Two Beloved Icons Just Closed in Ridgewood. Is the Downtown Losing Its Soul to the ‘Amazon Economy’?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The charm of Ridgewood, New Jersey, has always been rooted in its vibrant, independent downtown. But a sudden wave of high-profile closures has residents asking a painful question: Is the historic character of our Central Business District slipping away?
In just a matter of months, two beloved local institutions—Village Green Restaurant and the Village Tea Shop—have permanently shut their doors. These weren’t struggling startups; they were longtime community favorites that served generations of Ridgewood families.
As iconic independent businesses vanish, a fierce debate is sparking over rising costs, rapid redevelopment, and what local government is doing to protect the unique fabric of our town.
Why Independent Businesses Are Snapping Under the Pressure
The disappearance of the Village Green and Village Tea Shop highlights a harsh reality: Ridgewood is becoming increasingly unaffordable for small, independent entrepreneurs.
While community support remains strong, local storefronts are battling a crushing combination of economic pressures:
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Skyrocketing Operating Costs: Inflation, rising rents, and supply chain shifts are narrowing profit margins to razor-thin levels.
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The Parking Dilemma: Ongoing challenges with downtown parking availability and meter expenses continue to deter casual shoppers and diners.
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Redevelopment vs. Preservation: While the Village Council focuses heavily on high-density redevelopment and expanded building opportunities in the Central Business District (CBD), critics argue that the preservation of legacy businesses is being left out of the equation.
Achieving state-mandated affordable housing obligations is undeniably important, but residents are rightfully wondering: What kind of downtown will we have left 10 years from now if all the local character is priced out?
The Village’s Counter-Strategy: The Special Improvement District (SID)
In an aggressive pushback against the “Amazon economy,” the Ridgewood Village Council has launched a new structural lifeline to salvage and promote the downtown shopping and dining scene.
Spearheaded by Deputy Mayor Pam Perron, the council officially established a Special Improvement District (SID) (known in most other states as a Business Improvement District).
How the Ridgewood SID Works:
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100% Tax-Free for Residents: To be abundantly clear, no money is collected from residential properties for this initiative.
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Commercial Assessments: Funding is generated strictly via a special assessment on commercial property owners within the Village, collected alongside municipal property taxes.
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Dedicated Funding: The revenue goes into a protected fund managed by a Board of Directors made up of local store owners and commercial landlords—the people who actually have “skin in the game.”
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The Mission: The funds are strictly earmarked to aggressively market the Central Business District and finance beautification projects to keep the downtown looking pristine.
New Leadership Stepping in to Fight Back
To turn this new strategy into tangible results, the SID Board of Directors recently made a major power move by hiring Steve Grillo as Executive Director, alongside a full-time marketing professional.
Grillo brings a proven track record to the table, boasting years of experience successfully running a similar economic improvement district in Millburn, NJ. Moving forward, Grillo and his marketing team will work hand-in-hand with the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and the Ridgewood Guild to drive foot traffic away from online retail giants and back into local storefronts.
The establishment of the SID proves that the town isn’t going down without a fight. However, as independent staples continue to look vulnerable, the real test will be whether these marketing dollars can outpace the crushing weight of rising real estate costs.
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Remember, SID and BID fees are taxes. The landlords will most certainly pass the cost along to the tenants, who in turn will pass the increased rent charges along to? The land of the $10 slice of pizza Ridgewood, NJ residents. No cost to residents, pift!
In an aggressive push back against reality, the Ridgewood Village Council is going to tax commercial property owners even more — you know, the ones whose profit margins are already “razor thin” — and waste it on futile marketing efforts and more expensive flower pots that only get used as ashtrays.
Special Improvement District.
Another way to tax businesses, and then appoint a bunch of political ass kissers to figure out ways to spend the money, especially in Ridgewood.
Keep your eyes on Paulie and his friends.
Oh that’s precious. Soon there’ll be SIDs all over NJ. Not to be confused with Sudden Infant Dea……. Syndrome.
Who is the marketing professional?
Also, who wrote that spring newsletter from PV? It was very poorly written!
Seemed like a cross between Dr. Seuss and ChatGPT.
get ready for the commercial property owners to flee…
parking is not an issue and a reason the Village
Green closed….enough with the bs story
new owner….ridiculous rent roll
rent for the corner vacant restaurant on Broad Street and Ridgewood Ave is >$10k per mth
a restaurant without a liquor license can’t survive paying that rent