Do you shop local and support local businesses?

I use to get my haircuts in the village for at lease 15 years until 3 years ago when they raised the price to $17 and I went to the one in Union on the corner of Burnet and Vauxhall and pay $12 senior discount. 

We do a lot of take out from Village Pizzeria. Stop & Shop, Munchie's, Morgan's Liquors, Pet Wants, South Orange Pharmacy, Rocket Ship (seems like I'm there on a weekly basis!), On Track Cleaners, BGR (my son works there part time!), Lucky Seven (my boys still get their hair cut there), Ashley's, Mar-Ant for tailoring needs, Kitchen a la Mode to name a few of my haunts. It may not be monthly, but I do enjoy what is offered in our area. Still go to M'wood for hair cuts and blowouts and enjoy Perch there as well. 

I just placed my annual Thanksgiving order at Ashley Market. The garlic spinach, chestnut stuffing and giblet gravy do not disappoint. And Marty the butcher gets my special turkey order right every year.   

I live in South Orange.  We get bagels sometimes at Sonny's bagels and do holiday shopping at Kitchen A La Mode but other than that we do all the rest of our local shopping and dining in Maplewood.  I find the parking easier and friendlier. It's not that it's free ( although it particularly bothers me to have to pay a meter to go to the bank), but the time allowed is more generous and the parking police don't lie in wait to give tickets.   In Maplewood you never have to leave before you have finished your lunch or in the middle of getting your hair done to move your car in order to avoid getting a ticket.  In Maplewood the parking police don't lie in wait to give tickets. I've lived in this area for 33 years and even if it's just me, if you count all the shopping and dining and meeting people and going out I've done elsewhere that could have been in South Orange it's many many thousands of dollars.   As a South Orange tax payer I recognize that if one eliminates parking meter income our taxes could go up - but it would be worth it.

On the flip side, I can't count the times I have driven to Maplewood to shop for something and had to turn away because I couldn't find parking.

sarahzm said:

I live in South Orange.  We get bagels sometimes at Sonny's bagels and do holiday shopping at Kitchen A La Mode but other than that we do all the rest of our local shopping and dining in Maplewood.  I find the parking easier and friendlier. It's not that it's free ( although it particularly bothers me to have to pay a meter to go to the bank), but the time allowed is more generous and the parking police don't lie in wait to give tickets.   In Maplewood you never have to leave before you have finished your lunch or in the middle of getting your hair done to move your car in order to avoid getting a ticket.  In Maplewood the parking police don't lie in wait to give tickets. I've lived in this area for 33 years and even if it's just me, if you count all the shopping and dining and meeting people and going out I've done elsewhere that could have been in South Orange it's many many thousands of dollars.   As a South Orange tax payer I recognize that if one eliminates parking meter income our taxes could go up - but it would be worth it.

That said, its sad but I do far more shopping in MW than in SO even though I live in SO.  I get groceries at Kings and Stop and Shop, I buy books at Words, I buy bagels at Bagel Chateau, buy wine and spirits at the Wine stores, and get haircuts at the Village Barber. When we eat out locally, it is at the Parkwood, Wild Ginger or Village Coffee.  

I wish I could do more in SO but I got burned rather badly by Ashley Market on items that rang up at a different price than that listed and generally I find the downtown unpleasant to walk around.  I don't suppose anything can be done about SO Avenue but, if I think about it, I suspect that is one of the real barriers to me enjoying downtown SO.

Parking has gotten a lot more difficult in Maplewood Village.  However, I always can find spots on residential streets along the perimeter of the Village. You just have to be willing to walk further.  Of course, that doesn't help with people who may have trouble walking or may not be able to walk and perhaps further discussion needs to happen.  Since having a baby, I've found the Village to be pretty difficult with a stroller.  The sidewalks are uneven or sometimes there are bricks that are coming loose.  On the corner of Maplewood Avenue and Durand, the sidewalks are horrible and are not ADA compliant.  If it's tough on me (and I'm in good health and love walking) and my stroller, I can't even imagine for someone who might be in a wheelchair.  

