February 26
...serving up your daily dish.
Phil Read has a story in today's Ledger about the Bloomfield Ave. businesses that, let us just say, don't draw crowds from Ridgewood. Businesses like McDonough Tire and Jinx Proof Tattoo and Body Piercing.
According to Read, Montclair has put some businesses a blacklist -- although it's not clear from the story how official the blacklist is:
In the past decade, Montclair's "not wanted" list has grown from such operations as used-car dealers, check-cashing outfits, pawn shops and adult entertainment to this month's newest add-ons: new-car showrooms, such as Montclair Jaguar; drive-through banks, such as the newest and apparently final one at Commerce Bank; and rental-car outfits, of which there are none.
For those in place, being "grandfathered" means they can keep operating but have little hope of expanding or selling to an expansion-minded buyer.
Well, man cannot live on sushi alone. Every once in a while you do have to get your car fixed or draw some money out of an ATM machine.
February 26, 2006 in Scooped by Phil Read, Again | Permalink
THey build a parking garage & nobody came. And they still wonder why.
Posted by: crank | Feb 26, 2006 1:23:13 PM
Don't mind Montclair Jaguar, it's the rest of those crappy businesses that we can do without.
Posted by: montclair resident | Feb 26, 2006 1:25:51 PM
Are they trying to turn Montclair into the next NJ Stepford town?
Posted by: MsSumida | Feb 26, 2006 1:27:00 PM
Let the market decide... If it supports $300 colanders, maybe the Tattoo Parlor should start charging more.
Posted by: Conan the Grammarian | Feb 26, 2006 1:33:55 PM
Actually, the car and tire dealerships are OK, they serve a useful purpose. Montclair just needs better quality ratables.
Posted by: montclair resident | Feb 26, 2006 1:36:09 PM
Remember, these banned uses are just for the Central Business District.
So, they'll all move to one of the other 7 business districts. Right now they're discussing the drive in bank for Watchung.
Seems like the merchants, i.e. the BID, are writing the ordinances now.
Posted by: cary | Feb 26, 2006 2:08:57 PM
Naive me, I thought 'blacklists' were a thing of the 1950's.
Is this latest reincarnation of the 'blacklist' legal?
Posted by: Franklin | Feb 26, 2006 2:14:51 PM
Uh, whose blacklist is this? Do the accused have any right to defense and appeal, or is it like rendetion and Gitmo?
Just curious.
Posted by: anonymous | Feb 26, 2006 2:50:57 PM
Where's the Alfa-Maserati-Ferrari-Lamborghini dealer? Must we all have to drive to Edison or Paramus or Spring Valley (NY) for sales and service?!
Posted by: Jim | Feb 26, 2006 6:12:22 PM
Maybe the town planners are trying to follow the trend of planned towns such as Seaside and Celebration in Florida ...
Posted by: Jim | Feb 26, 2006 6:19:14 PM
A "blacklist"?
How close minded is Montclair getting? If we're not sporting clogs with brightly colored socks, bohemian garb, messy hair, and kids who snack on brussel sprouts, does this mean we have to sit at the back of the bus now? If you don't like the area you live in, maybe you should consider moving to a private community where everyone can stick their noses in the air together. Montclair can have a "sex" shop or two, but want to close a tattoo parlor and a Jag. dealer?? Instead of wasting their man hours fighting and complaining about what they don't like, they should spend it trying to figure out how to take their thumbs out of their a$$es. I have no tolerance for people who think they are better.
Posted by: Jackie Rotten | Feb 26, 2006 7:40:16 PM
Jim: Those links are TRULY scary. Can we say Orwellian?
Posted by: Miss Martta (8T) | Feb 26, 2006 7:52:12 PM
McDonough Tire is wonderful asset to this town. They repair cars quickly, reliably and for a reasonable cost. The employees are courteous and informative. I've been bringing my cars to them for years, and expect to do business with them for years to come.
Posted by: Bob Mellman | Feb 26, 2006 8:19:27 PM
I'm confused. Isn't there a car rental place on Grove St? Enterprise?
Posted by: resa | Feb 26, 2006 8:20:12 PM
"this is the story of jackie rotten...he may be stoned but he's not forgotten..."
Posted by: The Iceman(*8T*) | Feb 26, 2006 8:22:15 PM
Resa - correct, there is an Entrerprise on the corner of Walnut & Grove.
Posted by: Anne Prince | Feb 26, 2006 8:23:52 PM
We talked about Celebration, Florida in a Modern Philosophies of Art class. I think we were all scared of the idea of people wanting to make this perfect town.
Posted by: katie | Feb 26, 2006 8:38:40 PM
Jinx Proof is actually one of the LEAST scary tattoo places I've seen. They keep to themselves, the clientele isn't too scary, they're clean and well lit and they fit in with the record store down the block. Why don't we put a cap on antique shops?!!! They are to Montclair what nail salons are to other towns.
Posted by: notteham | Feb 26, 2006 8:57:24 PM
"We talked about Celebration, Florida in a Modern Philosophies of Art class. I think we were all scared of the idea of people wanting to make this perfect town."
This is the next hot TV drama waiting to happen: "Celebration: The perfect town, filled with perfect people, all hiding dark and ugly secrets...tune in next Sunday at 9."
Posted by: Miss Martta (8T) | Feb 26, 2006 11:15:47 PM
I wouldn't worry about the Jag dealership. I read they got a sweetheart deal from the town to help with their expansion.
Clearly someone was helping them and then trying to hurt their competition with the new law.
Anyone know specifics?
Posted by: OX | Feb 26, 2006 11:18:56 PM
FORGET the business blacklist, here is a LEAST WANTED list that every citizen of Montclair, Glen Ridge, and Bloomfield should be made aware of :
www12.familywatchdog.us/StaySafe.asp
Type in your address. It's going to scare the living hell out of you.
Posted by: Concerned Citizen of Montclair | Feb 27, 2006 12:07:35 AM
they must have charged DJ actual $$ for the records he/she bought, hence the dislike for the record store, also the record store has real records from the 60s..something the neanderthals from this era cant quite handle, the check cashing place is a great excuse to walk into the club where women go that never post here, and that men in here can only see on line...yeehaa.
Posted by: UFO's over Bush | Feb 27, 2006 7:10:04 AM
