>If the Fly’s memory is correct, an assistant manager at the East Ridgewood Avenue Starbucks was arrested earlier this year for allegedly selling drugs in the franchise’s rear parking lot. This is the same location that Ridgewood Police Officer Sean Amoroso was assaulted on Saturday night. Officer Amoroso was trying to detain an individual suspected of being engaged in some sort of narcotics related activity.
These two incidents make the Fly wonder what the story is with this particular Starbucks location? Are these two incidents coincidental/totally unrelated, or is the Ridgewood Avenue Starbucks an established gathering point for drug sellers and buyers? If so, should Ridgewood’s police department enlist help from the Bergen County Narcotics Squad to clean up the mess there?
>There are a lot of other “grown up” places to grab a great cup of coffee in Ridgewood without having to navigate your way through groups of kids like you have to at Starbucks. All of these other establishments are cleaner and friendlier, too. Besides what’s with teenagers drinking coffee anyway?
>The Ridgewood Coffee shop has some very polite biker dudes who hang out there. They are much friendler than those teenagers.
>I LOVE seeing all those biker dudes bikes lined up at the curb — it makes Ridgewood seem less snooty, snotty and stodgy.
>You just watch. Today it’s time to get tough with Starbucks on East Ridgewood Avenue. Tomorrow (or as soon as they open) it’ll be time to get tough with Starbucks on Wilsey Square. Bottom line — it’s time to get tough with Starbucks period.
>My sons and I love looking at the bikes and the bikers are really nice. One of the biker’s has a daughter who works in the coffee shop. I prefer Ridgewood Coffee’s atmosphere to Starbuck’s any day. I don’t enjoy stepping over stoned teens to get a cup of coffee.
On another note, last night, there was a bunch of stoned teens at Van Dykes (wearing Ridgewood tees). One young “lady” was bragging about how drunk she was every night that week and how she kept telling her dumb mother she was just tired. Apparently, her mother was buying it to the point where she was going to take her daughter to the doctor for a check-up. Didn’t like stepping over stoned teens to get ice cream either.
>I was downtown this morning around 9:00 a.m. and noticed an employee of The Ridgewood Coffee Company out there sweeping the sidewalk. I then drove past Starbucks and people were sitting outside amongst the trash littering the sidewalk. I guess Starbuck’s employees hadn’t had the time to call the VOR to come out and clean up their sidewalk.
>What a shame that the owner of the Ridgewood Starbucks has allowed the outside of his/her establishment to look and smell like a landfill. Doesn’t our village have an ordinance against such a thing?
>Time to get your coffee elsewhere.
>Lots of support for the Ridgewood Coffee Company…. almost like an advertisement. I’m going to give it a try:
“Mmmmmm, Mmm. Thats GOOD coffee.”