We tend to frequent Palmer's for coffee and their AMAZING quiches, Perch occasionally for gifts, Anthony Garubo, the Gate for a casual dinner and we get takeout for Tandoori Chef II all the time.  I love Kitchen A La Mode if I need a new appliance or a gift and I go to Village Family Practice for my healthcare needs.

To the extent that I do shop in SO, Village Family Practice has brought me down town a lot more since they opened.  I know there was push back against having a medical office in that location but I have to think that it has been a benefit to the surrounding businesses.

i have given up on finding parking in MW -- especially on fri/sat nights.  Just not worth the effort.  And I expect to have to walk a block or two.  

no meters in S. Orange after 6 pm but even during the day most of the meters in the lots have a 3 hour limit -- more than enough time for lunch and errands.   Meters are needed due to the employees/ store owners who take up a lot of spaces.  I know that is a complaint I hear from some of the business owners in MW.  

My barber in S. Orange has raised his prices but I still go to him.  Seems pretty cheap to stop using someone over such a small increase.  

I've occasionally lucked out with parking on the park side of the tracks to go to MW village. Some spots open up as commuters leave, and you can walk under the tunnel to get into town.

Not finding parking means not finding parking within your tolerable distance. How great is that distance?

Tom_Reingold said:

Not finding parking means not finding parking within your tolerable distance. How great is that distance?

I am willing to walk up to about 1/4 mile, but really depends on the situation.   Meeting people for a nice dinner and I will walk further.  going to get a couple of items at a grocery store that I can also get in a lot of places, I probably won't do more than one loop around the block.  

And for something like maplewoodstock, probably up to 1/2 mile.  

circumstances dictate the level of tolerance. 

mikescott said:

Tom_Reingold said:

Not finding parking means not finding parking within your tolerable distance. How great is that distance?

I am willing to walk up to about 1/4 mile, but really depends on the situation.   Meeting people for a nice dinner and I will walk further.  going to get a couple of items at a grocery store that I can also get in a lot of places, I probably won't do more than one loop around the block.  

And for something like maplewoodstock, probably up to 1/2 mile.  

circumstances dictate the level of tolerance. 

Yeah, the weather dictates a lot, too. I'm willing to walk to South Orange or Maplewood Village (live a little closer to South Orange Village) but only if the weather is nice; i.e., not too hot, too cold, rainy...

I think if someone wants to assess how people shop, it's easy enough - there are many threads here and on the local Facebook group where people trade recommendations and presumably reveal their habits. There are many discussions on Target, Costco, Home Depot and Wegman's. Some local merchants do great job promoting themselves in social media, others don't seem to be interested in that.

For food and things, people recommend SOMa places, but also regularly discuss places in Millburn, Montclair, East Hanover, Bergen County and so on. People seem to be particular in their tastes and do seem to have the means - in terms of time and having a car - to travel two or more towns over to get their favorite burger, cake, gift, whatever. The reality is there are folks who do a lot of shopping almost exclusively in their own town, others who always seem to be somewhere else, and most people fall somewhere in between. Personally, I don't think a single event or "night out" really is going to change that in a meaningful way, and that the more successful businesses will be those who have an eye for what people want and need and who work to continually promote to them.

Buying local doesn’t require parking or even a coat. For instance, I enjoyed ordering some gifts yesterday from the SOMA General Store online market and Melovino Meadery. The latter offers free shipping for orders over $75 (four bottles, say), and the former has a few different options — in my case, a delightful, unexpected delivery to my door that very evening from one of the artisans.

Thanks to The Village Green for bringing the General Store to my attention: 

https://villagegreennj.com/business/online-soma-general-store-debuts-just-time-small-biz-cyber-weekend/

And just now another of the merchants dropped off items because she happened to be driving by. That’s local service, and satisfaction.