By Jean Bredin, Blogfinger staff ©. Dec. 30. 2017. Doggie Boutique, Main Avenue, Ocean Grove, NJ.
Jean says, “A ‘Going out of Business’ sale and party for customers was being held today.
The snow didn’t keep these party animals away.
We will miss this little pet store.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: For those of us who would like an old fashioned Ocean Grove with a “down home” Main Avenue, we will be sad to see this shop leave. This is the sort of business which takes us back to another era and caters mostly to OG residents, not to mobs of outsiders. It’s the sort of endeavor we need in town because it has character and a hometown business model.
The popular owner got priced out of business and harassed by an owner who seems to see Ocean Grove as Asbury Park South, and Cindy’s shop is not the only business to be forced out of that building. In a tragic turn of events, April Cornell will be gone next spring, and so will the little grocery store at that site.
We now have 3 New York City developers at play in the Grove: the owner of this building (58-60 Main); the owner of the Warrington site who is currently suing Neptune and trying to bully the town through legal manipulations to get the zoning he wishes; and there is the third NYC developer who, despite his OG address, is a carpetbagger, and that is the owner of the White Whale at the North End, another participant in the OG Game of Thrones where loyalty to the town and its residents is thrown under the bus in the quest for high rents, outrageous sale prices (over $8 million for the whale,) and collusion with the Neptune government regarding zoning (Perhaps you have heard of the North End Revelopment Plan.)
It is essential that the local equivalents of Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and George Washington show up to rally the citizens and form an activist group to get aggressive and try to save the town.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Cast of Flower Drum Song:
It saddens me to see these businesses go, as I associate them with the fabric of OG. It will be interesting to see what replaces them, as higher rents require higher revenue streams. This seems to result in a downtown with mostly restaurants and national chain stores and fewer owner operated businesses.
However, only successful restaurants can survive and successful restaurants usually rely on alcohol sales for a significant portion of their revenue. One only need look at Red Bank where soaring rents ($7000+/month for a small Broad St location) have led to accelerated turnover in retail establishments, with national chain stores and successful restaurants becoming the order of the day.
The Dog Boutique was one of the nicest things to happen to Ocean Grove in a decade (along with the cheese shop). It was reminiscent of a town that once housed a local market that sold things you might really want.. a dry cleaner… Moonstruck…the Raspberry Café…an old time cafeteria where the food was good and affordable…Kevin’s paper store where the owner and many of his patrons gave people who were down on their luck a helping hand…a long line at Day’s Ice Cream that you actually didn’t mind standing in because you knew everyone…a nativity that actually had real animals and was held outside.
In the Ocean Grove I loved, eclectic Victorian houses with quirky rooms and just the right amount of worn paint stood in sharp contrast to today’s “Victorian fronts” backed by open floor plans, stainless steel appliances and IKEA furnishings.
Some may call it progress, but I call it the loss of a very special and unique way of life. We can blame Neptune, the developers, the realtors, the CMA and the Homeowners Association, greed and self interest and in truth they have all played a role in changing the fabric of our little town.
I do believe we need to continue to fight further destruction, but the sad reality is the horse is out of the barn and it will take a lot to reign him back in.
Curmudgeon: In 1763, the process of convincing Americans that they should separate from Great Britain began in ernest There were many who resisted that movement, but finally, in 1776, after a great deal of persuasion, the 13 colonies agreed to the Declaration of Independence.
On Blogfinger, we always have new people signing in, so today, for example, someone will read our Doggie article and find out something new.
I will miss the Doggie Boutique a lot. I am a Connecticut dog who is so lucky to go along to Ocean Grove whenever my family goes. There are so many amenities for dogs- running on the beach, parks that even provide cleanup bags, and lots of friendly people who are always anxious to pat me on the head.
I usually meet up with my city cousin, Blue, from Philly. We go for long walks but everyone knows that when we walk down Main Avenue, we always turn into the Doggie Boutique! Where else can we get delicious frozen yogurt on a hot day? Where else would I have ever gotten a new leash right away when I accidentally bit through mine? And…there were the free snacks that the nice people in there always gave us. We hope they open again somewhere else and whatever business goes in doesn’t mind when we occasionally wander in. Old habits are tough to break.
Great picture of the pet store. Sorry to see such a unique business leave Main Ave. It is sad that April Cornell and the Deli store are being forced out due to excessive rents. These are the types of businesses that make Main Avenue an interesting place to shop. I went to the Christmas store the Tuesday before Christmas to purchase some ornaments. Was surprised to see a sign indicating they would not be open until Thursday. Seems to me that they are not doing a robust business or they would have been open everyday during what should have been their busy season.
It will be nice to have an Italian restaurant in the new building on Main. We need unique and viable replacements for those stores that are being vacated.
I fear that it will take more than crossed fingers to attract new and appealing businesses.
Aggravated Curmudgeon,
We cannot blame a property owner, or developer for building anything that theTownship has issued a permit to build, as long as everyone filing for a permit is treated equally.
However, what happens in OG, is when the average resident files for a building permit, they must first buy a bottle of Excedrin, because they will be forced to strictly comply with every land use law under the sun, and some that don’t exist.
It can be a long and expensive process that many builders cannot deal with.
On the other hand, some developers are ‘waived the requirements’ by the Land Use Administrator, who, by the way, doesn’t have that authority.
And so the Building Department has no other choice but to issue the permits.
Whether the use is permitted or not, the developer gets the permit and the Committeemen say ‘we rely on our experts .’
This is ‘political corruption’ and has caused the residents to lose faith in their Government.
But, Mr Curmudgeon, we don’t have to get used to it.
I admire your constant effort to provide this information about zoning and development in Ocean Grove. The sad truth is that local government too often consists of the developer, their lawyer, and the maybe too self-interested town council. Get used to it. It is predictable that developers will see the success of Asbury Park and look for opportunity here. There is nothing that can be done, forget about it.