Princeton’s storefronts underwent a revolving door in 2004

Local retail scene was in a constant flux.

By: Gwen McNamara
   ‘Tis the season for change, and in downtown Princeton there has been a lot of it. Throughout the year just ended, the local business scene has been in flux as numerous restaurants and shops have moved in and out.
   On the restaurant front, new eateries like Subway and Mehek have moved into long-vacant locales.
   The Subway sandwich shop opened in November in place of the long-dormant Les Copains on Witherspoon Street. Mehek, a new Indian food restaurant, took over 164 Nassau St., formerly the home of Sally Lunn’s, a British-inspired tea house.
   Another new restaurant is Iano’s Rosticceria, which replaced Victor’s Pizza on Nassau Street. New owners Arline and Iano Conigliano purchased the property in September.
   Pizza Calore, also on Nassau Street, is now Massimo’s. The new Italian restaurant, which opened about five months ago, is owned by partners Chris Kolovos and Vinny Mazzela and features a menu of pizza, salads, pasta and sandwiches. Mr. Kolovos and Mr. Mazzela, who have two other restaurants, do catering as well.
   The Bent Spoon, an artisan ice cream and bakery, opened at 35 Palmer Square this spring. The shop is the inspiration of husband-and-wife-team Matt Errico and Gabrielle Carbone, who worked for many years at Small World coffee on Witherspoon Street.
   Other establishments are under new ownership.
   Alan and Marguerite Heap purchased Cox’s Market, at 180 Nassau St., in February and, shortly thereafter, made longtime employee Carlos Espichan a partner in the business. In the next year, Cox’s will include a new Tex-Mex or Mexicali restaurant in an expanded space at the rear of the building.
   A Mexican-inspired restaurant called Qdoba Grill also is slated to move into the space now occupied by Nassau Street-staple Hinkson’s. Citing a lack of walk-in revenue, the office supply store is looking to move to a new location.
   Burger King, the lone fast-food chain on Nassau Street, left at year’s end. Saladworks Café, a national casual dining chain, is expected to move into the spot in February, pending approvals from Princeton Borough.
   Still other eateries are undergoing major renovation.
   Today, the Hunan Chinese Restaurant on Witherspoon Street is nothing more than a large hole in the ground. But in the coming year, a new 2,955-square-foot building, with a 15-seat restaurant and takeout service on the first floor and two, two-bedroom apartments on the second floor, is expected to be completed. Owners Elsie and Ray Pang expect to keep many of the restaurant’s mainstay dishes on the menu when Hunan Chinese reopens.
   Halo Pub, on Hulfish Street, is in the process of completing its expansion. The popular ice cream shop is taking over the former Cingular Wireless store next door to create Halo Fete, an ice cream patisserie with desserts appearing more like petit fours and tarts than ice cream sandwiches.
   In addition, plans are under way to open Witherspoon Grill in the newly built Witherspoon House that overlooks the new plaza on Witherspoon Street.
   Witherspoon House, part of the joint redevelopment project of Princeton Borough and developer Nassau HKT Associates, will have the restaurant and a yet-to-be named retail operation on the first floor and apartments on the second through fifth floors. The rest of the project includes the new 500-space parking garage, plaza and a five-story mixed use building planned for the Tulane Street parking lot.
   Witherspoon Grill is expected to serve steaks, seafood and burgers, as well as a kid-friendly menu. Owner Jack Morrison is in the process of applying for a liquor license, as the restaurant will include a bar serving wine, cocktails and beer.
   The 142-seat restaurant will have both indoor and outdoor dining. The restaurant plans are now under review by the state Department of Community Affairs and, pending approval, construction is planned for early 2005 with an anticipated opening in April.
   The retail sector has been equally busy.
   Shops like the Gap and J.E. Caldwell & Co. jewelry have left downtown Princeton and been replaced. Polo Ralph Lauren has taken over the Nassau Street storefront of J.E. Caldwell & Co., while Zoe, a trendy boutique for women, and its sister store, Zoe Shoes, now occupy the space on Hulfish Street left by the Gap.
   Dandeline, a women’s clothing boutique, opened its doors at 195 Nassau St., near Moore Street, for the first time in November. The store, originally based in Cranbury and owned by Phyllis Davison, features detailed customer service, specialty woolens and unique jewelry.
   Styles of England, an antique clock shop at 20 Nassau St., brought a touch of the past to Princeton over the summer. The store, owned by Wilfred Styles, who also owns a shop in the Cotswolds in England, carries tall case clocks, like grandfather clocks, and smaller timepieces, such as carriage or mantle clocks, as well as select paintings and period furniture.
   Nassau Interiors, a decorating mainstay in downtown Princeton, is now under new, but familiar, ownership. Trinna LaPlaca BenMoussa, daughter of the business’s founder Leonard LaPlaca, took over the store on Nassau Street. Moving the business forward, Ms. BenMoussa has added in-house interior design to the shop’s well-known selection of classical furniture.
   Even the new Princeton Public Library has gotten into the game.
   The ground-floor entrance area of the library, on the corner of Witherspoon Street and Paul Robeson Place, features the Open Book Café, operated by Chez Alice, and the Friends of the Princeton Public Library store. Sales from the store, which carries items based on the theme of reading, writing and education, benefit the library.
   Other businesses are changing locations.
   The weekly Town Topics newspaper will be moving to Witherspoon Street. Princeton University recently notified the paper it would need to take back the building it now occupies at the junction of Mercer and Nassau streets, for academic purposes.
   Town Topics has purchased a property at 305-307 Witherspoon St., a former house, for its new headquarters.
   JP Morgan Chase Bank opened at 16 Nassau St. in July. The bank, with ATM vestibule, offers banking services for individuals and small businesses, as well as investment services, home mortgage and equity services.