‘Marketing Madness’

Event on Palmer Square finds merchants in a buouyant mood

By: Katie Wagner
   On the south portion of the Palmer Square green, a smiling, apron-clad Chez Alice employee was describing the ingredients used in butter-cream-frosted and chocolate-Jamaica rum-flavored cakes.
   Nearby, representatives of Natural Kitchen Cooking School were recommending three of Princeton’s health food grocery stores to people who stopped by their table.
   And at the Main Street Fine Catering table on the green, visitors were sampling tomato and avocado gazpacho and sipping lemonade.
   The Regional Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Mid-Summer Marketing Madness event on Tuesday night found Princeton-area merchants in a bouyant and cooperative mood.
   "Business is booming," said Susan Pacik of Main Street Fine Catering in Rocky Hill. "It’s a very exciting area — the whole Princeton and outlying area. It’s full of a lot of culture and a really broad range of people."
   The well-attended event gave representatives of local businesses an opportunity to showcase their products and services as well as their ability to work together.
   Palmer Square and Hulfish tenants have hosted five annual summer block parties, including last week’s Harry Potter-themed event, but links between more distant neighbors were visible at Mid-Summer Marketing Madness, which drew participants from as far away as Bucks County, Pennyslvania, and Parsippany and as close as downtown Princeton.
   Some merchants demonstrated their camaraderie with other businesses by sharing tables, while others talked about how they regularly team up with other local businesses and organizations.
   Jean Coury, marketing director for the restaurant group TerraMomo, said the company’s three businesses in the downtown Princeton area — Nova Terra, Mediterra and Witherspoon Bread Company — frequently work with the Arts Council of Princeton and the Princeton Public Library.
   "I think, in general, everyone will work together to try and bring a better business environment instead of trying to work for themselves only," Ms. Coury said. "In the downtown location, due to our businesses’ proximity to other businesses, we’re working together and that allows us to get to know some of their staff."
   Other local business representatives said Princeton University and Princeton’s history bring many visitors to the area.
   "There’s a lot of competition, but that keeps everything fresh," Ms. Pacik said. "I think it’s really friendly competition. It’s a lot of bouncing off of one another and there’re a lot of joint efforts."
   Busier times of the year, like the summer, bring businesses closer together, said Chakira Che, a sales manager for Residence Inn, Marriott in Princeton.
   "Usually when something big happens, we can’t handle everyone who wants a room, so we send people to other local inns and hotels," she added. "All the businesses know who the other businesses are and will refer each other."
   Generally, business representatives expressed enthusiasm about new development coming to Princeton, such as Palmer Square’s Hulfish North, 100 units of residential housing.
   "For us as a bank, it (Hulfish North) brings a prospect for new clients and for drawing new people into the central business district of Princeton," said Peter M. Crowley, president and CEO of the Bank of Princeton.
   Business representatives and members of the public who attended Mid-Summer Marketing Madness noted that businesses in Princeton were also changing.
   The Bank of Princeton, the event’s title sponsor, is one of the new businesses in town that prides itself in bringing a new service to the area.
   "We’re the first community bank in about 15 years," said Vincent N. Tozzi, senior vice president and CFO of the Bank of Princeton. "The money that you invest with us stays in the Princeton community."
   Princeton residents Bobette and Dan Lister said many of the careering companies that attended were the newest local businesses to them.
   The chamber devoted four months of planning to the event with members and staff collaborating to create and launch what officials hope will become an annual event.