April Cornell, Pet Shop, DJ’s 2 stores are recently all gone due to sharp rent increases. This is #60 Main Avenue.
In 2002, author Ted David published a book called The Other Side of Ocean Grove. We interviewed him this past July. Here is a link:
Chapter 11 of his book is called “Main Avenue” He says that Ocean Grove was planned to have “that kind of Main Street designed to serve the immediate community and none other.” But then he went on to say, “Main Avenue has grown into a tourist attraction that caters to the summertime buying urges of visitors as well as serving the needs of year round residents of the Grove.”
But after that, he notes, parking became much more difficult on Main Avenue with many tourists coming to town. However, he said that locals could still walk or bike to carry groceries and other items back home. What would he say today?
David takes his readers on a 2002 walking tour of our shopping area, and he notes and comments about the stores which were there when he walked around town. Here is the list that he came up with, and you will see that most of them are now gone: (* means still open)
Macaroon Shop bakery
Flower shop
Barber shop gone in Ted’s time
Sampler Inn (gone in Ted’s time)
Video and snack shop (before that there was a barber)
Daily Grind: coffee shop and bakery
Favorite Things owned then by Harvey and Aida *
Ocean Grove Trading Co.*
Main Avenue Deli
Shell Shop
Raspberry Café
Moonstruck restaurant (now in A. Park)
Captain Jack’s restaurant (now Seagrass)*
Kitch and Kaboodle
Tina’s Gift Shop
Gannon Construction
Century 21 Realtors*
Freedman’s Bakery (now OG Bake Shoppe) *
Bronson and Blair Real Estate
Ace Hardware (now OG Hardware)*
Cleaners
Diane Turton Real Estate *
Nagle’s*
Newsstand/toy store
The Chamber of Commercials has rented a house on Main Ave. But when they close the street, it’s not where they live.
David concludes his chapter by saying , “The commercial area that is Main Avenue continues to evolve.”
He says, ” The Great Auditorium is the heart and soul of the Grove, but Main Avenue is its skeleton and nerves.”
David’s updated version of his book will be out soon. We don’t know yet if he has a new Main Avenue chapter.
Recently we lost the Yoga studio, Surf shop, Fusion Jewels, Candy shop, Season’s General Store, and PNC Bank. A new Christmas shop remains open (when it’s open), and there is a new yogurt store. A couple of lunch places have started out. The Comfort Zone has expanded as has the Emporium clothing store.
Favorite Things is open, but it is for sale. Cheese on Main remains open and successful——in the gourmet food category.
Some inns have closed on Main, but two hotels are still open.
Vacancies at #50 Main Avenue–a new building.
The sign on the door says “private residence.” 9/14/18. Main Avenue.
Soon a yarn store will open called Balzac Company. We still need a coffee shop, and maybe one will open soon (That’s the rumor).
Balzac, the yarn shop, is in the offing at #50. Blogfinger photo 9/14/18
One could imagine that some sort of cultural or economic tidal wave is tossing Main Avenue around, but it seems that the shifts which we have seen recently may be no different from the fluctuations that have occurred in the past (as seen in Ted David’s walking tour.)
The tides of change are probably due to multiple factors such as the impressive seasonal fluctuations in business on Main. Maybe Asbury Park’s successes are effecting business here, and also the worsened parking situation has chased away potential customers. Is there a fundamental economic theory at play, such as an impending recession?
Whatever the explanation(s,) Main Avenue seems dreary and worrisome now. What is the Chamber of Commercials planning to do about the situation?
ALLAN SHERMAN: