeting of the Wyckoff Planning Board Wednesday night. Hekemian is objecting to Inserra Supermarkets' plan to build a new 62,000-square-foot ShopRite at the site of the former A&P on Wyckoff and Greenwood Avenues. He had previously testified that the affordable housing units, built during Boulder Run's expansion between 2008 and 2010, were a financial loss, but did not give any specifics. While pro-Inserra attorney John Lamb cross-examined Hekemian Wednesday, the developer explained…
Apple Tree Child Development Center Preschool
12:59 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
We always strive to support the local merchants in the area. Several Business owners worked closely together to restore the power during the Sandy aftermath. We combined our efforts and contacted PSEG and discussed our plans for moving forward. There is advantage to working together to reach a common goal, Better Commerce and better Community Service. Its a real shame the Striderite closed their … more ›