the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Opening a brick and mortar business can be daunting. What should you know before you sign a lease? What departments in town do you need to contact – and in what order? Do you need to submit construction plans?
According to Village Manager Keith Kazmark , after meeting with business owners, department heads and members of the Central Business District Advisory Committee, the Village has compiled a checklist designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the steps required for opening a business in Ridgewood.
Click here to view the new website page.
The checklist will be shared with the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, Ridgewood Guild and local realtors. It also will be available in all departments in the Village that are involved with the opening of a new business, including Building, Zoning, Engineering and Health.
“We talked with new business owners who expressed their frustrations about the process, about the number of hoops they had to jump through,” said Deputy Mayor Pamela Perron. “We decided that had to change – for the future of the Village. We need to make it easier for new businesses to open here so that they don’t go elsewhere.
“The Village Council passed ordinances to expand the types of business that can open downtown, such as microbreweries, arcades, escape rooms and medi-spas,” she continued. “Ridgewood is more inviting than ever, and the new checklist will help entrepreneurs move into town more quickly.”
At last night’s Village Council meeting, Tony Damiano, executive director of the Ridgewood Guild, reported that there are currently 15 vacancies in the Central Business District, which includes four pending new tenants.
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Calling all barbers. Ridgewood is open for business and needs a few more new barber shops.
The Haircut Capital of Bergen County, two years running.
Who owns the rental properties that make it easy for the town/chamber of commerce approve 12 like kind businesses? Hmm
Either someone who is a complete buffoon with a lot of unresolved bad haircut trauma, or someone who profits mightily over setting up business to fail and making the village look stupid.
Where are you placing your bets?
Who owns the rental properties that make it easy for the town/chamber of commerce to approve 12 like kind businesses? Hmm
They will tie you up with all kinds of red tape and you will be paying rent and not open for months. Who wants that. They talk a good game then the size and shape of your sign is too big or too small.
The issues involved are really not that different from those in neighboring towns. It’s actually helpful to have developed this list. The real issue with the variety of businesses in town is more closely tied to 3 areas of concern, 2 of which the Village can help with, and one they can not.
Rent – Is so high that it is nearly impossible to profitably run a business. These are the landlords and there is nothing the Village can do about it. It is capitalism.
Taxes – the burden of property taxes on commercial buildings is ALSO paid by the renter. Part of what is referred to as “Triple Net”. Rent, taxes, and insurance. Insurance is not cheap either, but it is not a major impediment. This the Village CAN address. Commercial properties are charged a much higher tax rate than homeowners. Much higher.
Parking & Aggressive Enforcement- There is not enough parking, and the one opportunity the Village had to address it was badly planned and flawed by building the stupid parking garage away from the center of town. Walnut Street was the right place for a garage, not Hudson Street. Those of us who were victims of the Village’s paid business killers, called parking enforcement, simply do not shop in town any longer.
Rent, taxes, and parking. It hasn’t been fixed in my 40 years here, and likely won’t be for my grandkids.
Higher margin, higher revenue grossing personal businesses like hair salons, barber shops, nail salons and the like will fill these vacant spaces at an accelerated clip. This is what you are seeing now. Everyone used to complain about the number of restaurants, then the banks, then hair salons, and others.
We could still add a parking garage on Walnut. Maybe removing street parking meters would help too.