Joe Toomey has left the building

So I was talking to Joe Toomey today who has closed his auto repair shop on Baker Street. He told me "It was time". I guess so, since he has been there since the 60's. He is now helping out on phones and such at Bernie's auto repair on Millburn Ave.

He informed me that he sold the property to the guy who owns the Wells Fargo building who plans on turning Joe's property into simply a parking lot mostly for his tenants who live in that building but that Joe's building will likely remain standing (Joe didn't know why).

It makes sense that it would not be turned into another development building since Joe has told me in the past that there are 5 big tanks buried under the ground there so I presume that remediation costs of them to build on that lot would perhaps be prohibitive.

We shall see. Too bad Joe closed there though, it is one of only two places (Nelson's being the other) that I could easily drop a vehicle off and walk home.  

My guess is that if the building is torn down the owner will have to remediate the tanks. 

A loss for Maplewood.  Toomey was our go-to place for auto maintenance...always fair and did a great job on our various cars.     

Now we need a combination Pharmacy - Hardware Store - Auto Repair in Maplewood Village.

Toomey's is the only place we've taken our vehicles since moving here. I'm sad to read this news, but kudos to him and best wishes for whatever he moves to next.

LOST said:

Now we need a combination Pharmacy - Hardware Store - Auto Repair in Maplewood Village.

When I moved to Maplewood, there was a pharmacy in the village that had a hardware section. Evidently we didn't need it as much as people want to think we did.

I'm a fan of both Joe and Bernie. That sounds like a great combination.

LOST said:

Now we need a combination Pharmacy - Hardware Store - Auto Repair in Maplewood Village.

Ya got a nail salon. What else more do you need?

I stand corrected regarding walking distance. My wife walked all the way home from Bernie's today even though they offered to drive her back (it took her an hour). I think she was in the mood for what the Irish call "a good walk" which to my thinking means a freakin' long walk.

PS: Regarding Joe working at Bernie's. Joe told me "I'll die here". -He didn't mean that the environment was toxic or even unpleasant. Joe is just not the kind of guy to retire to golf or watch TV.

Hats off to Joe Toomey for running his own business all those decades. I'm glad he has fetched up at Bernie's, but I'm sure going to miss Toomey's, which has been around forever, kind of like my car (which Toomey's kept rolling and which kept Toomey's rolling).  I will also miss Rodney, who worked with Joe and with whom I had some good yaks.  He could tell you some stories about fast rides on the 78 flats. I'm telling you, like lyrics to a Springsteen song.

BrickPig said:

Toomey's is the only place we've taken our vehicles since moving here. I'm sad to read this news, but kudos to him and best wishes for whatever he moves to next.

LOST said:

Now we need a combination Pharmacy - Hardware Store - Auto Repair in Maplewood Village.

When I moved to Maplewood, there was a pharmacy in the village that had a hardware section. Evidently we didn't need it as much as people want to think we did.

That makes you a newcomer. We old timers remember two pharmacies and a hardware store. At some point Harold, who owned Maplewood Drugs, decided that since there was no longer a hardware store he would sell some hardware items.

(Confession - not really an old timer. To be that you had to go to high school here in the 50s like ex-Mayor Profeta)

A few weeks ago Joe told me to go to Bernie's when he was gone.

As far as the underground tanks, I know Joe had at least one removed, not sure how many in all.

Joe was our mechanic for the last 35 years, a great mechanic, an honest businessman and a decent human being.  A true Maplewood institution, he helped Keep the Village a Village.  He'll be missed.

Joe's great. I hope he did well on the sale of his property.

According to Village Green, Joe will be sharing space at Bernie's and will still be operating his own repair business using the old phone number. Sale of Baker Street space not finalized.

http://villagegreennj.com/busi...

With the property's history and those tanks it is going to be a hard sell. Who knows what is in the soil since it started being a gas station so long ago. That is a lot of potential liability for any purchaser. I would not take that property for free.

I love Toomey -- great mechanic and a great guy, real pleasure to deal with. It really seems like he loves what he does and that makes a very favorable impression on customers.  

I'm glad he's not retiring, I'm definitely gonna be seeing him at Bernie's.